Top hats & pink skirts.

Had the children's day celebrations at the ward today. yeah, late by almost a week; as the ward strength was a bit on the lower side. Admission spree for a week, and we were back in business with a reasonably large turn out for the programme. Topped it off with a discussion on Sex reassignemnt surgery, therapy and a fever. I guess, this day qualifies for being dysfunctional. Except probably the chicken biriyani at lunch. Maslow must have been gorging on some crumb fried chicken when he came up with his heirarchy model. There's something about food, or sometimes even the recollection of it, which can make up for some bile.

oh well, the discussion on gender identity and transgender issues was not so bad. Though such admissions can lose u some Portnoy's-complaint-type cool points.
Heck, there maybe such a thing as too much cribbing. Though some people would have a real problem with that concept. After all it was the staple defense throughout adolescence and still the easiest way to unload. Freud missed it because he didn't work with angst filled college students. I digress.. transgender. Right! All that got me wondering about the complex web of biological sex, gender role, gender identity, sexual behaviors and identities. Not to mention sexual roles. And the reductionistic ideas of being a hettie male or a lesbian. Most of the other things we're often able to come to terms with. But the roles, sexual and gender are not easy to crack. A perfectly well adjusted gay man, or a heterosexual women could well want a passive or active role. And strange and often unpredictable permutations and combinations of the determinants.

And to sign off in the predictable way, there are some neuro-behavioral correlates for dominant-passive behavior. It may not be just habit. :)

Osho

Monsters & the closet.

Back in child psychiatry posting for the next three months. Completely isolated in a huge ward/den, also referred to as the monsters inc, we're pitted against 6-10 adolescents and children per resident, with nothing more than a time out room to protect ourselves. I could also try and make u believe that we are tied to our therapy rooms and are let out only for food and sleep. Maybe with an evil senior resident with a deft wrist and a handy cat-o-nine tails thrown in. Oh well, that would have had some pizzaz at least. Sigh.. Anyway, the biggest crib for this
posting is that there is no tea shop near the wards, and the planes don't fly above.
Nothing to distract us, or allow us to send a quick message while the rounds pause for the planes to pass. Miss the spice jet B 737-82N with no winglets (castrated as
some people call it) coming in at 9 30 am. Well, at least it had won me a bet.

Also been thinking about behavior a bit. well, children-families-behavior. You see..
Been shaping an old idea about phenotypes among men (and women, if u insist). Straight, gay, bi, curious (dont ask me..), metrosexual <:)>, asexual and those who
do anything that walks. Of course, behaviors. But then there is an understanding that
some of these go beyond that, and go onto orientations and identities; often with some neuro-biological correlates. And thus, the nature-nurture Q. But we wouldn't want to go there. I'm begining to think it is easier to conceptualize them as
phenotypes with the 'genotype' being something else. for eg, u have the gay men with gay phenotypes (queeny) or straight (butch), and the same for straight men. I mean, 'metrosexual' could be a 'gay' phenotype for the straight man. Or an excuse for people who're lost searching for the light switch in the closet. But, the funny part
seems to be that the 'phenotype' which is often held close to hearts as their identity is often environmentally influenced, in essence partly learned. But then, the similarities are hard to ignore. I mean, it basically makes you wonder what is 'gay' or 'straight'?
Other than being person specific adjectives, thus being of limited use.

osho

p.s: genotype is the genetic defenition of a person encoded in genes, while the phenotype is the physical or the behavioral description.