1 Imagine parents' reaction as their rugged young son strides into the living room sporting a dress and hugging a doll. 2 Equally upsetting to some parents is a little daughter who insists on dressing like a cowboy and beating up the little boy next door. 3 Problems sometimes result when people rigidly adopt the role of the opposite sex. 4 This relatively rare childhood disorder is called a gender-identity disorder. (Adapted from Worchel and Shebilske, Psychology: Principles and Applications, 3rd edition)