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In recent years, there has been a burgeoning interest in problems of gender identity. Among the pioneers in this field, one particularly, John Money, stands out. Through the study of hermaphroditism and other forms of sexual variation, Money (1955, 1968) clearly established that the primary determinants of gender identity were psychological. Another worker prominent in this field is Robert Stoller (1968), who has concentrated mainly on the developmental dynamics of transsexuals and transvestites. In this paper, we will first define gender identity and describe how it develops, drawing heavily on the concepts of Money and Stoller. Next, we will describe the psychodynamics of gender identity in biologically normal, heterosexual males. In so doing, we will review the concept of pseudohomosexuality (Ovesey, 1969), which illuminates the unconscious integration of conflicts about gender role. Finally, we will demonstrate the psychodynamic interrelationships between gender identity and sexual psychopathology in three disorders where biologic sex is normal, but gender identity and sexual behavior are markedly aberrant: homosexuality, transsexualism, and transvestism. For each disorder, we will provide a psychodynamic analysis of the symptoms and propose a hypothesis for their developmental origins.
Gender identity refers to a person's self-designation as male or female and as masculine or feminine. These two categories are commonly known as core gender identity and gender identity, respectively. We find the latter term confusing because it is not clearly differentiated from the former. Instead of gender identity, therefore, we will use the term gender role identity. This change in labels, we believe, will make it easier to keep in mind the distinction