John Money: A Brief Summary

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John Money was a psychologist who’s work continues to be referenced in the fields of gender and sex research. He coined the terms “gender role” and “gender identity.” His theory was that someone’s gender role is learned, but that Gender identity is one’s personal preference of sexuality. Money was one of the first scientists to acknowledge that one’s biological sex may not relate with one’s gender identity. Money was also famous for developing the concept of the lovemap to characterize a person's idealized partner and sexual preferences. He also regularly studies pedophilia- the difference between love-based attraction to children and sadistic pedophilia. He believed that Sadistic pedophiles abuse and sometimes even kill their victims. But affectional pedophilia is due to the relationship with someone’s parents.
Due to his beliefs in gender identity, he was very curious in the effects of sex reassignment surgery. In the 1960s, the son of Janet and Ronald Reimer experienced circumcision gone wrong that left him with a severely mangled penis. When John Money was consulted, he suggested that the boy be raised as a girl, and the child underwent sex reassignment surgery. Money used the case as evidence that gender is learned and not instinctive. …show more content…

The sex reassignment surgery proved a lot of John’s theories. For example, his theory that Gender role is learned from the behavior around you, but that gender identity is someone’s own internal feelings of gender. Brenda was actually born a boy but was reconstructed to a female, and raised as a girl. During her childhood Brenda acted as a boy and believed she was a boy, this further proved John’s idea of gender roles. Later in her early adult life Brenda was told the truth- later admitting that deep down she has always felt like a girl, this also providing more evidence for John’s other theory of gender

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