Chapter 10: Feminist Theory & Therapy

Question 1

Jean Baker Miller

Answer 1

Central figure in Feminist Psychology Theory; Wrote Psychoanalysis and Women & Psychology of Women

Question 2

Phyllis Chesler

Answer 2

Wrote Women and Madness

Question 3

Juliet Mitchell

Answer 3

Wrote Women: The Longest Revolution; Psychoanalysis Feminism

Question 4

John Stuart Mill

Answer 4

Wrote against the oppression of women and of the great costs to society resulting from this opression

Question 5

Alfred Adler

Answer 5

Strongly condemned subjugation of women, claiming that this treatment of the female sex was in fact a root cause of the psychological problems not only of women but of men and children

Question 6

Feminist Theory

Answer 6

Has at its core belief in equality between the sexes; women should be fully included in economic, social, and political opportunities and decisionmaking

Question 7

Feminism

Answer 7

The belief that human beings are of equal worth and that the pervading patriarchal social structures which perpetuate a heirarchy of dominance, based upon gender, must be resisted and transformed toward a more equitable system

Question 8

Male As Normative

Answer 8

Maleness sets the standard for whatever is considered normal, average, or representative; anything deviating from male has the potential to be seen as abnormal and inferior

Question 9

Other meanings for Male as Normative

Answer 9

Overrepresentation in research, decisionmaking, politics, literature, entertainment, and descriptions of what it means to be human, healthy, fulfilled, and successful
If an entity has an unknown gender and has no stereotypically identifying features, it will be referred to as male until proven otherwise
Adjestives traditionally used to describe males will be used as compliments for males, and often for females; adjestives traditionally used to describe females will have less positive valence overall and may be viewed as insulting when applied to a male
The male carries the familial identity
Women activities are named as such, whereas male activities are simply activities

Question 10

Cote Tenet of Feminist Therapy

Answer 10

When a culture treats certain members as exemplary, or normal, and other members as both different from normal and generally inferior, it takes a spychological toll

Question 11

Main Theoretical principles that inform feminist therapy

Answer 11

Femaleness and Maleness are Central, Powerful Aspects of our Identity
The Dominant Culture is Damaging to Those Who Don’t Fit the Mold
Consciousness is Part of Healing and Change

Question 12

Gender

Answer 12

Socially constructed attributes of maleness or femaleness

Question 13

Self-Defining Division we Make

Answer 13

The baby determines that she and the mommy are not one entity
Sexual designation as identity-delineating division

Question 14

Drive to Fit With One’s Sexually Identified Group

Answer 14

Opens the door for culture to step in and offer the developing human all sorts of potentially useful and potentially harmful guidance

Question 15

Sexual Identity

Answer 15

Powerful defining feature of our overall human identity;

Question 16

Iron Rule

Answer 16

For any psychological or cognitive variable studied by psychologists, the differences within each sex are always greater than the differences between the two sexes

Question 17

Sandra Bem

Answer 17

Gave us a glimpse of the phenomenon which describes the male as normative and anything not male is in danger of being considered abnormal

Question 18

Gender Definitions

Answer 18

Rigid and Constraining; Because of the strong emphasis in our culture on the individual, any individual who is unable to conform to these constraints is likely to think something is wrong with her rather that something is wrong with the constraints

Question 19

Feminist Psychological Practice Approach

Answer 19

Seeks dual outcome; assisting women toward empowerment in their own lives and seeking change in whatever social power structures form a basis of many of their problems

Question 20

Beliefs of Feminist Theory

Answer 20

Gender sterotypes and limits are responsible for psychological damage and human suffering for both men and women.
Gender stereotypes and limits must be changed at the societal level and must be constantly questioned at the personal level
Clients benefit when they recognize the damage and limits they’ve endured from cultural sexism, begin healing through conscious awareness, and become involved in changing things for themselves and other women in whateer is realistic

Question 21

Tenets of Feminist Psychology

Answer 21

We advocate inclusiveness.
We advocate equality.
We seek new knowledge.
We attend to context.
We acknowledge values.
We advocate change.
We attend to process.
We expand psychological practice

Question 22

Overarching concern in feminist therapy

Answer 22

Understanding personal and social power

Question 23

Feminists During Intake

Answer 23

Feminists pay close attention to context and listen carefully for evidence of oppression, abuse and underdeveloped sense of self
Minimize the use of such terms as mental disease and disorder and focus instead on conceptualizing what they hear as problems or difficulties faced by the client

Question 24

Issues that Most Feminist Therapists Assess

Answer 24

Self-Esteem of the Client
Gender-Role Comfort Level of Development
Gender-Based Communication Difficulties
Issues in Intimacy and Body

Question 25

Self-Esteem of the Client

Answer 25

Women hae been and continue to be socialized to measure their worth by the desirability of the men they’re with or by the number of people they nurture;

Question 26

Gender-Role Comfort and Level of Development

Answer 26

Women hae been encouraged to seek a male provide income and identity and see themselves as adjunct to male needs, careers and development; Therapists are alert for signs of these gender-role contraints and developmental arrests

Question 27

Gender-Based Communication Difficulties

Answer 27

There are many other documented gender-based differences in communication styles; Men tend to rate women who were speaking in a competent style as less likeable, more threatening, and less influential than men using the same style

Question 28

Issues in Intimacy and Body

Answer 28

Many women do not understand their own bodies well and feel guilty and confused, unable to express their sexual needs in their intimate relationships;

Question 29

Underlying Goals of Feminist Therapy

Answer 29

Involves helping clients see the patterns and social forces that have diminished their sense of power and control
Encouraging clients to reclaim power and authority in the direction of their lives
Allowing clients to experience this shared power in the therapy relationship

Question 30

Themes that may Emerge in the Session

Answer 30

Defining the therapy relationship and allowing it to grow
Encouraging emotional awareness
Gently exploring a past trauma
Highlighting the role of the client’s gender has played in her life situation and problem

Question 31

As a Result of Feminist Therapy, Clients may Gradually

Answer 31

Change the ways they view their world
Reclaim and use their personal power
Grow and develop in ways that had been stymied
Relate to others in more productive, fulfilling ways