Transvestism

The distinguishing characteristic of transvestism is

wearing feminine clothing . . . is associated with sexual arousal at least in the initial phase of the condition (Rekers, 1984, p. 1180). Transvestites report intense frustration when cross dressing is interfered with and many report a tension release or anxiety reduction during episodes of cross-dressing.

Rekers (1984, p. 1180) indicates that about 89% of trans-vestites are heterosexual and about 64% are married and appear masculine in their everyday life. About two-thirds have children.

However, their episodes of cross dressing may include wearing feminine cosmetics and wigs, shaving their legs and underarms, and feminine gestures, mannerisms, postures, and gait (Rekers, 1984).

The purpose of this report is to present a sociological analysis of transvestism as a sexual variation and to examine three themes - gender, power, and sexual orientation.

The report will be divided into four sections - first, characteristics of transvestism will be presented. In the

second section, a summary of the sociology of the "self" and the development of the "I" and the "me" will be conducted. Section two will also present psychological accounts of transvestism.

In the third section, a review of gender, power, and sexual orientation will be provided. In section

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as group members. The socialization process is integral to the formation of sex role identities. Noted sociologist Charles Cooley (1864-1929) noted "one's consciousness of himself is a reflection of the ideas about himself that he attributes to other minds" (Popenoe, 1980). Cooley called this "reflection" the "looking glass self" because of its three main components: (1) our perception of how our behavior appears to others; (2) our perception of their judgments of this behavior; and (3) our feelings about those judgments. Cooley suggested that the self developed through relationships with parents and other primary group members. As important to the development of the self is the develop-ment of the two primary parts of the self - the "I" and the "me." Mead (Popenoe, 1980) was instrumental in recognizing the "I" as the social part of the self or the spontaneous, unique, and natural traits of each person. The "me" represents the social part of the self or the internalized demands of society and the person's awareness of these demands. During the development of the "I" and the "me," children go through various play stages in which they assume the roles of others. Popenoe (1980, p. 139) points out that "children begin to take
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Some common words found in the essay are:
CHARACTERISTICS TRANSVESTISM, INTRODUCTION Transvestism, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, Power Distribution, SUMMARY Sex, According Unger, Mead Popenoe, Charles Cooley, SOCIOLOGY SELF, According Mead, cross dressing, popenoe 1980, sex roles, sex role, rekers 1984, power sexual orientation, unger 1984, sexual orientation, ziegler 1984, power sexual, gender power, gender power sexual, york john wiley, encyclopedia psychology york, corsini encyclopedia psychology,
Approximate Word count = 1835
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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