Some time ago the Forum ran a piece wondering aloud about the reactions
of people in the general population to transgender expression. In fact, it is
a concern of many, if not all transgendered people, at all levels of
confidence and exposure. Research now being published indicates that, to
a lesser extent, it is a concern for all humanity, so we shouldn't feel singled
out. New research, just cited in the Monitor (the monthly publication of
the American Psychological Association, September, 1998, p.13), may
point to an explanation that has a foundation in research and application in
the real world.
The Research
John Bargh, Ph.D. Of New York University did some rather extensive research looking at behavior. He says, "We're finding that everything is evaluated as good and bad within [less than] a quarter [calculated at 22 milliseconds] of a second of seeing." This, he goes on to say, includes our senses' response to sight, hearing, touch, and smell. Such evaluations, he says, can lead to everything from initial response to the formation of the tone for the entire encounter, however long or short it may be.
Bargh went on to report that there is a human tendency to mimic or reflect the behavior of the person with whom were are involved. With graduate student Tanya Chartrand, they tested the hypothesis of reflective behavior
(that a person will mirror or mimic the interviewer without conscious awareness of it), and found that mimicked behavior was significantly more frequent and for the most part without the subject's conscious awareness. They went on to reverse the process and have the interviewer (or confederate as they referred to her/him) mirror behaviors of the subject, crossing their legs the same way at the same time, scratching their ear, or any number of subtle gestures that could be duplicated. What they found in this part of their research was that when the interviewer mirrored behavior
of the subject, the subject later reported a higher degree of empathy with the interviewer. The subjects who were mirrored were also more inclined to rate the interview as "going smoothly" and to assign an overall positive
rating to the encounter.
These research results support the notion that a smile begets a smile that has been explored over the past several years and with cultures around the world. The implication of this research is that the "automatic effect of behavior stimulates empathy of both the [interviewer] and the [subject]."
The Implications
So what, you may well ask, are the implications of this research on the question at the beginning of this article? Thanks for asking! There are two components of this research that can be applied to the interaction of the transgender community and the general population. First, is the identification process itself. If Dr. Bargh is correct and we do indeed evaluate what we see (situations, people, food, etc.) in the first quarter second, then we can imagine that by the time we have been formally introduced, or introduced ourselves to someone, they have a quite solid mind-picture of whether they judge us 'good' or 'bad.' Imagine the case of a very passable transsexual being introduced to the friend of a friend. Right up to the point when the transsexual utters the words "Nice to meet you too" the "new friend" is cataloging this transsexual as a female woman, with all the appropriate and stereotypical characteristics appropriate to that category (physical attributes, career choices, family life, and so on). It is, however, at the moment when the transsexual speaks those words that the "new friend's" world is shattered. The voice is incongruent with the rest of
the package, or the handshake is a little greater than the expectation of firmness, or one or more subtle gestures ring deep and silent bells of confusion.
Now we have a "new friend" who has been introduced to a transsexual, thinking she is a female woman only to have the list of characteristics challenged with an assumption that the transsexual is, if not a male woman, something other than the expected female woman. Before we go on to reaction possibilities, let's look at the next part of this puzzle, the mirroring.
The second part of what Dr. Bargh and Tanya Chartrand discovered was that the mirroring is both reflected in and by the empathy of the subject (our "new friend"). The "new friend," with his or her own suitcase full of behavioral history, mirrors and is being mirrored by the transsexual. This mirroring challenges the "new friend" to reevaluate sexuality, gender identity, or any other of a number of internal concepts, and to do it in a split second. If the "new friend" remains amicable to the transsexual, does that put into question the "new friend's" identity? Does it challenge the "new friend's" sexual orientation package?
This reflective imagining puts into questions many of the characteristics we have held, or considered for years. We have all heard that those people who commit hate crimes, especially those against the gay and lesbian community are homophobic and are by and large questioning or are afraid of questioning their own sexual orientation. Reflection of a transgendered individual may put sexual orientation, gender preference, or self-identity into the limelight for consideration. This illumination may be uncomfortable.
The Reaction
The "new friend" has now been placed in a situation where their previously comfortable paradigm of a female woman has been shattered by the introduction to this transsexual, a male woman. Further, the mirroring has forced our "new friend" too quickly, and perhaps incorrectly, reevaluate personal sexual orientation, and/or gender identity. Given the possible mixes of previous experience, information input, and behaviors, the "new friend" may react in a variety of manners. Given an uncomfortable history of gender identity or sexual orientation, the "new friend" may lash out,
may retreat, or may shut down in order to cope with the conflicting information. Given a presence of homophobia violence may result.
Remember the computer on one of the original Star Treks? The story went that in order to escape a planet guarded by androids, Spock said that he loved one of the androids and hated another, despite their being exact duplicates. This caused the computer to overload because it could not evaluate this illogical sequence of events. Well, much the same thing has happened to our "new friend" as the attempt is made to evaluate the transsexual. The synapses of the brain open and close at lightening speed and the messages they send are not always accurate or pleasant. The resulting behavior shows a world of influences and may result in behaviors ranging from nonchalance or inquisitiveness to overt anger and verbal or physical violence.
I sincerely wish there was some way to predict which people were going to react in which ways, but the fact of the matter is that that just isn't known. Perhaps being aware of the causes, and consequences of the immediate evaluation by another person, or even within yourself, will help us as we interact with the general population.
In my efforts to educate and to 'spread the word' about variant gender expressions, I have lectured at colleges from a small community college near Los Angeles to Arizona State University and to GLBT groups and professional institutions. One of the consistent remarks I get from professors and students is like this one: "At first I thought you were a little weird, but the more you talked and the more I listened, well I think you are a real person!"
My advice to the community is simple...
Walk tall, hold your head up, look others in the eye, and be proud to be who you are. There is no greater shame
than in thinking little of yourself.
