FEATURING
Dr. Kristina Olson, Professor of Psychology, Princeton University
TITLE
Gender Diversity in Childhood and Adolescence
ABSTRACT
As the number of transgender and nonbinary youth has increased, so too has both concern and criticism. In this talk, I will describe the first 10 years of an in-depth, long-term study of transgender, nonbinary and cisgender youth from early childhood through late adolescence and early adulthood. I’ll describe how their gender identities and wellbeing have unfolded over time, including how that has shifted with the increased sociopolitical stress of the last two years. I’ll situate these findings within long-standing debates in developmental, clinical, and social psychology – and discuss how they connect to more contemporary debates happening in the media, school boards, and courtrooms.
BIO
Dr. Kristina Olson is a professor of psychology at Princeton University and the director of the Human Diversity Lab. She received her B.A. in Psychology and African and African-American Studies from Washington University and her Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University. Her latest work focuses on gender development and mental health in transgender, nonbinary, and cisgender youth. She and her team have received several awards for their work on childhood gender diversity including a MacArthur Fellowship and the Waterman Award from the National Science Foundation, but the awards she’s most proud of are her awards for graduate mentorship.
Annually the Department of Psychology hosts a Colloquia Series throughout the academic year. This exciting program brings us together outside of the classroom to have conversations with the speakers we’ve invited to our campus to share their ideas. You’ll have the chance to hear from international speakers on a wide range of psychology research.
