Chapter 11: Feminism and Psychology: The Science and Politics of Gender Flashcards
What happened to first wave feminism after they achieved the vote? What was the context of this?
First wave of feminism 1850s dissipated after right to vote
Contextual Factors:
- Great depression
- WW1
- 1950s rigid gender roles
What goals did second wave feminism bring to psychology?
Women responding to the way they were being marginalized (restricted to home and raising children)
1) Redefining history, recognizing earlier women psychologists’ work, “HERstory” looking at things from their point of view
2) Feminist psychologists (women and men) challenge androcentric theories - lacked evidence, not scientific at all. Men were the norm ex. cardiovascular disease
3) Sexist institutional practices - systematically descrimination (denied degrees, access to labs, job opportunities)
Who was Naomi Weisstein and how did she bring Feminism to Psychology and Challenge Androcentricism?
Children, Kitchen, Church
“Kinder, Kirche, Küche as Scientific Law: Psychology Constructs the Female,” Article
Psychological knowledge inapplicable to women because women are never a part of how psychological knowledge is acquired.
Intra-psychic view of mental illness, ignores context
Impact of situations on behavior
Theoretical, no evidence (ex. psychoanalysis)
Which sexist practices did women psychologists bring up to the APA? What new institution was formed as a result?
APA 1969 women psychologist highlighted sexist practices:
-Men only job advertisements
-Sexual harassment
Formation of the Association for Women in Psychology (AWP) 1969
How did bringing Feminism to Psychology lead to Institutional changes to the APA?
APA 1970 convention, AWP members seek $1 million for damages by psychology against women’s minds and bodies (never got the money)
Task Force on the Status of Women
Published a report which was highly critical of psychological knowledge (no research on pregnancy, menstruation, violence against women) and practice (lack of job opportunities, lack of access to degrees, lab equipment, libraries)
APA Division 35, Psychology of Women established in 1973
Journal of Psychology of Women Quarterly 1976
Who was Phyllis Chesler and what were her Feminist Critiques of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry, and Alternatives?
Published “Women and Madness”, 1972
Psychology has pathologized women:
Being too feminine/not being feminine enough
Lose - Lose situation
Healthy adult=healthy man
Abuse in therapy (expert male helping helpless women to deal with a crisis - nurturance)
What were some of the Feminist Critiques of the DSM and psychological practices? What changes arose as a result?
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Protested the inclusion of homosexuality in the DSM
Pathologization of women’s experiences:
PMDD
Self defeating personality disorder (get meaning in life from serving others, nurturing, submissive)
Ethics code APA 1977 prohibited sexual contact between therapist and client
What is Feminist therapy?
Theory and therapy drawn from consciousness-raising movements.
Emphasis on how politics affect the individual, social justice, diversity “personal is political.”
Equitable and collaborative relationship during therapy
Structural instead of intra-psychic explanations for women’s problems.
Valuing women’s experiences and point of view
Respect for diversity
What were the topics of study of Feminist Psychologists?
Contemporary feminist analysis: Eating disorders Body image disturbances Violence against women Ageism Poverty Racism Homophobia
Who were Eleanor Maccoby and Carol Jacklin and what did they contribute to feminist psychology?
Feminist empiricism - using objective science to critisize work
Sex Differences Revisited:
-The Psychology of Sex Differences, 1974
Three explanations offered by Psychology
-genetic–biological factors
-shaping and reinforcement of sex-typed behaviors
-social learning
Pointed out weaknesses and limitations of the studies
Which Sex Differences did Maccoby and Jacklin to hold up in their literature review?
Comprehensive review of research literature
Four empirically established differences:
-girls better verbal ability than boys
-boys better in visual–spatial ability
-better mathematical ability starting in adolescence
-males more aggressive than females, verbally and physically
Pointed to the limitations/weaknesses of the studies
How do the sex difference theories hold up?
genetic–biological in aggression and visual–spatial ability shaping and reinforcement in sex roles
identification with parent least support
Where did Maccoby and Jacklin think sex differences likely originated from?
Learning sex-typed behaviors biology and social stereotype
Children learn about masculinity/femininity and then match their behaviors
Biology not destiny, changing times and roles social institutions to modify sex differences
Chicken and egg
What are the two contemporaty views on Sex Differences?
Contemporary analysis two views
Small sex differences exist because of socialization, can be changed
Radical: Women and men are essentially same
Feminists sought to take ownership of the past and revisit Origins of Women’s History in Psychology. What were some of the works the brought to light?
“Up With Our Foremothers,’’ Bernstein and Russo (1974)
Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (1953)
“I worry quite a bit over possible misfortunes”
Bender-Gestalt test (1938)
Kent-Rosanoff Word Association Test (1910)
Shields (1975)
Psychology’s sexist assumptions/social myths
brain size estimates and women intelligence
variability hypothesis (men drive evolution, women mediocre)
functionally castrated (Stanley Hall - restrict women to domestics)
