Psychology Paper: Analyzing Transgender Identity and Parental Support

This essay delves into the psychological aspects of transgender identity, particularly focusing on the critical role of parental support in a child's development. Drawing upon Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, the analysis highlights the importance of parental empathy and understanding during a child's formative years, especially when they begin to explore their gender identity. The essay references the case of Jacob, a transgender child, to illustrate how supportive parenting can positively influence a child's transition and overall well-being. Conversely, it also discusses the potential negative impacts of parental rejection or lack of support, such as anxiety, depression, and feelings of guilt. The conclusion emphasizes that family support is a cornerstone in fostering healthy sexual development and enabling transgender children to navigate the world with confidence and resilience. This document is available on Desklib, a platform offering a wide range of study resources for students.

Running head: PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology
Name of the Student:
Name of the university:
Author’s Note:

2PSYCHOLOGY
Identity crisis is one of the major issues coming into play in the present social scenario.
The parents and family members are trying to support their transgender kids in every way
possible. As per the theory of Erikson, there is a certain phase seen among children during their
preschool years (Basham et al., 2016). They try to take up many new tasks and become more
responsible in their lives. However, the parents have to provide their active support for the
proper growth and the development of children. Children also get new insights about their sexual
orientation or their gender .Induction is a process that plays a major role during this phase. It is in
this phase that the parents usually try to provide active support to their children and help them
understand their behaviors and their likings. At the same time, they also teach the creative
impacts that might be caused due to their children's misconduct. For instance, it has been shown
in the link to Jacob's parents realized that their daughter actually wants to be a boy.
Right from the early childhood years, Jacob loved playing with the two other sisters.
However though she was born as a girl, she wanted to become a boy. It is really good to see that
this transgender attitude was supported by Jacob's parents. It can be said that in this case, his
parents exhibited not only sympathy but also the principle of empathy towards their kid. As has
been said in the theory of child maltreatment, the family is one of the basic units that work in
case of child development. They must not abuse their children for being transgender. However,
they must protect their children and support them as was done in the case of Jacob.
If the parents do not help their children in such situations, they might suffer from abuse,
anxiety and other such depression as well. This will slowly make them suffer a lot from the
feeling of guilt and they will develop severe health issues. However, these issues can be solved if
all the parents try to help out their children and teach them to face the world rather than escaping
from it. The video about Jacob's transition from a girl to a boy just at the age of 5 shows that

3PSYCHOLOGY
family and parental support is one of the biggest strengths in the proves of child sexual
development.

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References
Basham, K., Byers, D. S., Heller, N. R., Hertz, M., Kumaria, S., Mattei, L., ... & Shilkret, C. J.
(2016). Inside out and outside in: Psychodynamic clinical theory and psychopathology in
contemporary multicultural contexts. Rowman & Littlefield.
Life As A 5-Year-Old Transgender Child | NBC Nightly News. (2015). Available from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVmau1cM5TU&feature=youtu.be