Sex, Gender, and Sexuality Paper

Sex, Gender, and Sexuality. The distinction between gender and sex was a puzzle until the 1950s when various professionals working with transsexual and intersexual patients increasingly engaged in the usage of the term gender. Gender refers to the connotation of attitudinal and cultural characteristics distinctive from sexes. Sex is the physiological distinction between females and males, focusing on the primary and secondary characteristics. Gender identity elaborates on the masculinity and femininity of an individual since it encompasses socialization, life chances, and institutional participation, which is the core status in society. The distinction between gender and sex is essential in examining sexuality as a social variable rather than a biological one. The transgender individual's experiences demonstrate that the biological interpretation of sex does not correspond to gender always. Sexuality is a personal sexual capacity of emotional feelings and attraction to particular sex with an orientation to either heterosexuality or homosexuality identification. For individual sexuality, awareness is oriented between middle childhood and early adolescence without conscious participation in sexual activities. Despite the complexity of sex, gender, and sexuality, it is essential for the awareness of the terms for psychological, physical, cultural, social, and biological understanding. Psychology of Sex and Gender from Biological Perspective. Natural philosophies perceive no distinction between gender and sex; hence personal behaviors are articulated to sexuality. Gender and sex are fundamentals in understanding the behavior of humans in the signaling of potential mates and a person’s social status. Sex is perceived as the biological distinction between females and males. The characteristic of sex is demonstrated by the chromosomes, hormones, and the reproductive system (Rich-Edwards et al., 2018, p. 424-439). Gender can be static and dynamic, demonstrating cultural expectations differences between females and males according to their sex (Rich-Edwards et al., 2018, p. 424439). Gender is elaborated biologically through chromosome and hormones biological factors. Sexual hormones are present in both sex but differ in amounts as testosterone is majorly present in males instead of females, influencing typical masculine behaviors such as higher sexual drive and competitiveness. The SRY gene in the Y chromosome causes the gonads of the embryo to develop as testes (Rich-Edwards et al., 2018, p. 424-439). Psychological research has aided in the understanding of gender and sex. Social Norms Within Cultures Creation of Stigma Towards Sex and Gender. Social psychology elaborates on the stigmatization of sex and gender through the stereotypic norms stipulated by the societal cultures. Sexual stigma is imposed on individuals perceived to be non-heterosexual due to the culture's social beliefs and behavioral expectations (Cislaghi & Heise, 2019, p. 407-422). Heterosexism describes the mechanism which disadvantages the sexual minority community members due to continued exposure to stereotypes. Embedment of social stigmatization of the non-heterosexual has reinforced the ultimate occurrence of discrimination and prejudice, which influences the manifestation of sexual stigma. Sexual stigmas are categorized as enacted, felt, and internalized, which elaborate on the extent of the social norm influence on sex through stereotypic cultures affecting the nonheterosexual individuals’ culture (Cislaghi & Heise, 2019, p. 407-422). Sexual stigmatization correlates to risk behaviors among homosexuals influencing their self-esteem. Homophobia dictates various negative attitudes toward homosexuals in society, fostering violence and discrimination, leading to identity concealment needs. Gender norms constituted by the society create stigmatization of individuals since it is articulated to the behaviors learned appropriate to a person's gender determined by the dominant culture. Gender speculates the social system that apportions roles, power, resources, and entitlement regarding femininity and masculinity (Stewart et al., 2021, p 06660). Gender stigmatization with social norms has majorly impacted the masculine homosexual due to the focus of most attributions to the stereotypic beliefs. Masculinity is pressurized into high societal standards toward sexual orientation, thus making it difficult for homosexual men to expose their sexuality to society. Social norms hold prejudiced beliefs that lead to the stigmatization of gender and sexuality. Religion, Spirituality and Christianity Role in sex, gender and sexuality Society Stigma. Stigmatization of gender, sex, and sexuality are attributed to religion, spirituality, and Christianity's confirmation of a society. Religion in society is inclined to the establishment of better psychological adjustments. The intolerance of homosexuality in Christianity and religion causes stigmatization to the victims, and they face psychological distress in self-identification (Page et al., 2013, p.665-677). In a religious and Christian, individuals are exposed to homophobic knowledge from an early age, which causes shame, internalized homonegativity, and guilt individuals hindering the disclosure of sexual orientation (Page et al., 2013, p.665-677). Spirituality and religious critics of sexual orientation are prohibited in Christianity and do not condone individuals participating in queer sexual behavior. Social Stigma Impact on Mental health. Social stigma is the discrimination of an individual due to the societal perception of character that distinguishes them from the general community. Social stigma is influenced by gender, culture, race, age, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic and health status. Social stigma is caused by a lack of understanding associated with the labeling of individuals due to a stereotypical set of unwanted characteristics perceived by society that conforms an individual to risk behavior (Makleff et al., 2019, p. 50-64). Social stigmatization is categorized as public, self, and institutional, affecting mentally ill individuals and their families. The stigma of mental illness causes a significant barrier for patients to access mental health care due to the cultural influence (Wagner et al., 2013, p. 570-582). Patients are reluctant to acquire professional medical help due to the emotional restraint, high inclination to cultural value by the family, and avoidance of shame from the public. Social stigmatization causes the worsening of psychiatric symptoms, reduced hope, self-esteem, and difficulty with social relationships. The alarming impact of social stigma on mental illness requires urgency in the enforcement to reduce the rate of mental increment in the society. Conclusion. The complexity in the understanding of sex, gender, and sexuality has influenced extensive research with the advocacy of philosophies to illustrate the terms. Sex, gender, and sexuality are critical in society since they elaborate on individual behaviors within a social setting. Social stigmatization reduces self-esteem and the rate of disclosure of sexual identity. Stigmatization in society affects mentally ill patients psychologically and emotionally, deteriorating their health.