AN UPDATED   STUDY ON TRANSEXUALISM AND IT’S NATURE AND CAUSES

Joel Charles Snell    M.A.

Emeritus Professor

Kirkwood College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

ABSTRACT: A panel of social science and medical practioners  indicate what they believe and judge relative to the nature and causes transsexuals. The major issue deals with the balancing of nature and nurture etiology. This a modified study from McFalls , Joseph et. al, Gallagher, B.J., Halluska, M & Jaime Prince   Attitudes of Psychiatrists Concerning the Nature and Causes of Transexualism: A National Survey “PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL, Volume 43, # 1, 2006,26-33. Their study indicated that a stratified, purposive national sample of psychiatrists thought that transgender individuals are generally the result of environmental stimuli. This new study indicates from a diversified panel is quite the reverse, transsexuals are predisposed by internal influences. This new study is probably 7 or 8 years later.

INTRODUCTION:

Brown and Rounsley (2003) have a clever way of introducing transgenderism which will also be a synonym for this article as transsexuals with an a example of three young attractive ladies. The first is a bisexual and uses his feminine posturing to improve chances of soliciting tricks.

The second is a married transvestite who travels to other communities from home to dress in drag and enhance his arousal. After a night on the town, they check into a motel where he returns to using his penis with his wife. The married partner can choose a male or female for sex.

The third dresses and acts like a feminine female. Since a very young age, he felt like a girl. Both in the public arena and private dresses and acts like a conventional female. She may have a male or female for a partner.

 The first lady is a bisexual using a social marketing strategy for prostitution or related. She generally provides orals at contemporary prices. The second is a straight transvestite and the third is a transgendered person

All three have penises, but only one wants it removed and that is the third or transgendered person. If they cannot afford it, they may use an external product that conceals the genital. Or, they may create a vaginal pocket by inverting the penis and placing the exterior that is soft, upward and inward. This is especially useful for certain sexual activities.

METHODOLOGY

McFalls, Joseph et. al  or the Villanova study sent questionnaires to 400 psychiatrists, nationwide, and obtained a nearly 24% return rate. The questionnaire queried professional demographics for those individuals with a medical degree. The research instrument indicated the usual instructions, definition of transsexual and two clusters of “causes.”

They are:

CONSTITUTIONAL (internal stimuli) includes 1) abnormalities of cerebrum 2)hypothalamic and temporal lobe damage 3)hormonal abnormalities 4)immunological dysfunctions 5)genetically inherited abnormalities 6)variation of the corpus coliseum 7) genetic pathways dysfunction.

ENVIRONMENTAL (external stimuli) 1) absent of same sex parent 2) forced to cross dress 3) overly close relationship with opposite sex parent 4)general social influences 5) being exposed to  alternative lifestyle at vulnerable age.

RESULTS OF THE ORIGINAL STUDY

Well over half of the  McCall’s Jr. study respondents chose the environmental cluster of stimuli at 52.6%. The others divided the constitutional by selecting genetic inheritance at 27% followed other variables of an environmental nature. In looking at selected sub-groups, the environmental answer came mainly from older psychiatrist who indicated a Freudian perspective. Once again, the data may have been  collected as far back as 2004. To the authors knowledge, their study was one the first grouped sample of clinicians. McFalls jr. (2006: 29)

PRESENT UPDATED STUDY and LITERATURE SEARCH

The literature from 2006 since the publication of the Villanova study  appears to support transsexuals created by constitutional  forces and that sex of female and male is not a rational cognitive choice (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_being_transgendered_a_choice. Rather it is a reflection of brain behavior (http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2007/04/26/the-transgendered-brain/  ) or variables relating to brain behavior (http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2011/07/08/how-do-you-get-sexual-orientat/) Further, this original study is rich in original sources that sort out the variables and the studies that were conducted previous to 2006. So this  information search although shortened contains a considerable amount of information relative to sexual orientation. and transsexuals

 PRESENT UPDATED STUDY

The author interviewed a panel of individuals with medical, sociological, and psychological backgrounds.  Thus, there is more diversity. All the panel had post bachelor credentials. Further, they had contact with transsexual individuals. The selected group was not familiar with the McFalls Jr. study before hand. They were interviewed in the year 2013. An open question was used to establish depth rather the selected  efficiency of schedule completion,  mail return, and quantified results . The question was “On balance is transsexuals most impacted by environmental social stimuli or constitutional  internal stimuli? “

PANEL

The group included a 1. Psychiatrist with an MD. 2. Psychiatric Nurse with BSN and additional course work 3. A social psychologist with an MA in sociology and 30 hours post graduate work 4. A school psychologist with EdS. and further course work. 5. A Clinical Psychologist with PhD. 6. A Clinical Psychologist with a PsyD. 7. A college professor in criminal justice with PhD in sociology. 8. A social worker with a MSW. 10. A human sexuality professor with an ABD. in psychology 11. A professor of sociology with an MA. and extra related course work. 12. A professor with a PhD in psychology. As the reader can see this group is much more diverse and this panel was meant to be created to partially replicate the previous study and yet have wider diversity.

METHODOLOGY

All were asked individually and in private. To the best of the author’s ability, leading verbal or non-verbal reception of the answers were muted. Other issues that were tangential to the study were omitted.

RESULTS

All but one respondent answered that predominantly transsexuals are likely to be the result of constitutional  and  internal factors. Environmental issues was not dismissed, but played a much smaller role according to the group. Whether one assumes hard number or soft number theory and the statistical level (in this case nominal) this panel selected judgment is that a transsexual is more likely to be born rather than made (in crude vernacular) Further, this supports the work of others listed above. The only psychiatrist selected internal constitutional forces.

CONCLUSION

It would appear that transsexuals with the evidence and opinions gathered to date suggests that sex and sexual orientation is on balance a brain-hormonal phenomena.

SELECTED REFERENCES

Brown, M.L.  and C. A. Rounsley (2003) True Selves, San Francico: Josey Bass

(http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2011/07/08/how-do-you-get-sexual-orientat/

(http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_being_transgendered_a_choice

McFalls , Joseph et. al, Gallagher, B.J., Halluska, M & Jaime Prince   Attitudes of Psychiatrists Concerning the Nature and Causes of Transexualism: A National Survey “PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL, Volume 43, # 1, 2006,26-33.

(http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2007/04/26/the-transgendered-brain/