SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS OF FORMATION OF GENDER IDENTIFICATION IN LATE ADOLESCENCE AND EARLY ADULTHOOD
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18372/2411-264X.27.20732Keywords:
gender identity, gender socialization, family's socioeconomic status, gender authenticity, symbolic interactionismAbstract
The article provides a theoretical overview of modern approaches to understanding the formation of youth gender identity through the prism of the interaction of individual psychological processes and social structural factors.
The purpose of the article is a theoretical analysis of modern concepts of the formation of youth gender identity, taking into account the interaction of internal (psychological, personal) and external (socio-economic, educational, family) factors, as well as outlining the potential for their application in Ukrainian psychological discourse.
The theoretical and methodological basis of the article is a combination of several complementary approaches. First, symbolic interactionism, which allows us to consider gender identity as the result of social interaction, verification processes and social recognition. Second, the concept of gender socialization, within which gender identity appears as a dynamic process of internalization of gender norms, roles and scenarios and their subsequent active reproduction in the social environment.
Results. It has been established that access to institutionally supportive educational and social environments (schools and universities with inclusive practices, developed forms of psychological support and anti-discrimination policies) significantly expands the spectrum of socially “permissible” and psychologically acceptable forms of gender identity. The results are consistent with domestic concepts, according to which gender identity integrates the personal and social levels of self-awareness and is formed in the process of gender socialization through the appropriation and active reproduction of social experience. It is shown that during youth and early adulthood, the structural capabilities of the environment play a particularly significant role, creating conditions for reflection, authentic self-determination and social verification of gender identity.
The article substantiates the conclusion that gender identity is not exclusively an internal psychological formation, but is formed in the context of access to social resources, inclusive practices and supportive environments. The importance of early adulthood as a critical stage of revision and integration of gender representations is emphasized, and prospects for further theoretical and interdisciplinary research in the domestic scientific field are outlined.
