Are androgyny signs of a third gender? Who are androgynes and what sets them apart from the rest?

Nowadays, among doctors, psychologists and ordinary people who have nothing to do with medicine, there is a constant debate about what androgyny is. This is a kind of duality that can manifest itself in appearance, behavior, character and many other aspects of a person’s life. Of course, this trait is not fully characteristic of each of us, but often we notice some beginning within ourselves that has nothing to do with the gender given to us by nature.

How did this term come into being?

Androgyny is the bisexuality of the body, soul, and behavior of a person. This is the feeling when in one body there are two principles at once, fundamentally different, but capable of complementing each other and coexisting together. This is exactly what each of us can learn from ancient written information, which was compiled mainly by the ancient Greeks. The Holy Apostles, who contributed their work to writing the Bible, spoke about human sexual duality. However, it is sometimes extremely difficult to understand the words of our ancestors, so such a concept as “androgynous people” appeared only when psychology became an independent science. It was Carl Gustav Jung who introduced society to the concept that male character traits are different from female ones. By tracking which qualities a person has more, you can determine the degree of his androgyny. In other words, you can understand how “masculine” the character of a certain woman can be and vice versa.

Basic laws of duality of personality

Nowadays, androgyny is a full-fledged psychological concept that is based on certain patterns. The first of these consists of the bipolarity of human nature, each criterion of which claims to be dominant. That is, one person contains both male and female character traits, regardless of what his “biological” sex is. Most often, natural gender coincides with psychological one, which is what gives rise to such judgments as “a typical woman” (for example, representatives of the fair sex are overly concerned about their appearance, no matter how dry and strict their character may be). If “male” moral criteria predominate in a woman’s body or she perceives the world around her the way a guy should, this is already a sign of androgyny of a person, which, of course, finds itself in a person’s appearance.

Treatment of hyperandrogenism syndrome

Since hyperandrogenism is not an independent disease, but occurs against the background of another pathology, treatment has an integrated approach.

According to clinical recommendations, depending on the cause of the disease, associated factors and the severity of symptoms, treatment is carried out in conjunction with eliminating the root cause or sequentially.

Drug treatment

Drugs are used that are designed to reduce the production of male sex hormones androgens:

• hormonal preparations containing progesterone;
• drugs that inhibit the production of androgens in the adrenal glands and ovaries;
• drugs that stimulate greater formation of female hormones estrogen.

Treatment of concomitant diseases

In order for therapy to give a real result that will not disappear soon, it is imperative to eliminate the root cause. These could be diseases of the thyroid gland and liver, the presence of hormone-producing neoplasms, etc.

To treat concomitant diseases, certain medication therapy or surgical intervention (removal of tumors, cysts, etc.) may be sufficient.

Lifestyle with hyperandrogenism

Any treatment must be accompanied by reflection on your lifestyle and daily habits.

Our diseases today are most often a consequence of our actions in the past.

For treatment to be effective it is necessary:

• bring the body to normal weight;
• physical exercise;
• balanced diet.

Forecast

If you are attentive to your body and its health, then with timely treatment and the absence of congenital pathologies, you can talk about a successful cure.

Women who have successfully completed treatment and follow the recommendations of doctors in the future do not have complications of hyperandrogenism, and can also become pregnant and give birth to a healthy child. Usually, pregnancy planning in such cases, as well as the entire period of pregnancy, the patient is under the strict supervision of doctors.

Optimizing the Androgynous Personality

Such a process begins, of course, with spiritual qualities. First, a person’s worldview, his type of behavior, habits, and manners are formed. If a teenage boy exhibits certain feminine traits in his behavior, you should also pay close attention to his appearance. Often a similar trend is caused by androgynous appearance, when facial features, and sometimes even the figure, appear both masculine and feminine at the same time. As they say, everything is balanced in nature, so it is not surprising that a guy at a young age, having a fairly feminine appearance, gradually acquires a weaker character. However, it is worth remembering that this is not at all a sign of sexual disorientation, since an androgyne is, as a rule, straight or, in extreme cases, in the sexual aspect he prefers both sexes at once.

Causes

A person loses self-identification if:

• Absence of one of the parents. This is not necessarily physical; the father or mother can simply isolate themselves from the child and not participate in his development.
• Self-rejection. A person may not like his own appearance or want to have character traits inherent in the other sex.
• Psychological trauma. For example, a woman after rape can extinguish any manifestation of femininity and weakness.
• Increased parental care for boys. If his mother suppressed his desire to be independent as a child, as an adult, his behavior will resemble timid and pampered girls.

Excessive demands in raising girls often lead to loss of self-identification.

What androgynes might look like in real life

Such a biological miracle as androgyny is, first of all, hard mental work for the one to whom it is characteristic. The fact is that a person who has, so to speak, an average appearance, balancing between masculine and feminine, as well as a similar character and manners, must choose what is closer to him. And this choice may not be made in favor of biological sex, strange as it may seem, and at the same time the sexual orientation of such a person may remain extremely natural. It’s just that sometimes it’s easier for a man whose appearance is dominated by soft features typical of the fairer sex to be a girl to those around him, but at the same time remain a true gentleman at heart.

The concept of the word "androgyny"

So how can we properly characterize this phenomenon?

Androgyny is an individual’s demonstration of the masculine and feminine principles, which are harmoniously combined with each other - a manifestation of the third gender. A guy or a girl can demonstrate masculine qualities in different situations or, conversely, femininity.

Also, this phenomenon manifests itself not only psychologically, but also physically. Androgynous women look harmonious in both the first and the other image, without causing difficulties in gender identification.

More recently, this concept was synonymous with the word androgyny, but over time, most psychoanalysts noted that this is not so, since androgyny is more of a physiological concept, and androgyny also affects the mental aspect of a person’s life.

This deviation from generally accepted norms is associated with a clear distribution of stereotypical forms of behavior for boys and girls. Thus, men should be strong, domineering, brutal, physically well-built, muscular, while girls, on the contrary, are gentle, kind and caring.

Due to the fact that a person is a largely social being and his norm of behavior can be adjusted by various factors, this stereotyping is mixed, causing difficulty in one’s own gender identification, which is why first psychological and then external androgyny arises.

For a long time, from a psychological point of view, it was believed that a person is completely healthy if his behavior and appearance fully correspond to his biological essence and gender disposition, and the slightest deviation from the norm aroused suspicion.

Today, many modern men are affectionate and caring, and women are strong, have their own inner core and a certain brutality. But it should be understood that this is not a sign of androgyny, since if such a guy is put on makeup and heels, he can be easily distinguished from a girl.

There are both positive and negative sides to presenting yourself in this way.

Positive aspect:

• A person becomes more flexible and it is easier for him to adapt to one or another social circle.
• It is much easier for this psychological type to show their sensuality and emotional component.
• Well, the intimate component is more relaxed and vibrant.

Negative aspect:

• Difficulty building personal relationships with adherents of traditional views.
• Despite the fact that androgynous people easily adapt to any social circle, and one can envy their sexual liberation, it is difficult for them to build personal relationships with representatives of the opposite sex, since they are not perceived as a sexual partner and a reliable life partner (not every man is ready to see a brutal-looking girl next to you and vice versa, not every representative of the fair sex is attracted to overly feminine men).
• Also, there are not all social groups that do not fully perceive such an expression of personality and therefore androgynous are not accepted as full members of society by certain social groups, and their behavior is considered a deviation from the normal.

It is important to know: it should be understood that androgyny is not always a sign of homosexuality and transsexuality, since, first of all, this concept characterizes the non-standard behavior of a man or woman.

Androgyny theory

There are many myths of ancient Greece about proto-people, androgynous people who combine both courage and vulnerable femininity. The first ancient Greek philosopher Plato called them ideal people, and in most myths they are described as the earthly incarnation of one of the deities. So, according to one of them, it was thanks to the arrival of such a proto-man on earth that men and women were created.

Sandru Bem is considered the founder of the theory of studying this psychological behavior, although long before her, Carl Jung was interested in a similar topic, although he did not keep official records at that time.

Thus, according to Jung’s first theory, from the very beginning the psyche of each of us is androgynous, and only over time it acquires clear features, since our upbringing builds certain psychological barriers, dividing what a man can do and what a woman can do. It is this kind of upbringing that is stereotypical, and according to this theory, androgynous people erase this line by harmoniously combining both. Well, in turn, Bem, picking up a similar trend, added that it is this typology of behavior that contributes to a person’s better adaptation in society and over time it will be impossible to do without it.

It is important to know: already today, you can see an increase in the trend of androgyny, since only in one area of ​​​​fashion is this type considered the most popular and desirable - unisex.

Psychological androgyny

If we discard the external component of this phenomenon, then for many people it takes on a completely ordinary appearance. As mentioned above, the manifestation of androgyny in a person directly depends on his upbringing and his circle of friends. Based on these facts, American psychologist Bem identified several categories of people with different signs of such manifestations:

1. Masculine are individuals with a pronounced masculine principle, a real man.
2. Feminine - represent the traditional expression of female behavior.
3. Androgynous are representatives of a social group that combine masculine and feminine behavioral traits.
4. Undecided is the last classification of personality, implying that a person is uncertain about what type of behavior he should use.

As you already understand, a modern person has the opportunity to have both muscular and feminine traits, choosing the necessary type of behavior based on the current situation, and Bem considers androgyny in behavior to be the norm in society.

Today, psychological androgyny is of great importance, since it will help many people adapt to various life circumstances, since under some conditions stereotypical thinking is completely inappropriate.

Androgyny in men and women

In men and women, the combination of two principles manifests itself almost equally. In some situations, guys show their more feminine side, and in some situations, the weaker sex takes on the obligations of the stronger. If we talk about the external component of the phenomenon, then to a greater extent it is men who become more feminine.

Conclusion

So, androgyny is not a deviation from the norm (despite what most people think). The owner of androgynous features, on the contrary, is more adaptive and harmonious than the owner of only muscular and feminine features. The harmony of a given individual is expressed in his sociocultural behavior in the perception of the outside world.

Sources used:

• https://fashionapp.ru/empty/androgin-malchik-v-zhenskom-tele-ili-devochka-v-muzhskom.html
• https://psycho4you.ru/lichnost/harakter/androginnost-u-muzhchin-i-zhenshhin
• https://ivbg.ru/7986172-kto-takie-androginy-i-pochemu-o-nix-sejchas-vse-govoryat.html
• https://statusmen.ru/society/androginnost

A deeper look at this theory

Each of us has an internal dialogue that can be balanced or contradictory, even a little scandalous. These two “subpersonalities,” whatever one may say, are divided into the dominant and the subordinate, or the one that is located on a deeper level, inaccessible to outsiders’ perception. Let's try to look at this using an example of how androgyny manifests itself in women. In modern women, “that very fragile and tender nature,” as if their true nature, as a rule, occupies precisely that subordinate position, that is, hidden in the depths of the soul. A stronger nature, which is comparable to a man’s, has a dominant position. In turn, a modern representative of the stronger sex may seem indecisive and lethargic, since his leading sub-personality is characterized by feminine criteria. But his subconscious is the complete opposite of this, thanks to which balance is restored. Based on this balance, people of the opposite sex are attracted to each other, regardless of what appearance they have and what character traits are more developed in them.

How to accept yourself as you are?

Often, even in our time, a person with a “middle-sex” appearance causes bewilderment, ridicule and gossip in society. In this case, it’s worth paying attention to very famous models who have exactly these appearance features, conquering not only magazine covers, but also the hearts of fans. Today, one of the most famous is the androgyne Andrej Pejic, a native of Australia who has Serbian and Croatian roots. Being a tall man and having an athletic figure, his face looks incredibly feminine and gentle. Repeatedly he appeared as a standard model on the catwalk in order to present the next masterpiece of one of the world's designers. And it’s worth saying that Andrey always showed exclusively women’s collections. Among the androgynous models there are also girls who, on the contrary, have a boyish appearance and sometimes even a figure.

An androgynous image will help everyone

In order to determine your own nature, moral inclination towards a certain gender, you need to try yourself in different roles. We are not talking about an operation that allows you to change gender, but only about a style that manifests itself in clothing, hairstyle and, of course, in a person’s behavior. Sometimes girls who feel uncomfortable in this world, for whom something is not working out in their personal lives, change their appearance, and immediately everything gets better. In particular, we are talking about short hair, more discreet clothing. The wardrobe should be dominated by trousers and shorts, not skirts. But it’s worth remembering that these things should remain feminine, at least in their cut. A man, on the contrary, can afford to grow his hair long, wear unisex clothes and wear appropriate jewelry. It’s worth remembering that you won’t be able to please everyone, and at the same time, you should never suppress your essence. Therefore, in the form in which you feel comfortable, you will be more likely to find the person who shares your worldview and outlook on life.

Afterword

Modern psychology believes that androgynes are universal soldiers. They achieve greater success in life, are more active, stronger, and more resilient than other people. They have more creative potential. However, they cannot always control the gender poles. Especially in moments of social pressure. This, in turn, results in anxiety, irritation, and depression.

And let me remind you that we are talking only about psychological, social androgyny as psychological flexibility, and not about sexual disorientation. If the duality of social roles does not prevent a person from working, building a family, or living, then androgyny is not a problem.

How do you know if you are androgynous?

American psychologist Sandra Bem in the middle of the last century developed a whole theory about how human gender becomes established and how this trait is determined. If you want to find out which group of people you belong to, take the test she created, which consists of a series of questions that are simple and understandable to everyone. As a result, it will be possible to calculate in percentage terms which traits in your nature are more masculine or feminine, and in accordance with this, build your future life, look for your style and people who will like your androgynous appearance, who will support you, understand and will share your priorities and views.

Diagnostics

The first major study of androgyny was that of Sandra Bem. She identified three psychological genders: masculinity, femininity and androgyny. The author even developed a test to diagnose the condition.

Try the diagnostics too. Answer “yes” or “no” to the following statements (to the extent that they are true for you):

1. I'm confident.
2. I can make concessions.
3. I know how to help.
4. I know how to defend my opinion.
5. I'm cheerful.
6. I'm gloomy.
7. I'm independent.
8. I'm shy.
9. I'm conscientious.
10. I have an athletic build.
11. I can be gentle.
12. I have good acting skills.
13. I can be persistent.
14. Sometimes I give in to flattery.
15. Luck is with me.
16. I can call myself a strong personality.
17. If I'm passionate about something, I'm committed to it.
18. Unpredictability is my second “I”.
19. I am strong.
20. I can be feminine.
21. You can rely on me.
22. I can analyze.
23. I know what empathy is, I can show it.
24. I'm jealous.
25. I am a leader.
26. I can take care of someone.
27. I am straightforward and truthful.
28. I like to take risks.
29. I understand others.
30. I'm secretive.
31. I can make quick decisions.
32. I know what compassion is, I can show it.
33. I try to be sincere.
34. I rely only on myself.
35. I am able to console.
36. I'm vain.
37. I love power.
38. I have a quiet voice.
39. I'm attractive.
40. I'm courageous.
41. I'm cordial.
42. I'm important.
43. I always have my own position.
44. I'm soft.
45. I know how to make friends.
46. I am often aggressive.
47. Too trusting.
48. I'm not very productive.
49. I can lead.
50. Prone to infantilism.
51. I easily adapt to new conditions.
52. I am an individualist.
53. I don't like to swear.
54. I'm not systematic.
55. I have a competitive spirit.
56. I like kids.
57. I'm tactful.
58. I'm ambitious.
59. I am calm.
60. I am prone to formalities, maintaining conventions.

Now compare the answers with the key:

• Masculinity (“Yes”): questions 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 37, 40, 43, 46, 49, 52, 55, 58.
• Femininity (“Yes”): questions 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35, 38, 41, 44, 47, 50, 53, 56, 59.

Calculate the match score for each scale and calculate the overall index (IS) using the formula: (femininity - masculinity): 2.322.

Determine the result:

• from -1 to +1 – androgyny;
• less than -1 – masculinity;
• more than +1 – feminine.