Holistic communication therapy for individuals transitioning from male to female

Author / Creator

Nied, Alicia, creator

Available as

Physical

Summary

This study aimed to answer the following questions: 1) Can a holistic approach improve self-perception and others' perceptions of femininity in communication for an individual transitioning from MT...

This study aimed to answer the following questions: 1) Can a holistic approach improve self-perception and others' perceptions of femininity in communication for an individual transitioning from MTF? 2) Which components of communication are most important to the perceptions of femininity? The study used a single-subject design comparing the post-therapy audio sample of a MTF participant to her baseline audio sample pre-therapy using acoustic measures and self-perceptual ratings. Untrained listeners also rated the MTF participant's audio samples in the areas of overall femininity, pitch, intonation, breathiness, vocabulary, and forward focus (resonance) using a sliding five-point scale in comparison to control audio samples from typical male and female speakers. Results showed the MTF participant increased perceived femininity in both self-perceptions and the perceptions of others, however, she did not match the degree of perceived femininity as the typical female speakers. The MTF participant also showed a tendency to perceive her pre-therapy sample as more masculine compared to the untrained listeners' ratings and more feminine post-therapy than the untrained listeners' ratings. Untrained listeners rated breathiness as the most important component in the perception of femininity, and the other components received equal ratings. This suggests all components play an important role in therapy to increase perceptions of femininity." -pages iii-iv

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