The Case Study of Two Girls with Gender Dysphoria

This paper presents the psychoanalysis of two girls, aged five and 11, both self-described as boys. The first case depicts the incoherence and discontinuity of a core sense of being female with depersonalization, identity confusion, and self-sacrifice. The second case describes gender role identification conflicts. Both children presented as males to protect a disavowed female self. However, their etiology was distinctly different. Gender dysphoria proved to be highly complex. Reliance on the developmental lines of self and gender informed clinical interventions. Merger and twinship transferences were essential for establishing a stable personal identity for these children.

Automated summary

This paper presents a psychoanalysis of two girls, aged five and 11, who both identify as boys. The first case highlights the incoherence and discontinuity of their sense of being female, leading to depersonalization, confusion of identity, and self-sacrifice. The second case focuses on conflicts in gender role identification. Both children presenting as males were actually protecting a disavowed female identity, but the underlying causes were different. Gender dysphoria was found to be highly complex, requiring clinical interventions based on the developmental lines of self and gender. The establishment of a stable personal identity for these children was achieved through merger and twinship transferences.