Hormones: Its Effects on Behavior and Gender Identity

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Hormones: Its Effects on Behavior and Gender Identity PSY 340 Biological Foundations of Psychology July 1, 2012 Gary Mayhew Hormones: Its Effects on Behavior and Gender Identity Hormones are essential in regulating body functions and maintaining homeostasis. They also hold another important role, which is reproduction. Hormones help define our sex, and gender identity. It is because of hormones that gender identity and sexual orientation is mainly affected by nature and not by nurture. This is important statement because it proves that gender identity and sexual orientation is not purely choice, but driven by biological forces. Because hormones play such a diverse role in bodily functions, I will break down hormones into categories to provide clarification. Hormones are chemicals that come from the endocrine gland and are released into the circulatory system (Pinel, 2009). Hormones affect other endocrine glands or various parts in the nervous system. There are three types of hormones: amino acids, peptides and proteins, and steroids (Pinel, 2009). Out of the three types of hormones it is the steroid hormones that have a major role in sexual development and behavior (Pinel, 2009). The steroid hormones are unique in how they bind to cells. Like any other hormone they can bind to receptors in a cell membrane, but because they are small and fat-soluble they can bind to receptors in the cytoplasm or nucleus and directly influence gene expression (Pinel, 2009). This also means that steroid hormones have the most lasting effects on cellular function. Steroid hormones come from the gonads of male and females. There are two classes of steroid hormones: androgens, estrogens, and progestin (Pinel, 2009). Progestin is released to assist the uterus and breasts in pregnancy (Pinel, 2009). Progestin is also released in men, but the function is unknown. It

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