| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study has been to research lay perspectives of atypical sex development: the understandings of people without experience or knowledge of the topic from before. Atypical sex development can be understood as development that differs from what is categorized as typically male or typically female. How to understand, conceptualize and manage atypical sex development has been subject to debate for decades. Research and practice concerning atypical sex development involves many disciplines, among them psychology. The present study is undertaken from a societal psychological standpoint. The overarching research question guiding the study is: How do people with no experience of atypical sex development talk about and understand atypical sex development? To answer the research question, four focus groups with a total of 18 participants were conducted. The majority of participants were students at the University of Oslo. The data material was analyzed through combining the framework of ideological dilemmas (Billig et al., 1988) and thematic analysis. Two ideological dilemmas were developed in the analysis: Being different: normality versus individuality and Decision-making: agency versus expertise . I argue that these dilemmas frame the participants talk and understandings of atypical sex development. Presented with theories of gender identity, participants wanted several kinds of information, including biological, psychological and cultural, but with emphasis on psychological. Asked to evaluate the terms Disorders of Sex Development and Intersex , participants found them both problematic. The research contributes to current debates in the field, for example regarding early genital surgery and regarding terminology. | eng |