Interesting theory, what do you think?

[Schatten Lupus]

I was looking through a psychology text book, and was looking at the chapter about gender and sexuality. A part of this chapter did mention transsexuals, crossdressers, and transvestites. As for crossdressing, it said that cross dressing occurs more frequently in societies where men are the primary income makers, "which leaves researches to wonder if men sometimes cross dress to temporarily relieve the stress of being the breadwinner." It should be noted this is a 101 text book, so the only theories it goes into depth are the core theories, such as Psychoanalogy. I am just curious as to what people think of the bolded part, and if anyone feels any stress relief from the social pressures of "being a man?"

[Freddy12]

That's not it for me. I have crossdressed more after I stopped work than ever before.

[RockerTerri]

The amount of psychology courses I have had to take as a part of my major is staggering (considering I am not a psych major) and I have begun to form something of a hypothesis on this, based on conversations with my profs, doctors, and the posts on here.

Clothing (appearance in general; hair, makeup, whatever) is connected to a social set. The extreme social division of "male" or "female" places clothing, among a skillion other things, into each set.

But gender identity, for ANYONE, not just us, is not a simple choice between 2 selections. Its a continuum, with extremes at either end, and while society (oddly) chooses those extremes to represent "ideal" male or female identities, most of humankind falls in the middle; admittedly, their gender identity is usually closer to their biological sex than ours, but it all varies.

Our brains develop ways of reacting to things; feelings, physical sensations, emotions, colors, everything. Some of us seem to have been born identifying with the feelings, colors, etc etc. that are associated with "female" than with "male". Like the normal run of humanity, the CD/TG community also runs along this continuum; perhaps those of us who are TG are just closer to, or more strongly pulled to, those concepts that society identifies as "female". CDers feel this pull too, but for whatever reason, are not as compelled to actually change their social gender, nor their bodies to match the chosen sex.

The division between gender and sex is important; gender is a social construct. There is no biological reason "women wear skirts, and men dont". Society says so, so we follow suit, mostly due to fear of ostracism.

Gender is related to how we percieve things, our likes and dislikes. Our brains decide how we feel about what. And society says "well, that is a feminine set of attributes", so, we must be female. See?

I just know we're all born how we are, so in this one instance, "nature" seems to triumph over "nuture", even though gender is a social construct, and would fall into the nurture category.

I now have a headache!

[docrobbysherry]

I've read SO MANY posts here, where folks say dressing "relaxes" them. Which I DON'T GET! I find dressing exciting and stimulating!

I ALSO find it very "distracting". In other words, I concentrate on dressing, and don't think about other things. While I'm NORMALLY preoccupied! But, NOT when I'm dressing, or thinking about dressing.
I concentrate almost completely on what I'm doing when I'm CDing.

Does THAT qualify as, " Reducing stress"? In MY case, probably!

[AKAMichelle]

There is a huge stress relieving component to cd'ing. I know that I have benefited over the years with the stress relief.

[Brandi Wyne]

No shrink here but I think there is some merit to the concept. The thing that I also find interesting is that many of us here waited till we were somewhat older to really start the crossdressing as a more full time way of life. One would think the burdens of providing lessened with those years as many of the obligations have been passed or survived.

What did it say about little boys crossdressing? I remember wearing my mom's nylons when I was just four or five years old.

[Billijo49504]

I got a 26 yr old girl that isn't willing to work and wants to live off the system and what her mother wants to give her. So yes, cross dressing is a very big stress reliever. I dress every day, since I retired....BJ

[giuseppina]

It's about stress relief and escapism for me, too.

[Nicole Erin]

I can see it being a balancing therapy.
Everyone seeks balance in different ways.

[kimdl93]

Like some others who have commented, I was dressing long before I was a primary bread winner. I can see where some men might see this as an escape from the responsibilities of male persona, but that is in some respects a reflection of a romaticized view of female life. Most women, including my grand mothers, mother, wives and sisters have always carried substantial responsibility both inside and outside the home. Knowing that, I could hardly seek out feminine attire as an escape from responsibility.

[Andrea Reynolds]

I have often called crossdressing my escape from this reality to my preferred reality. Dressing does have a substantial calming effect on me and causes me to move about more slow and gentle manner. Being a gurl is my evolved state. aNDREA

[Crissy Kay]

I think they may have a factor there, but it does not apply to everyone. I do find some escape myself at times, but most of the time its just a fun thing for me.

[April Renee]

I can see it being a balancing therapy.
Everyone seeks balance in different ways.

.
Nicole I agree and that is the best thing said from you in a while, thanks!
.
April

[katiemay34]

I'd say for me there's definitely some stress relief and a bit of escapism in it, but I'm not sure it's specifically "from being the breadwinner."

[Vickie_CDTV]

To me it makes total sense. Crossdressing can be an escape from the oppressive burdens and expectations society puts on men, and that includes being the primary breadwinner.

[StephanieDragg]

I feel much less stress when dressed but my first thought is that many of us tried on our sisters, mothers clothes, etc .. when we were very young, before we earned a dime!

[Jess81CD]

That's not it for me. I have crossdressed more after I stopped work than ever before.

Could be argued that your dressing was pleasureable while you worked and therefore ceased to be about stress relief so when you stopped work it was habit.

Not picking or anything just a statement.

I am a psychology student and to be honest for every theory in one direction there's another in the opposite.

[Joanne f]

I have never bought into this "i cross dress because i am stressed thing" as i feel that the more you are stressed the less likely you are to do something you like , but maybe that is just me.
If the theory that you dressed because you are the main bread winner was right then in theory cross dressing should be slowly disappearing (instead of increasing) as women are becoming more of the bread winners in relationships now plus it would also mean that the more high status job you had would make it more likely for you to CD and then when retirement comes you would stop .
OK it may play a part for some but i do not think that it is the new found secret to cross dressing .

[Elizabeth 66]

Over the years i have suffered from stress and depression, in 2001 i was in hospital in intensive care with chest pains, which were attributed to stress, my depression was so bad that at times i was so close to taking my own life that i was yet again in hospital.

Since i have accepted who i am, which is a recent occurrence, i have felt at peace with myself, i am not depressed and i no longer feel stressed, but for me it is not just the cross-dressing, it is the full package and knowledge of knowing who i am.

[EjayeCD]

I have a very macho job, a police lt, and I do believe that dressing does in fact relieve the pressure of day to day pressures. It's very relaxing.

[/stephanie]

for me this does not quite fit

[Shari]

Perhaps for the few but not the many.

One "excuse" is as good as another, I suppose.

I don't make excuses, I just enjoy and have done so since long before I ever paid my first dollar into the federal coffers.

[Kaitlyn Michele]

gosh i think excuses is a very guilty minded way to look at it...

i would never call the reason why you crossdress an excuse..thats like calling being gay an excuse for having sex with men..

one observation (and its not scientific) is that there is a heavy preponderance of macho and analytical behaviour/jobs among us..

thinking of balance, its interesting to consider it goes both ways...you know in your heart how deeply your feminine feelings are...so your "guy side" is more and more macho...

ejaye you are not alone...i know a 3 star army cd, union guys, an army ranger, wall street investment bankers..etcetc..its pretty interesting

[JennaR]

And yet, through it all, there must be a common thread that runs through us all. When we find that we will have answered the question of why we are compelled to cross gender lines

[victoriamwilliams1]

Maybe for the late bloomers! I started at age 5, however stress increases my need to dress.