Origins of Crossdressing

Before the title of this article leads you to get your hopes up and think that what follows will be the definitive uncovering of the roots and origins of crossgender behavior, let me tell you that the search for answers in most sciences, including psychology, usually leads to more questions, rather than to definite solutions. Most sciences are 'sciences of refute' and each thesis grows in strength with questioning. That said, however, let me posit one theory about the development of the behavior that seems to make some sense for some T* people.

Within psychology, and therefore within the human condition, two (of course there are many more than that, but two for this argument) personality evaluations exist that seek to explain why we do the things we do in the manner that we do them. These are 'Reaction Formation' and 'Modeling.' Freud talked about the former as a defense mechanism and a method by which the child or adolescent deals with uncomfortable impulses from the Id. Albert Bandura at Stanford, developed this technique to incre ase human behavior levels.

Reaction formation in a nutshell is the suppression of so-called 'bad' feelings and the exhibition of opposite feelings. Hunt (1993) proposes that the overt macho style behavior in some men may be a reaction formation to covert questioning of homosexual tendencies. Taken to the behavioral level this may be intuited to mean the suppression of negative behaviors in favor of perceived positive ones. This defense mechanism serves to deflate negative emotions and reroute them more favorably. Modeling refers to the aping or mimicking of behavior by an example that appears to be positive, comfortable or acceptable. This term and method are often used in overcoming phobic behaviors but is also effective in strengthening so-called positive behaviors.

So much for the psychology lesson:

What does this have to do with crossdressing and it's origins?

For many crossdressers this dual tined root works to explain the affection toward the feminine. Recall your childhood and ask yourself the following questions:

a) Was your father one that you looked up to and sought to emulate?

b) Was your father often gone for periods of time creating the need and occasion for the mother-figure to take charge and run the household?

c) Was your father abusive? authoritarian? way too strict?

d) Did you find it difficult if not impossible to come up to your father's expectations?

e) Did you find great success in working with and for your mother-figure?

f) Was your mother-figure open with her emotions and your father tightly closed? Well, the list could go on, but you get the general gist of the whole thing. I posit that transpeople have to some degree sought to separate themselves from the perceived negativity of the male figure in their childhood. (It can be noted that some studies with gay men have shown this to be a common thread for them as well.) This separation uncorks itself in the many forms; over- and under-achieving scholastically, withdrawal, acting out, and in some cases transvestic behavior. The latter is especially true in the families where there is a strong and confident, capable mother figure. This may also be exacerbated by the presence of an older sister, aunt or close female friend-of-the-family.

Okay, so what we see now is a distancing of the male child from the male role model. This swings open the door of opportunity and in the case of the crossdresser, that opportunity is taken up by the mother-figure. Mother is organized, efficient and taking care of the family's needs in the absence of the father. Mother is rewarding and supportive of the male child's endeavors and efforts and quick with praise and recognition. Mother is soft and cuddling and gentle of voice. The reaction formation pushes the child away from the behavior and emotions surrounding the father and toward the modeling of the mother-figure.

The next step in the developmental process is reinforcement. This comes in many forms from reward to punishment and can come from either parental figure. Remember that reinforcement is any stimulus that causes an increase in the behavior being observed. So the father sees the child being socially close to the mother and reacts negatively. This reaction is a reinforcer for the separation from emulation of the father figure: See, that's why I don't want to be like Dad! Or it may appear in a warm caress from the mother when the child bakes a batch of cookies correctly: Ahh, it is good being like Mom. This may also show up as failed attempts to emulate father: No matter what I do I can't do it well enough to please Father. And it may also appear as a rescuing of the child by the mother: Mom will protect me if Dad doesnt like it.

So you see that what the development process has gone through so far is the identification of negative behaviors:

the way the father acts
the identification of positive behaviors
the way that the mother-figure acts
and the reinforcement to direct the behavior away from father and toward mother
I can do it better for Mom than for Dad.

Now all that remains is to add the trappings of the different genders.

Of course the mothers that we grew up with were feminine, at least in comparison to the fathers, in most all cases. Their bathrooms smelled of powder and their clothes smelled of perfume. We now include a sensate stimulus for our behavior development - the smell and feel of the feminine of mother. Their clothes are more colorful, exciting and varied than the father's with different feelings and physical responses present.

Just to keep things really interesting and complex now add in the behavior of father in specific and society in general to the feminine. Movies complete with wolf-whistles for pretty girls in short skirts, television commercials that elevate the feminine figure to desirable heights and the societal head-turn after a nice pair of legs at a mall. If you were trying to flee oppression and wanted to get to a land of Eden-like sensations, could a person want for more than a world in which the feminine is held in such high esteem?

Of course gentle friends there is much, much more to the development of the transvestic personality. Society plays a role, as does genetics and heredity, in the paths along which the developing child walks. The propensity for a behavior to be pleasurable is often attributed to a combination of genetic makeup and environmental conditioning, but that's another story altogether. Suffice it to say that in my humble opinion, this is one of the paths to the adult behavior and explains many facets of life for a lot of people. I continue my search and welcome your feedback.

Email: tedclem@ix.netcom.com

References

Hunt, M., (1993). The Story of Psychology. New York; Doubleday.
Darley, J.M., Glucksberg, S., & Kinchla, R.R., (1991). Psychology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ; Prentice Hall.

Addendum

Author's Note: I use the term "father" in all cases to include father-figures in the absence of the biological father. This is meant to include any male figure during childhood that impacts the development of that child. This may not be limited to a single, consistent person and may also embody relatives and close neighbors and friends. It should be further noted that this does not address single parent family systems where either parent is required to fill the developmental shoes of both. I am certain that this is complex enough and encourage any T*person who has issues surrounding family systems and developmental processes of any sort, contact a mental health professional right away. Further if reading this piece has created anxiety or surfaced issues that you feel must be dealt with, I urge you to contact a professional or a support group for assistance.

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