Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Gender identity disorder and courtship disorder

  • Published:
Archives of Sexual Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A hypothetical connection between gender identity disorder and courtship disorder was investigated in 274 heterosexual male patients of the following types: nontransvestic fetishists for female attire; transvestic fetishists; patients with gender identity disorder of adolescence and adulthood, nontranssexual type; and transsexuals. Of these patients, 53 had also demonstrated one or more of the putative expressions of courtship disorder. The proportion each of these types contributed to this group of 53 patients with a courtship disorder was compared with the same type's proportional contribution to the group of 221 gender identity patients without a courtship disorder. The transvestic fetishists contributed a significantly larger percentage and the transsexuals a significantly smaller percentage of individuals to the group with a courtship disorder than to that without a courtship disorder. Theoretical implications of this asymmetry are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (1987).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 3rd ed., rev., APA, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanchard, R. (1985). Typology of male-to-female transsexualism.Arch. Sex. Behav. 14: 247–261.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchard, R. (1989). The classification and labelling of nonhomosexual gender dysphorias.Arch. Sex. Behav. 18: 315–334.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, H. (1928).Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Vol. 7, F. A. Davis, Philadelphia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisk, N. (1973). Gender dysphoria syndrome (The how, what and why of a disease). In Laub, D., and Gandy, P. (eds.),Proceedings of the Second Interdisciplinary Symposium on Gender Dysphoria Syndrome Stanford University Press, Palo Alto, CA, pp. 7–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K. (1961). A laboratory differential diagnosis of homo and heterosexuality—An experiment with faking.Rev. Czech. Med. 7: 20–31.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K. (1963). A laboratory method for diagnosing predominance of homo- or hetero-erotic interest in the male.Behav. Res. Ther. 1: 85–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K. (1977). Should homosexuality arouse therapeutic concern?J. Homosex. 2: 235–240.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., and Blanchard, R. (1986). The concept of courtship disorder.J. Sex Marital Ther. 12: 79–92.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., and Kolarsky, A. (1965). Grundzuege eines einfachen Bezugsystems fur die Analyse sexueller Deviationen [Basic features of a reference system for the analysis of sexual deviation].Psychiat. Neurol. Med. Psychol. (Leipz) 17: 221–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., and Watson, R. (1990). Mapping the boundaries of courtship disorder.J. Sex Res. 27: 589–606.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund, K., Watson, R., and Dickey, R. (1991). The types of heterosexual gender identity disorder.Ann. Sex Res. 4: 93–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haire, N. (ed.) (1966).Sexual Anomalies and Perversions: Physical and Psychological Development and Treatment—A Summary of the Works of the Late Professor Magnus Hirschfeld Encyclopaedic Press, London. (Original work published 1938)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirschfeld, M. (1921).Sexualpathologie [Sexual pathology], A. Marcus & E. Weber, Bonn, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • Imperato-McGinley, J., Pichardo, M., Gautier, T., Voyer, D., and Bryden, M. (1991). Cognitive abilities in androgen-insensitive subjects: Comparison with control males and females from the same kindred.Clin. Endocrinol. 34: 341–347.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lang, R., Langevin, R., Checkley, K., and Pugh, G. (1987). Genital exhibitionism: Courtship disorder or narcissism?Can. J. Behav. Sci. 19: 216–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marcelli, M., Zoppi, S., Grino, P., Griffin, J., Wilson, J., and McPhaul, M. (1991). A mutation in the DNA-binding domain of the androgen receptor gene causes complete testicular feminization with receptor-positive androgen resistance.J. Clin. Invest. 87: 1123–1126.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mohr, J., Turner, R., Jerry, M. (1964).Pedophilia and Exhibitionism University of Toronto Press, Toronto.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prochazka, M., and Leiter, E. (1991). Effect of androgen insensitivity on diabetogenesis in db/db male mice with testicular feminization (Tfm).Horm. Metab. Res. 23: 149–154.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rooth, G. (1973). Exhibitionism, sexual violence and paedophilia.Br. J. Psychiat. 122: 705–710.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Section of Behavioural Sexology, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, 250 College Street, M5T 1R8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Kurt Freund M.D., D.Sc. & Robin J. Watson M.Ed.

Authors
  1. Kurt Freund M.D., D.Sc.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Robin J. Watson M.Ed.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Freund, K., Watson, R.J. Gender identity disorder and courtship disorder. Arch Sex Behav 22, 13–21 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01552909

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01552909

Key words

Search

Navigation