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(1973). Journal of American Academy of Psychoanalysis, 1:53-72

Gender Identity and Sexual Psychopathology in Men: A Psychodynamic Analysis of Homosexuality, Transsexualism, and Transvestism

Lionel Ovesey and Ethel Person

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

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