Week 5:Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation. Gender identity and sexual orientation are critical issues that affect an individual’s development from childhood or adulthood through the life span. As more individuals from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community feel comfortable sharing their identities, social workers and other helping professionals may wish to further develop strategies for serving those populations.

This week, you explore issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation and consider their impact on social work practice. You also evaluate empirical research that addresses sexual orientation development.

Learning Objectives

Week 5:Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

Students will:

• Analyze the impact of gender identity on development in young and middle adulthood
• Apply understanding of gender identity development to social work practice
• Analyze evidence-based research on sexual orientation across the life span
• Apply evidence-based research on sexual orientation to social work practice

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Brewster, M. E., & Moradi, B. (2010). Personal, relational and community aspects of bisexual identity in emerging, early and middle adult cohorts. Journal of Bisexuality, 10(4), 404–428.

Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Burri, A., Cherkas, L., Spector, T., & Rahman, Q. (2011). Genetic and environmental influences on female sexual orientation, childhood gender typicality and adult gender identity. PloS ONE, 6(7), 1–8

Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Ferguson, A. D., & Miville, M. L. (2017). It’s complicated: Navigating multiple identities in small town America. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 73(8), 975–984.

Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Maylor, E. A., Reimers, S., Choi, J., Collaer, M. L., Peters, M., & Silverman, I. (2007). Gender and sexual orientationdifferences in cognition across adulthood: Age is kinder to women than to men regardless of sexualorientation. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36(2), 235–249.

Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Nuttbrock, L. A., Bockting, W. O., Hwahng, S., Rosenblum, A., Mason, M., Macri, M., & Becker, J. (2009). Gender identity affirmation among male-to-female transgender persons: A life course analysis across types of relationships and cultural/lifestyle factors. Sexual & Relationship Therapy, 24(2), 108–125

Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Pleak, R. R. (2009). Formation of transgender Identities in adolescence. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 13(4), 282–291.

Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Rosario, M., Schrimshaw, E. W., & Hunter, J. (2011). Different patterns of sexual identity development over time: Implications for the psychological adjustment of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths. Journal of Sex Research, 48(1), 3–15.

Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Optional Resources

Use the link below to access the MSW home page, which provides resources for your social work program.
MSW home page

Discussion: Gender Identity in Life-Span Development

Gender identity—identifying oneself as male or female—is a critical component of an individual’s life-span development. Misconceptions and stereotypes abound with regard to gender, and you may bring personal misconceptions and stereotypes to your work with clients.

As you read the resources this week, what concepts seem especially relevant to you as a social worker? Are you able to identify any personal misunderstandings about the formation of gender identity? What strategies might you use to apply your new understanding to social work practice?

By Day 3

Post a Discussion that includes the following:

• A new understanding you have gained in the resources about gender identity
• An explanation of how individuals’ gender identity affects their development through young and middle adulthood
• A strategy you might use to apply your understanding of gender identity development to social work practice

By Day 5

Read a selection of your colleagues’ posts.

Respond in one or more of the following ways:

• Add to your colleague’s explanation of how gender identity affects an individual’s life-span development.
• Explain whether you might use your colleague’s strategy for applying the concept of gender identity to social work practice. Provide support for your position.

Be sure to support your posts with specific references to the resources. If you are using additional articles, be sure to provide full APA-formatted citations for your references.

Week 5:Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 5 Discussion Rubric

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 5

To participate in this Discussion:

Week 5 Discussion

Assignment: Empirical Research and Developmental Theory

What does evidence-based research say about the development of sexual orientation in young and middle adulthood? Though the body of literature addressing sexual orientation, including heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality, is far from complete, the literature continues to grow. Your awareness of this literature helps inform your social work practice as you address the needs of clients with a variety of sexual orientations.

For this Assignment, conduct your own research to identify at least one journal article that addresses sexual orientation. Select an article that you find especially relevant to you in your role as a social worker.

By Day 7

Submit a 2- to 4-page paper that includes the following:

• A summary of your findings regarding sexual orientation and its impact on life-span development, including findings from the resources and from the journal article(s) you selected during your research
• An explanation of how you might apply your findings to social work practice

Support your Assignment with specific references to the resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

Week 5:Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK5Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
• Click the Week 5 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
• Click the Week 5 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK5Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 5 Assignment Rubric

Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity

To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:

Submit your Week 5 Assignment draft and review the originality report.

Submit Your Assignment by Day 7

To submit your Assignment:

Week 5 Assignment

Week in Review

This week you analyzed the impact of gender identity on development in young and middle adulthood and evidence-based research on sexual orientation across the life span. You also applied your understanding of gender identity development and evidence-based research on sexual orientation to social work practice.

Next week you will begin to explore the life-span phase of ‘later adulthood’ and the biological changes aging individuals’ experience.

To go to the next week:

Week 6