When does sexual identity begin - Research Proposal Example

As puberty ensues, the human body and mind goes through a developmental quagmire that most adults will admit they barely survived. In adulthood, a human has, hopefully, navigated all of these influences to create their sexual identity. Hormonal influence in the womb can influence the sexual identity of a child. Testosterone levels have been proven to influence girls by the level to which the behave more feminine or masculine in their childhood. A study done by Melissa Hines, Charles Brook and Gerard S.

Conway at City University in conjunction with Bristol University, discovered that girls exposed to higher levels of androgens, testosterone in the womb While this information was not relevant to boys in this test, this does indicate that the various hormones levels of a mother can have influence on the development of the child. As these type of studies progress, more information will come to light helping to identify the medical influences that help to create the fully developed adult sexual identity.

Of course, the danger in this type of research is the possibility of allowing parents to try and use these influences to medically manipulate a fetus to a more “desirable” outcome. Sexual identity can be defined by two criteria. The first criteria is the simple (or at least usually simple) association made by physical characteristics. Ones sexual identity is first based on the physical gender characteristics that were evident at birth. A child is born with female genitals and is then immediately socialized as a female.

The same is true for a male. This socialization is the first battlefield on which a child will stand. Comments will come from toddlers in American society such as ’ I won’t wear that - it’s pink! Pink is for girls!’ or ’I want a doll for Christmas because I want to be a mommy when I grow up.’. In an article