-  Being exposed to alternative gender identity categories was a pivotal experience for some youth that made them question their gender identity. 
- Being exposed to gender diversity prompted an exploratory process around different ways of expressing gender for many youth.

Arizona State University

The gradual process of gaining insight into one’s gender identity was described as navigation in the dark, from the first feelings of being different in childhood, to the gradually increasing identification as a gender minority.

Theme: Gender Dysphoria as Navigation in the Dark 

Jessen, R. S., Haraldsen, I., & Stänicke, E. (2021). Navigating in the dark: Meta-synthesis of subjective experiences of gender dysphoria amongst transgender and gender non-conforming youth. Social Science & Medicine, 281, 114094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114094

Navigating in the Dark: Meta-Synthesis of Subjective Experiences of Gender Dysphoria Amongst Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Youth

- The vague feeling of difference was characterized by a sense of not belonging with peers. 
-  The vague feeling of difference occurred already in childhood. For some, it was related to gender, while for others, it was a global sense of being different. 


Sub-theme: Vague Feeling of Difference 

- The vague feeling of difference was often accompanied by a distressing experience of not being able to express an identity that was congruent with an internal sense of gender. 
- Certain body parts that were especially sensitive to being interpreted as a sign of gender were an important source of the lack of congruence.

Sub-theme:  Lack of Congruence Between the Internal and the External 

Sub-theme: Exposure and Exploration 

- After being exposed to gender diversity and beginning to explore different ways of doing gender, some youth strived to develop a coherent sense of self that unified the internal sense of gender with external expression. 
- For some youth, the subjective experiences of gender dysphoria were influenced by 
contextual factors and could change over time, depending on fluctuating factors, such as body weight. Thus, the development of gender dysphoria did not necessarily have a clear-cut endpoint. 

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