Gender Identity as a Personality Process

Within psychology and psychiatry, gender identity has developed at least two distinguishable meanings: awareness of anatomy (e.g., Stoller, 1974) and endorsing specific traits that are stereotypical of different gender groups (e.g., Bem, 1974; Wood & Eagly, 2010). However, neither existing approach has considered gender identity to be a self-categorization process that exists within personality science. In this chapter, I develop the argument that gender identity can be fruitfully explored as a personality process. I use both classic and modern personality process approaches to demonstrate that theorizing about gender identity from the personality perspective clarifies and complements—rather than eclipses—prior theorizing. Additionally, several unique insights are available to researchers when gender identity is approached as a personality process, and some of these insights are identified within this chapter. GENDER IDENTITY AS A PERSONALITY PROCESS Over the past 50 years in psychology and psychiatry, gender identity has developed at least two distinguishable meanings. One meaning is the sense of self that is little more than a person’s anatomical awareness. This meaning is seen in Stoller’s (1968/1974) original ideas about core gender identity. With modification through the years, Stoller’s view has remained part of both the psychiatric and clinical psychology understanding of gender identity to the present. The other meaning of gender identity is the sense of self as endorsing specific traits that are stereotypical of different gender groups. This meaning is seen in Bem’s (1974, 1981a) gender schema theory, Spence and colleagues (1975) personal attributes approach, and to the present in Eagly and Wood’s (2010) approach to gender identity—all of which are found under the purview of social psychology. Yet, none of the current understandings has considered gender identity to be a self-categorization process that exists within modern