Dissertations and Theses
Date of Award
2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Sasha Rudenstine
Second Advisor
Diana Punales
Third Advisor
Wendy Haft
Keywords
Identity development, selfness, early adversity, emotion regulation, object relational functioning, gender identity
Abstract
Introduction: Clinical and social psychological literature have long demonstrated group status, culture, and social support as equally integral and influential factors which contribute directly both to the quality of one’s lived experience, and to the development and experience of one’s sense of identity or selfness. For example, acceptable norms regarding behavior, dress, and emotional experience – particularly when an individual does not live up to societal standards – have been demonstrated to contribute to deleterious internalizations surrounding self-confidence, self-worth, and self-esteem. More specifically, the social and cultural implications of being identified as “female” versus “male” have been found to be particularly influential.
Societally informed sexist and genderist tropes regarding what is appropriately masculine/feminine are well known (e.g., toy trucks for boys and toy dolls for girls) and have been suggested as not only limiting, but harmful to psychic development. With regard to one’s sex and gender identity, before one even physically enters the world traditional social norms reflecting a traditional value system come into play (e.g., blue nursery decor for boys, pink nursery decor for girls). These societal sex and gender norms create an object relational splitness between men and women, as well as to those who identify outside of the gender binary, and more critically, have the potential to inform experiences and displays of emotion.
The capacity for emotion regulation has become a critical construct related to psychological development and well-being as contemporary theorists have begun to consider emotion regulation a learned behavioral skill which can be targeted, making it a powerful therapeutic intervention. A multidimensional construct that includes the appraisal of and the expressive and behavioral responses to a given stimulus, the capacity for Emotion Regulation has been evidenced as protective in the face of psychiatric distress, particularly with regard to object relational splitting. Congruently, the capacity (or not) for ER has been repeatedly linked with major affective pathology, psychotic phenomena, character/personality pathology, substance use pathology, and early experiences of stress and adversity ranging from average/everyday stressors to traumatic and potentially traumatic experiences. Whether perceived within one’s self or perceived in others, the experience of emotion has been evidenced as influenced by social and cultural norms. For example, which emotions are socially acceptable, understandable, and/or punishable based on one’s perceived sex and gender.
Via the integration of contemporary psychodynamic theory and empirical research, this dissertational study aims to investigate the inter-relatedness of object relational functioning, experiences of early adversity, the capacity for emotion regulation, and binary social constructions of gender identity.
Sample: Data for this study was collected as part of The Psychological Center’s ongoing Programmatic Evaluation and Clinical Efficacy (PEACE) Study and is comprised of adult aged individuals (N = 452) who have given their informed consent to be included in ongoing research investigations.
Measures: Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale (ACEs): The Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale (ACES) is a 10-item self-report measure of exposure during childhood to household dysfunction (Felitti et al., 1998). Inventory of Personality Organization (IPO): The Inventory of Personality Organization (Kernberg & Clarkin, 1995) is a 155 item self-report measure operationalizing object relational functioning. Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS): The DERS is a 36-item Likert-type self-report questionnaire with higher values indicating greater difficulty (Gratz & Roemer, 2004). Gender Identity: Participants who identified their gender as congruent with their sex assigned at birth (SAB) (n = 431) were defined as cisgender female (n = 294) or cisgender male (n = 137). Individuals who identified their gender as incongruent with their SAB were defined as not cisgender (n = 21).
Results: Ranging from small to large in effect size, between groups analysis revealed statistically significant differences for all gender groups (not cisgender, cisgender female, and cisgender male) across both object relational functioning and the capacity for emotion regulation. When controlling for experiences of early adversity and emotion regulation, not cisgender and cisgender male participants were found to be at higher levels of object relational vulnerability relative to their cisgender female counterparts. For the entire sample, statistical analysis confirmed previous findings supporting the premise that as early experiences of adversity increase, so do vulnerabilities in object relational functioning in adulthood, and that the capacity for emotion regulation (ER) is a powerful mediator of this relationship.
Finally, while ER continued to act as a statistically significant mediator of the relationship between early adversity and functioning in adulthood, when gender identity defined as congruent or incongruent to natal sex was added as a moderator of experience, it was found to be significant for not cisgender identity participants only. Specifically, identifying as not cisgender moderated the relationship between experiences of early adversity and object relational functioning in adulthood in such a way that it changed direction of the relationship from positive (increasing risk) to negative (decreasing risk), appearing to act as a protective factor with regard to object relational functioning in adulthood. These findings held across both IPO Total and IPO Subscale Scores, and provide a rationale for further investigation into the premise that the internalization of a binary sex-based gender system as potentially harmful to development.
Recommended Citation
Schilder, Victoria, "Early Adversity, Emotion Regulation, Object Relational Functioning, and the Moderating Effect of Gender Identity: A community sample study" (2023). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1109