What I found to be of interest from this week's reading, was the fact that
Jordan & Zanna (2009) compared research reports to storytelling. As an
avid reader, this comment resonated most since in the past I have been
overwhelmed with the mathematical aspect of research. However, if we
view each journal as a piece of literature with a story to tell, the
experience might be more enjoyable, at least for someone like myself who
finds numbers and equations daunting. Each research article that
addresses a topic of interest can be viewed as a piece of a puzzle. Each
piece has a role to play and ultimately contributes to the overall picture.
Since each author can paint a different picture, it is important to read
multiple articles on the same topic to judge for yourself the best
interpretation.//
The topic that I investigated was gender dysphoria in adolescents. For
better or worse, gender dysphoria is an extremely popular topic that
is/validated by social media and society. In response, many Christians
take a hard stance on the topic and often react in shock or disgust. It is
easy to look down upon those who do not share your opinion especially
when their results conflict with your beliefs. As Christians, however, we
are called to love one another (Matthew 22:39). This is a challenging task
to do at all times especially when one’s views are different from our own.
Fortunately, the study by Littman (2018) shares my preconceived ideas
that gender dysphoria is largely influenced by both social media and peer
groups./ Since the study confirmed what I already thought, it was
challenging to be critical of the research and find flaws. Yet, if we are to
be successful researchers it is important to not let our biases carry over
into our work. Since the study by Littman (2018) is cross-sectional, a
longitudinal study of a similar design would provide data to establish
variations at both the individual and group levels. By observing the same
individuals as children through adolescence, more concrete information is
provided instead of relying strictly on the parents' perception of their
child. Additionally, since the parents used in the online survey were pulled
from communities that supported gender dysphoria it may prove
beneficial to broaden the scope of parents from communities that do not
favor it./
/
References
Holy Bible: New International Version. (2020). Zondervan.
Jordan, C.H., & Zanna, M.P. (2009). How to Read a Journal Article in Social
Psychology.
Littman, L. (2018). Parent reports of adolescents and young adults
perceived to show signs of a/rapid onset of gender
/ / / / /dysphoria./PLOS
ONE,/13(8)./https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202330
