Barbara Reimer Nature Vs Nurture

1. I believe that Barbara Reimer had to make a very tough decision, especially in that time. She was confused and startled with the whole situation. Psychologist John Money offered a potential solution to the conundrum, stating that nurture is stronger than nature. With a notorious university behind his name and his eagerness to help, he’s study probably seemed like a good option in Barbara Reimer’s eyes. However, I do disagree that any child should be subjected to a study like that, especially of that magnitude, without knowing or understanding it. Money’s studied suggested that nurture was stronger than nature in the debate in gender identity and that you could raise the child to be a girl, even if biologically he was a boy. As Barbara Reimer noted in her interview, this was not true. David Reimer, despite being raised like a girl, did not want to wear dresses or “be a girl”. She also discovered that all the participants in Money’s study later committed suicide. The outcomes of the study suggest that nature is stronger than nurture when it comes to gender identity.
2. I …show more content…
This is a very difficult subject, especially when it comes to whether Gender Dysphoria should be considered a diagnosable mental illness in the DSM-5. I do not believe that individuals who are transgender should be labeled as mentally ill, because they were born that way and have no control over it. However, it’s tricky because if it is biological and they have a chemical imbalance, like other mental illnesses, then should it be considered an illness? I think it lies within the individual. If they feel mentally ill and struggle with their transgender nature, than perhaps it potentially could be. But if the individual knows that this is who they are, then they should not be considered as having a mental illness. Overall, I don’t think it can be diagnosed. (The article linked said it was no longer found, so I could not access it for this question. I tried to find it again but was unable