FEATURES OF THE FORMATION OF PERSONAL GENDER IDENTITY

Abstract

Summary. The article defines the peculiarities of gender identity formation as a component of the basic identity of a person, since identity is one of the most important components of the «selfconcept » and has a significant impact on self-perception, selfcategorization and self-identification of a person. The purpose of the article is to identify the main features of the formation of a person's gender identity. The methodological foundations of the research are the following methods: generalization of scientific provisions on the study of gender identity; analysis of philosophical, psychological, pedagogical and sociological scientific literature to define the main concepts of the study; synthesis method to determine the main features of the formation of gender identity. The scientific novelty of the article is to identify the main features of the formation of gender identity of a person. The author analyzes scientific works on the issue of gender identity and proposes her own definition of the term «gender identity». By gender identity, the authors mean a part of a person that characterizes self-identification, i.e., how a person defines himself or herself as a representative of a certain sex – male or female – by associating certain characteristics or denying the presence of certain characteristics. Gender identity is one of the most important components of the «self-concept» and has a significant impact on self-perception, self-categorization, and self-identification. Conclusions. The main features of gender identity formation are identified, which include: social construction of gender identity; social expectations; the process of inculturation; the influence of parental behavior; the assimilation of certain gender schemes; the influence of different behavioral patterns. It is noted that gender identity consists of three main components: cognitive or cognitive component; affective or evaluative component; conative or behavioral component. It is substantiated that the list of peculiarities of the formation of a person's gender identity in this article is not exhaustive and is changing in the modern fluid world under the influence of many social factors and society.