Citation

Withers R. J. Anal. Psychol. 2020; 65(5): 865-889.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Society of Analytical Psychology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1468-5922.12641

PMID

33202051

Abstract

In this paper the author argues that trans-identification and its associated medical treatment can constitute an attempt to evade experiences of psychological distress. This occurs on three levels. Firstly, the trans person themselves may seek to evade dysregulated affects associated with such experiences as attachment trauma, childhood abuse, and ego-alien sexual feelings. Secondly, therapists may attempt to evade feelings, such as fear and hatred, evoked by engaging with these dysregulated affects. Thirdly, we, as a society, may wish to evade acknowledging the reality of such trauma, abuse and sexual distress by hypothesizing that trans-identification is a biological issue, best treated medically. The author argues that the quality of evidence supporting the biomedical approach is extremely poor. This puts young trans people at risk of receiving potentially damaging medical treatment they may later seek to reverse or come to regret, while their underlying psychological issues remain unaddressed.

Language: en

Keywords

transgender; affect dérégulé; affetti alterati; attachment trauma; Beziehungstrauma; contratransferencia; contretransfert; controtransfert; countertransference; dé-transition; detransición; detransition; Detransition; detransizione; disforia de género (GD); disforia di genere (DIG); disociación; dissociation; dissociazione; Dissoziation; dysphorie de genre; dysregulated affect; dysregulierter Affekt; emoción desregulada; Gegenübertragung; gender dysphoria (GD); Geschlechtsdysphorie (GD); homofobia internalizada; homophobie internalisée; internalised homophobia; internalisierte Homophobie; omofobia interiorizzata; transgénero; transgenre; trauma de apego; trauma dell’attaccamento; traumatisme de l’attachement; гендерная дисфория (GD); детрансформация; дисрегулируемый аффект; диссоциация; интернализованная гомофобия; контрперенос; травма привязанности; трансгендер; 依恋创伤; 内化恐同; 去性别转换; 反移情; 失调的情绪; 性别焦虑症 (GD); 跨性别; 隔离