The Dual Motive Theory of Secondary Transsexuality

Jamie Faye Fenton
737 Post Street #1511
San Francisco, CA 94109
Jamie (at) tgforum (dot) com

Introduction

There are two paradigms of transsexual etiology at war with each other. On one side is the view that the mind-body gender mismatch is biological and results in a deep emotional pain that can only be relieved by changing the body and social role to match the mind. The other side views gender transition as the culmination of a sexual desire to change one’s body and role to that of a woman. The biologists cite neuro-anatomical evidence. The psychologists cite sexual response measurements and the power of paraphilic desire. Each side cites the evidence from personal introspection and the reports of their supporters.

The passions of those who vehemently reject sexual explanations are white hot – they take such talk as demeaning, hateful, and likely to set back public acceptance by a generation. Still, from both the inside and the outside, the transgender community seems to have much to do about sex. The miniskirt to baby carriage ratio is high. This uncomfortable fact is usually dismissed by the “trapped in a man’s body” crowd as some form of transvestite contamination. However, even conservative transsexuals view the rite of passage to be acquiring a vagina rather than adopting a baby, and probably have miniskirts hanging in their closets.

A careful consideration of the evidence and the arguments for both theories leads me to the conclusion that, in many ways, both sides are right. A synthesis seems possible. This paper presents the argument for such a synthetic Dual Motive Theory (DMT).

Autogynephilic Arousal and the Theory of Autogynephilic Motivated Transformation

To correctly describe the upstart psychological theory, usually called autogynephilia, I need to make a crucial distinction between two concepts. They are the Self-As-Woman-Schema (SAWS) and autogynephilic motivated transformation (AGPMT).

SAWS is the experience of being sexually aroused by the fantasy of becoming a woman, in body or role. Most transgenders experience this, including many who proceed through surgical reassignment. While not all MtF transgenders experience SAWS, this phenomenon has even been reported in the autobiography of one of the Bailey critics*. SAWS, like GID, is commonly reported by late-transitioning transsexuals.

AGPMT is the theory which claims that SAWS is a sexual paraphilia and that the pursuit of this desire is the prime motivating force behind transition and medical feminization for a large subset of MtF TG's (that undertake that process) called autogynephiles.

The case for AGPMT is based on research studies that show SAWS to be a common element in the histories of late transitioning transsexuals. In addition, paraphilic drives can be extremely strong and some transsexuals sense this drive occurring within them. AGPMT claims that those who deny being autogynephiles are either ashamed or unaware.

The Orthodox Model

Competing for allegiance with AGPMT is the conventional theory that I call GROG. GROG means “Get Rid of GID”. This is the standard “I am a woman trapped in a man’s body” explanation. GROG claims that transsexualism begins as a neuro-developmental condition of the brain. As someone with this condition matures, they become aware that their body does not match their mind, which creates a negative feeling called Gender Identity Dysphoria (GID). GID is a feeling of depression mixed with anxiety, like the sense of being “lost on the wrong road”. The pain of GID thus motivates TGs to proceed through the transition process.

Two Pathways

Many researchers, from Harry Benjamin onward, have discerned two transition pathways that transsexuals take, and use this to classify transsexuals into two groups. In my writing, I prefer to use Richard Docter’s** names for these, defined as follows:

The Primary Transsexual Class (P-TS) describes TGs who are aware of their TG status early, do not make an extensive effort to adapt to adult life in their birth sex, transition early, and have a sexual orientation toward those of their birth sex.

The Secondary Transsexual Class (S-TS) consists of TGs who transition later in life, have attempted to live in their birth sex role, and often have developed an erotic interest in themselves dressing, presenting, and eventually becoming a member of the opposite sex. Many S-TGs have an extensive experience as cross-dressers. MtF S-TGs are often attracted to women or are bisexual.

Some autogynephilia theories lump cross-dressers in with the S-TS category, creating a larger category I will refer to as the secondary transgendered (S-TG). These theories claim that cross-dressers experience SAWS and GID, but not at the levels that trigger transition. GROG theories acknowledge the existence of autogynephilia among the cross-dressers and have a separate category for them.

The two TS classes appear as clusters in multidimensional space in most studies, differentiated by the factors described above. The clusters are not perfect and there are outliers. Blanchard and Bailey use the term "homosexual TS" to refer to P-TSes and "autogynephilic TS" to refer to S-TSes.

The differentiating factors are relative comparisons. There is no crisp dividing line. Rather these factors resemble the claim that men are taller then women. While true in general, there are some genetic women who are taller than almost all men.

The Paradigm War

Some proponents of the GROG Model despise AGPMT. The AGPMT claims are considered offensive by transsexuals who believe that sexual explanations have little or nothing to do with their transition experiences. There is also a widespread misconception that paraphilias only occur in males and therefore any theories incorporating paraphiliac explanations inherently deny the femininity of MtF TGs.

GROG advocates cite a few neuro-anatomical studies, their experience of GID, and their self-reports about the process not seeming sexual as support for their theory. To them, SAWS was at most a diversion.

AGPMT advocates cite their research studies, from a just few institutions, and see GROG supporters as being uncomfortable with sexual explanations, desperate to defend their theory to avoid stigma.

Of course, neither explanation accounts for all of the facts, nor explains the underlying processes in sufficient detail to carry the day.

Might Both Motives Be In Play Here?

As a S-TS who has experienced both GID and SAWS, together and in alternation over the years, it seems that both processes are operating inside of me. This leads me to view SAWS as being a coping method as well as a source of pleasure.


DMT in Detail

The following diagram explains DMT using the visual metaphor of “two roads”. (A larger version is at the end of this paper).

Steps in the Dual Motive Theory

0: Birth of child with gender-variant neural structures.

1: After several years, boys and girls follow separate development paths.

2: Other children and parents pressure child into gender conformity.

3: At some point, the child realizes that he is supposed to be of the other gender. This “self as female” becomes enshrined in the imagination.

4: The child develops an “erotic schema” that describes the Other to which they are attracted. For MtF S-TSes, this typically includes a sexual orientation towards women, centered on the “self as female” from the imagination. There is also the “delta script”, which encodes the most tantalizing pathway from the masculine path to the feminine path. This is shown as a filmstrip on the left of the schema. Something different happens for P-TSes, described later.

5: During masturbation and episodes of public cross-dressing, this schema is actualized and creates excitement and sexual pleasure.

5a: This sexual pleasure pushes GID into the background for a time. It does return eventually, sometimes a little stronger.

6: Eventually the CD will do more extensive cross living. By this time, the sexual nature will seem less obvious, and the pleasure will often manifest itself as a feeling of general happiness. GID will go into the background for a longer time and will again return a little stronger.

Episodes of 5 and 6 are repeated many more times then shown here, perhaps thousands of times.

7: At some point the push of GID and the pull of SAWS, combined, reach a critical level and the decision to transition is made.

8: The excitement of preparing for transition and undertaking the process puts GID into temporary remission.

9: GRS is undertaken, this draws even more attention to the TS, and reduces GID. About 6 months after GRS, depression returns for a bit, and then gradually recedes permanently.

The P-TS Path

P-TSes follow a slightly different path, which more closely resembles GROG. Steps 0-3 are the same.

4a: The P-TS forms an erotic schema focused on a man as the object of desire. Because the “self as female” from the imagination is not a man, it cannot be incorporated in the schema. Because of this, there can be no type 5 activities.

6: Cross living experiences do give a little relief from GID, but the effect is less satisfying and less effective (6a). Again, the cross living experiences are often repeated.

Without the coping mechanism of the SAWS schema, GID builds faster and hits the critical level at a younger age. Step 8 and step 9 then take place, generally paced by the Benjamin protocols.

Erotic Schemas and SAWS

An Erotic Schema can be defined as a description of what types of sexual partners you are attracted to, what characteristics they have, and what processes should be followed in order to achieve gratification. John Money called these “love maps”***, however the term schema is preferred in cognitive science. I will describe erotic schemas in the following form: {other, specific-aspects, process}.

Erotic schemas can vary widely and incorporate unusual elements. Examples include a hetero-man {attracted to women, preferably with blonde hair, and large breasts, playing with nipples & intercourse}, and a lesbian-woman{attracted to women, preferably with strong masculine characteristics, kissing & oral sex}. A typical transgender (SAWS) schema would be {women/particularly self as a woman, short dress & nylons/heels, forced-feminization & receptive-anal-sex}. It is possible to have more than one, to have other things than people as targets, and to include apparently non-erotic aspects.

Erotic schemas are often the subjects of value judgments. {woman, nice ass, fuck} is “normal”, {car, tailpipe, masturbate} seems odd but does exist, and {child, penis, murder}, unfortunately exists. While SAWS may seem strange to some prudes, it is relatively harmless and no one should be ashamed of it. (One of my personal suspicions is that everyone has more than one schema, and everyone has a schema that they are ashamed of).

Schemas usually form in childhood and incorporate cues from the environment. A child “learns” what a sexually attractive mate looks like. Since the concept of “oneself as female” exists in the imagination, it has a shortcut into the object slot of the schema. The specificity slot takes input from the environment. For TGs, this usually includes aspects of women’s dress and behavior.

The process slot is filled by learned or imagined behavior that, when taken, achieves the sexual goal. Since the goal of SAWS is “self as female”, S-TGs often create “delta scripts” for the process slot. These describe how they are converted from a man into a woman and the pleasurable sexual activities they will engage in as a woman. Common themes include magical transformation, age regression and retraining, and forced-feminization. To see many examples of TG delta scripts, visit the FictionMania web site: http://www.fictionmania.com/. You can get a feel for the relative popularity of themes by using the search function, which returns “story counts” based on query criteria.

Finally, a schema only becomes a paraphilia if it causes significant distress to someone who has it or whom is victimized by someone who has it. Most sexologists make a distinction between transsexualism and the paraphilias, although they share common characteristics. We are only perverts if we let uninformed people convince us.

Enacting Scripts

Once a script is formed, it can be “triggered” by external stimulus, by the wandering imagination, or by conscious effort. When activated, it can be enacted in the imagination, in reality, or both. Elaborating the enactment can boost the pleasure received. Thus enactment can begin totally in fantasy and progress through partial then total cross-dressing to full-time living.

The dual-motive theory claims that SAWS is used to ward off GID for a time. However SAWS enactment brings to mind the disparity between the desired feminine state and the masculine condition, which can increase GID. Eventually SAWS starts working with GID to attain a mutual goal and the transition threshold is reached.

SAWS enactment can be compared to using a drug to self-medicate a personal problem. The urge to enact can be triggered by situations. Frequent repetitions build tolerance. There is rebound depression, like a hangover (shown as a blip after each episode in the diagram). Over time, the underlying problem is not cured and tends to loom larger.

The drug metaphor is not complete. Drug users typically chase the happy memory of an early use episode. SAWS enactors seek resolution of GID in transcendence of their masculine situation, and the next steps seem obvious even if thought impossible. Addiction treatment methods do not help achieve SAWS remission or cure GID.

Even after GRS, residual SAWS can remain.

What About S-TSes Who Disclaim Sexual Motivation?

Many of the AGPMT critics claim to not experience SAWS. Are they wrong or are we wrong? There are several possibilities here. One is that asexual S-TSes are not aware of their sexual motives, but they exist subliminally. Perhaps for others, their shame about sexual variance discourages them from owning up to SAWS. A third possibility is that S-TGs are really P-TGs who deferred transition into later life by sheer force of will, a low GID derivative, live in conservative areas, or by other forms of distraction than SAWS. For some, SAWS might have been in the distant past and not thought to be causally connected. Finally, not everyone has a sex drive.

There does not have to be just one reason for everyone, so some combination of the above may apply to any individual asexual TS. I suspect that most asexual TSes are P-TSes, despite delayed transition.

Does Having An SAWS Schema Mean You Are A Man?

Many people assume that men have specific erotic schemas and women don’t, which is not true. Still, male erotic schemas tend to contain more specific fetishistic elements, and seem to have more power. This, plus the fact that most TG delta scripts presuppose a male initial condition, causes some people to view SAWS as evidence of masculine character. This is where the provocative reference to “Men trapped in men’s bodies” comes from.

To me, having SAWS is at the same level of sin as having stood up to pee a few times as a kid. SAWS is a pleasurable diversion that held the wolf at bay. If at the end of the road you are living as a woman, then you are one, period.


Research Questions and Directions That Would Help Validate or Invalidate DMT

Conclusion

Sexuality permeates the transgender condition. It isn’t just a sideshow. Most of those who despise sexual explanations still regard genital transformation as the penultimate moment of the transsexual rite of passage. They still define who they are through a sexual metaphor.

 

Theories without sexuality leave too many loose facts on the table. At the same time, there are asexual TSes and those who sexually awaken after transition, so a single-track SAWS theory does not seem to apply to them.

 

This suggests that there are two pathways from maleness to femaleness. One has the autoerotic detour, and one does not. The paths are not rigid, every journey is unique, the destination is the same, and we all see and do different things when we arrive.

 

DMT is an attempt to explain both paths. Clinicians seem to have been applying DMT principles for years. I doubt my conception of DMT is original. Old or new, this concept must be brought center stage to participate in the debate.


Notes:

*Crossing, a Memoir, Deirdre N. McCloskey, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 11/1999. See: http://www.jamiefaye.com/Articles/deidre0002.html

** Transvestites and Transsexuals, Toward a Theory of Cross-Gender Behavior (Perspectives in Sexuality), Richard F. Docter, Plenum Pub Corp, 9/1988.  Docter presents a theory for the development of secondary transsexualism that has many parallels with AGPMT. He also saw the primary/secondary distinction in his data.

***Lovemaps John Money, Prometheus Books, Buffalo, NY, 1988. Money discusses many of the concepts involved in AGP as well as providing an introduction to paraphilia theory. Lovemaps are what he calls erotic schemas. His etiological model seems dated, but contains valuable clues.

Abbreviations and Terminology

AGPMT

Autogynephilic motivated transformation. A theory that claims SAWS to be the prime motivating force for S-TG transition.

CD

A Cross-dresser - a TG who adopts the opposite gender identity episodically.

DMT

Dual Motive Theory - a hybrid theory that claims that SAWS develops as a coping mechanism for GID in S-TGs that eventually fails for some. After this catastrophe, SAWS can become a co-motivator with GID for transition

FtM

Someone born female who becomes male, episodically or permanently.

GID

Gender Identity Dysphoria - the deeply depressing and anxious feeling that the sex of your body does not match the gender of your mind.

GROG

Get Rid Of GID - the conventional "woman trapped in a mans body" theory, which claims that the pain of GID is the prime motivator for TS transition.

MtF

Someone born male who becomes female, episodically or permanently.

P-TS

Primary Transsexuals (those who transition early in life).

SAWS

Self As Woman Schema - the propensity to become sexually aroused by the fantasy of becoming a woman in body or role.

S-TG

Cross dressers and Secondary TS as a combined class.

S-TS

Secondary Transsexuals (those who transition later in life).

TG

Any transgender person. Sometimes I use TG and MtF TG interchangeably. This is sloppy but less awkward.