Nature/Nurture Debate on Gender with Reference to David...

David Reimer was born on 22nd August 1967 as a male identical twin. His birth name was Bruce and his twin brother was named Brian. At the age of 8 months while undergoing a circumcision operation, Bruce’s penis was burned beyond surgical repair. Ten months after the operation, Bruce’s parents became associated with Dr. John Money, a world renowned sex researcher developing a reputation in the field of gender identity. Dr. Money argued it was possible for a person to change gender successfully through surgery, socialisation and hormone replacement. Unaware Dr. Money had never attempted this before, Bruce’s parents, Ron and Janet Reimer consented. On 3rd July 1967 Bruce was surgically castrated and renamed Brenda. Brenda’s parents†¦show more content†¦When it was born it behaved in the same assertive ways that male monkeys behaved. It challenged other males to fights, joined in rough and tumble games and tried to mate with female monkeys. Other studies of animals being injected with opposite sex hormones produced similar results. It is important not to generalise animal study findings to human beings who are very much aware of their behaviour and are able to control it. Imperato-McGinley et al (1974) studied members of the Batista family who, due to a mutant gene, were born with the external features of a young girl, but physically changed into men at puberty. The large increase in testosterone at puberty activated a process that should have occurred during prenatal development and so they developed male gentile and became men also showing masculine behaviour and going on to marry women. The easy adjustment of the Batista children led scientists to challenge the usual view that male or female behaviour is determined more by the way we are brought up than by our physiology. They suggest that there may be part of the brain which is different in males and females which governs much of what we think of as sex-role behaviour. However, critics of the Biological approach would argue the Batista’s may have been able to adopt masculine behaviour more readily because of their supportive environment, rather than biological changes. If biological factors explained genderShow MoreRelatedD1- Analyse the Significance of Genetic Influences as Opposed to Social Factors in Human Development1669 Words   |  7 PagesIn D1 I will be assessing the genetic and social factors on a person’s development; I will be using the David Reimer and few case studies of my own about twins. I will then come to my own conclusion of which one I think is the most important in each story nature or nurture. First of all David Reimer (then known as Bruce) was genetically born a boy however in 1966 his penis was destroyed by accident during a circumcision, his parents then took him to a psychologist and sexologists John Money.Read MoreThe Nature of Development Essay2289 Words   |  10 Pagesway their chin points, nurture and nature affect every aspect of human life. There is a debate brewing in the psychological, sociological and scientific communities over which of these two have the higher influence. While most of the members of these communities acknowledge the fact that both nature and nurture affect development, some believe that only one solely determines certain aspects of life, such as gender. Dr. John Money is one of these people; he believes that gender identity is solely aRead MoreAnalysis Of David Reimer s From Undoing Gender 1742 Words   |  7 PagesWhile Judith Butler’s claim in her essay â€Å"From Undoing Gender† is challenging, complex, and comprehensi ble, she provides somewhat enough evidence, and analysis of David Reimer’s case to prove her claim that society uses language to set the norms of what a gender should be and how one should act in accordance with one’s gender. First, Butler’s use of David Reimer’s case, known as â€Å"the John/Joan case† (Interview: John Colapinto†), â€Å"a boy who accidentally had his penis burned and subsequently amputated