Experiences with Formal and Informal Support: a Case Study of a Female-To-Male Transgender Individual
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Pepperdine University Pepperdine Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations 2014 Experiences with formal and informal support: a case study of a female-to-male transgender individual Jessica Magallanes Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd Recommended Citation Magallanes, Jessica, "Experiences with formal and informal support: a case study of a female-to-male transgender individual" (2014). Theses and Dissertations. 408. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/408 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology EXPERIENCES WITH FORMAL AND INFORMAL SUPPORT: A CASE STUDY OF A FEMALE-TO-MALE TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUAL A clinical dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Psychology by Jessica Magallanes, M.A. February, 2014 Shelly Harrell, Ph.D. – Dissertation Chairperson This clinical dissertation, written by Jessica Magallanes, M.A. under the guidance of a Faculty Committee and approved by its members, has been submitted to and accepted by the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY Doctoral Committee: Shelly Harrell, Ph.D., Chairperson Robert deMayo, Ph.D., ABPP Carolyn O’Keefe, Psy.D. © Copyright by Jessica Magallanes, M.A. (2014) All Rights Reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Page VITA ............................................................................................................................................. VI ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................ VIII Chapter I: Review of the Literature ................................................................................................1 A Brief Review of Gender Variance ............................................................................................1 Terms and Definitions ..........................................................................................................1 Transgender Culture in America ..........................................................................................2 Gender Identity Disorder (GID) ...................................................................................................6 History of Diagnosis and Treatment ....................................................................................6 DSM-IV-TR Criteria for Diagnosis .....................................................................................9 Prevalence and Course of Disorder ....................................................................................13 Controversy Surrounding Diagnosis of GID and Reasons for Reform .............................15 DSM-5: Diagnosis Update .................................................................................................23 The Female-to-Male Transgender Person ..................................................................................23 Mental Health in the Transgender Community .........................................................................25 Treatment Options and Standard of Care ...........................................................................25 Support Services and Resources ........................................................................................28 The Therapist .....................................................................................................................29 The Client ...........................................................................................................................31 Rationale for the Proposed Study ..............................................................................................33 Statement of Research Questions ...............................................................................................34 Chapter II: Methods .....................................................................................................................35 Participant Selection ..................................................................................................................35 Procedures .................................................................................................................................37 Data Collection ..........................................................................................................................38 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................................40 Chapter III: Results ......................................................................................................................43 Participant: “Allen” ....................................................................................................................43 Brief Background and History ...................................................................................................44 Gender Identity ..................................................................................................................44 Ethnicity .............................................................................................................................46 Family Relationships .........................................................................................................47 Personal Conflicts and Resolutions ...................................................................................49 Interpersonal Conflicts and Resolutions ............................................................................55 Experiences of Formal and Informal Support ............................................................................58 Formal Support ..................................................................................................................58 Informal Support ................................................................................................................63 Perceived Areas of Growth for Support Services ......................................................................67 Formal Support Services ....................................................................................................68 Informal Support Services .................................................................................................68 Prominent Themes .....................................................................................................................69 Avoidance and Invalidation ...............................................................................................69 Rigid Boundaries of Gender Expression ............................................................................74 Silence and Compromise ...................................................................................................77 Intragroup Dynamics .........................................................................................................80 Chapter IV: Discussion ..................................................................................................................83 Invisibility: Avoidance and Invalidation ...................................................................................83 Rigid Boundaries of Gender Expression ....................................................................................87 Silence and Compromise ...........................................................................................................88 Intragroup Dynamics .................................................................................................................90 Issues of Psychosocial Development .........................................................................................91 Emerging Hypotheses ................................................................................................................92 Limitations and Implications for Future Research .....................................................................92 Limitations of the Study.....................................................................................................92 Implications for Future Research .......................................................................................93 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................96 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................97 APPENDIX A: Glossary of Terms .............................................................................................103 APPENDIX B: Advertisement for Participation in Study ..........................................................108 APPENDIX C: Scripts: Email Contact With Participant ............................................................110 APPENDIX D: Description of the Study .....................................................................................114 APPENDIX E: Local Community Resources ..............................................................................117 APPENDIX F: Initial Screening Interview