Gender identity and sexual orientation - Essay Example

Gender identity and sexual orientationGender identity and sexual orientation are mere labels that should identify a person but not form a basis for victimization. Even though differences may exist in opinion over sexual and gender orientation, positive psychology requires management of the opinions for positive lives of all members of the society. Measures for dealing with the differences should therefore not focus on the differences but on satisfaction that people can derive from their lives.

A member of the LGBTQ community should therefore not have a negative attitude towards straight people and straight people should be positive towards sexual orientation of members of the LGBTQ community. In addition, positivity towards people’s orientation improves their self-confidence and self-actualization and therefore contributes to quality of life. The same positive attitude should also exist over gender identity differences in which marginalized groups such as transgender and people with gender non-conformance should receive psychological support that can help them understand and be confident of their orientations (Riggle and Rostosky, 2014).

My sexual and gender identities are straight and I have never experienced any alternative orientation. This could be because of my social background in which the alternative orientations were condemned and I believed them to be immoral. I seemingly conformed to the social values that condemned the alternative orientations, though I do not discriminate against them. My developed social knowledge does not however support the strict social environments that condemn other social orientations because psychological support is necessary for emotional stability (Riggle and Rostosky, 2014).

Effects of racial micro-aggression depend on the form. Many forms exists, based on examples that Yearwood (2013) offers. Such racial micro-aggressions such as underrepresentation of a race do not have negative effects on an individual, as long as no direct discrimination is directed against the individual or the involved minority race. Other racial micro-aggressions such as being ignored or being dismissed are however likely to cause psychological harm to a target. I have however not experienced any form of racial micro-aggression and long-term existence of members of my race in the locality could explain this.

Certain micro-aggressions, such as disproportionate representation of race are easier to deal with because they are too passive and not direct to an individual and does not identify intention of the source. Some forms that are direct and associate with discrimination, such as dismissal because of race, are however difficult to deal with (Yearwood, 2013). Formed opinion about a sub-population and avoidance of a population are the micro-aggressions that I witness the most and I am likely to have a formed opinion over people, though not likely to express the opinions.

A "good" man does work to provide for the family. A "good" woman does work to raise the family. A "good" woman thinks about relationships and quality of life. A "good" Man thinks work and power. A "good" Man feels power. A "good" woman feels relationships and quality of life.Family members, peers, media, church and work institutions are the sources of the messages, as they preserve and communicate social norms that define gender (Riggle and Rostosky, 2014). ReferencesYearwood, E. (2013). Microaggression.

Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing 26(1), 98-99. Riggle, E. and Rostosky, S. (2014). A positive view of LGBTQ: Embracing identity and cultivating well-being. Washington, DC: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.