Women and Psychology

Women and Psychology

Basic and Primary Resources:

Basic Resources: APA, Feminist Therapy Institute, Lexicon

Feminist Psychology: Articles and Sites

Topics:

1. Childhood & Adolescence: Gender and Identity

2. Childhood & Adolescence: Psychosocial & Cognitive Development and

the Menstrual Cycle

3. Body Image, Anorexia, Bulimia

4. Gender and Violence

5. Childbearing

6. Adulthood: Interpersonal Issues

7. Adulthood: Employment, Balancing Family and Work

8. Aging: The Older Woman Worker

9. Menopause and Retirement

10. Women and Aging

Basic and Primary Sources

Basic Resources

American Psychological Association

<the professional psychologist’s homepage.

http://www.apa.org/

APA Topic: Women & Men

<This American Psychological Association page includes numerous links to recent research on women and men; it includes recent press releases, psychology news, Monitor on Psychology essays, books & videos, journals, and internal APA resources on women and men.

http://www.apa.org/topics/topicwomenmen.html

Feminist Therapy Institute Code of Ethics

<key principles governing a feminist approach to therapy

http://feministtherapyinstitute.org/ethics.htm

Psychology Lexicon

<an online site for definition of terms in psychology. This is an adequate source, but

students should seek out authoritative definitions in The APA Dictionary of Psychology,

ed. Gary R. VandenBos.

http://www.psychology-lexicon.com/

Feminist Psychology: Articles and Sites

Black American Feminisms: A Multidisciplinary Bibliography: Psychology

<A comprehensive list of resources on African American women and psychology.

http://www.library.ucsb.edu/subjects/blackfeminism/soc_psych.html

Facing Off: Postmodern/Feminism

<Article by Mary Gergen explores the relationship between feminist evaluative analysis of “societal positionings” and postmodern “collapsing of foundationalist premises” in this highly theoretical approach to contemporary feminist critical thinking.

http://www.taosinstitute.net/manuscripts/facingoff.html

Feminist Psychology

<includes links describing Freudian biases against women, six principles of feminist psychology,

and a brief bibliography.

http://www.webrenovators.com/psych/FeministPsychology.htm

Feminist Psychology and Psychoanalysis

http://www.cddc.vt.edu/feminism/psy.html

From Difference to Holism

<Ma. Del Carmen Garcia Aguilar’s essay (trans. Mandy Skinner and Jackie Mosio) explores holistic feminism as psychology.

http://www.globaljusticecenter.org/papers2005/garcia_aguilar_eng.htm

The Future of Feminist Therapy: Bibliography

<Bibliography developed by the students of PP8010 (Feminist Therapy) at Argosy University Seattle, Spring 2005. (pdf document)

http://www.drlaurabrown.com/doc/The_Future_of_Feminist_Therapy_Bibliography.pdf

Nancy Chodorow

<Overview biography and thought of a key proponent of feminist psychoanalysis

http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/chodorow.html

Postmodernity and the Politics of Feminist Psychology

<Article by Alexa Hepburn, published in Radical Psychology 1.2 (Fall 1999).

http://www.radpsynet.org/journal/vol1-2/hepburn.html

Power, Resistance and Science

<Article by Naomi Weisstein comments on her earlier work, “Psychology Constructs the Female, or the Fantasy Life of the Male Psychologist,” exploring the psychological ramifications of male power and female resistance, exploring the effects of postmodernism on feminism, and claiming that the sciences are not inherently “male” or “female.” Published in New Politics 6.2 (Winter, 1997).

http://www.wpunj.edu/newpol/issue22/weisst22.htm

Topics

1. Childhood and Adolescence: Gender and Identity

Gender and Sexuality (AmoebaWeb)

<Vanguard University’s Douglas Degelman maintains this website, which features a wide variety of articles on gender and sexuality.

http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/amoebaweb/index.aspx?doc_id=861

Girls and Relational Aggression

<Reviewing Odd Girl Out, Elaine Cassel explores the gendered differences in the ways boys and girls show their aggression toward children of the same sex.

http://college.hmco.com/psychology/resources/students/shelves/shelves_20020905.html

Joining the Resistance: Psychology, Politics, Girls, and Women (Carol Gilligan)

<Carol Gilligan’s 1990 lecture at the University of Michigan explores the point in adolescence “when girls’ desire for relationships and for knowledge comes up against the wall of Western culture and a resistance breaks out,” a point she claims is “potentially of great human value”

because it teaches young women to be skeptical of dominant cultural claims and thus contributes to psychological development.

http://www.tannerlectures.utah.edu/lectures/Gilligan_91.pdf

Lesbian Youth

<This Lesbian.com site presents links to resources and psychological support for lesbian teens and for young lesbians of color, but it also has links for lesbians at every stage of life.

http://www.lesbian.com/youth/youth_intro.html

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force: Youth

<This site provides resources on glbtq youth and homelessness, harassment and alienation, and exposes anti-gay initiatives.

http://thetaskforce.org/issues/youth

Psychology of Gender Identity & Transgenderism

http://www.genderpsychology.org/

Psychology of Gender Links

<This U of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southernmost College site is divided into the following categories: study of gender, researching gender, hormones and chromosomes, intelligence and mental abilities, gender development, gender identity, stereotypes, communication and media, emotions, relationships, sexuality, etc.

http://blue.utb.edu/ecantu/Psyc%204312/GenderDefault.htm

2. Childhood and Adolescence:

Psychosocial & Cognitive Development, and the Menstrual Cycle

Child Development & Parenting Information

<Information on child development, child psychology, parenting, learning, health and safety as well as childhood disorders such as attention deficit disorder, dyslexia and autism.

http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/

Child Development: Vulnerability and Resilience

<This essay by Patrice L. Engle, Sarah Castle, and Purnima Menon explores nutritional risks, family dynamics and forms, and the effects of violence on children as factors contributing to vulnerability and risk, as well as their effects on the resilience of children.

http://www.ifpri.org/divs/fcnd/dp/papers/dp12.pdf

Child Maltreatment and Its Impact on Psychosocial Development: Comments on Pollak, Toth and Cicchetti, and Trocmé.

<Article by R. Kim Oates, MD, FRACP discusses the prevention of child maltreatment (abuse/neglect, examining the research of those named in the subtitle.

http://www.excellence-earlychildhood.ca/documents/OatesANGxp.pdf

Child Sexual Abuse

Medline Plus site features multiple links for victims, including a link to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, as well as links involving the basics of child sexual abuse, research, reference, and others.

http://www.nim.nih.gov/medlineplus/childsexualabuse.html

Dealing with PMS (premenstrual syndrome)

<Carol E. Watkins MD maintains this site, which defines PMS and explores available treatments for it.

http://www.ncpamd.com/PMS.htm

Developmental Psychology Links by Subtopic

<Includes links related to infancy, adoption, childhood development, child protection, parenting,

adolescence, etc.

http://www.socialpsychology.org/develop.htm

Female Hormones, Reward, and Mood

<This 2007 World of Psychology article by Sandra Klume “shows how changes in hormones during the menstrual cycle affect how women feel pleasure and reward.”

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2007/02/12/female-hormones-reward-and-mood/

Guide to Understanding Female Adolescents’ Substance Abuse: Gender and Ethnic Considerations for Prevention and Treatment Policy

http://www.girlpower.gov/press/research/FemaleAdolescentsGuideBacker110201.pdf

Influence of the Menstrual Cycle on the Female Brain

<This 2007 Science Daily article provides recent conclusions from a study exploring the effects of menstrual changes on the female brain, “an important step in better comprehension of certain psychiatric and neurological pathologies.”

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070210185849.htm

Joining the Resistance: Psychology, Politics, Girls, and Women (Carol Gilligan)

because it teaches young women to be skeptical of dominant cultural claims and thus contributes to psychological development.

http://www.tannerlectures.utah.edu/lectures/Gilligan_91.pdf

Menstrual Cycles: What Really Happens in those 28 Days?

<This Feminist Women’s Health Center article explains the entire menstrual cycle, including not only the basic biology of menstruation, but also presenting options re cramping, sections on PMS, myths about menstruation, menopause, alternatives for handling menstrual flow, Native American (Lakota) understanding of menstruation, and—importantly—resources and links.

http://www.fwhc.org/health/moon.htm

Menstruation: A List of Sources (Parts I and II)

<This Women’s Listserv bibliography lists quite a number of sources for the medical and psychological aspects of menstruation.

http://research.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/menstruation1.html

http://www.research.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/menstruation2.html

Premenstrual Syndrome

<This Mayo Clinic page defines PMS, presents signs and symptoms, explores causes, when to seek medical advice, and the process of screening, diagnosis, treatment, as well as self-care options and complementary and alternative medicine options.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/premenstrual-syndrome/DS00134

Research, Studies, & Statistics About Girls: Related Surveys, Studies, and Reports

<This site has a wide variety of links to sites exploring everything from “what we know and what we need to know about growing up female,” to current problems with girls and anabolic steroids, drinking, substance abuse, “measuring up to media images,” to the national campaign to prevent teen pregnancy, effects of physical activity and sport in the lives of girls. Many more.

http://www.girlpower.gov/press/research/studies.htm

Sexualization of Girls is Linked to Common Mental Health Problems in Girls and Women—Eating Disorders, Low Self-Esteem, and Depression

<An APA task force report calls for replacing sexualized images of girls in media and advertising with positive ones.

http://www.apa.org/releases/sexualization.html

Socioemotional Development

<Site begins with Erikson’s stages of socioemotional development, and extends to Bingham and Stryker’s 1995 findings that girls and women have somewhat different stages of socio-emotional development from boys and men. Site features a chart of “Stages of Socio-emotional Development for Girls” and lists the eight skills Suzanne Kobasa Ouellette sees as necessary for the development of a “hardy personality.” Includes book references for girls’ development.

http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/affsys/erikson.html

Violence Against Girls & Women

<This site defines the problem gender-based violence and explores the “culture of silence” associated with it In addition, there are links to many other pages connected with the topic.

http://www.unfpa.org/intercenter/violence/intro.htm

3. Adolescence: Body Image, Anorexia, and Bulimia

Anorexia Nervosa

http://wwww.medicinenet.com/anorexia_nervosa/article.htm

Anorexia Nervosa Symptoms

http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx2.htm

Beauty and Body Image in the Media

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm

Body Image

<This dmoz open directory project page has links to numerous sites exploring the psychology of body image in adolescent girls, ranging from body dysmorphic disorder, media pressures, anorexia, and sites exploring the influence of Barbie, “bOObs: A Guide to Your Girls, as well as therapies associated with body image problems.

http://dmoz.org/Society/Issues/Health/Body_Image/

Body Image (from Our Bodies Our Selves)

http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/book/excerpt.asp?id=2

Body Image and Self-Esteem

http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/body_image/body_image.html

Body Positive: Boosting body image at any weight

<a page for parents, professionals, with resources and an activism page

http://www.bodypositive.com

Bulimia Nervosa

<a well-organized site with links for every section.

http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis/p20-et02.html

Bulimia Nervosa (Mayo Clinic)

<the famed clinic’s site on bulimia.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bulimia/DS00607

Cultural Influences on Eating Disorders

http://www.mamashealth.com/eat/cultural.asp

Media’s Effect on Girls: Body Image and Gender Identity

http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_mediaeffect.shtml

Undergraduate Research Guide: Body Image

<with databases, links, etc.

http://college.library.wisc.edu/resources/subject_guides/bodyimage.htm

Women’s Body Image

http://www.wellesley.edu/Health/BodyImage/

4. Gender and Violence

Date Rape

TeensHealth article on date rape, with sections on protecting yourself and getting help.

http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/problems/date_rape.html

Perspectives on Acquaintance Rape

<American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress discussion on acquaintance rape by David G. Curtis, a clinical associate at Long Island Psychological Associates, P.C.

http://aaets.org/article13.htm

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

<National Institute of Mental Health homepage site provides information on PTSD, a major problem for victims of gender violence.

http://www.nimh.gov/healthinformation/ptsdmenu.cfm

RAINN: Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network

<The nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization, helping victims and ensuring that rapists are brought to justice.

http://www.rainn.org/

Rape Recovery Center

<an excellent site with advice and information for victims.

http://www.raperecoverycenter.org

Stop Violence Against Women

<Amnesty International fact sheet details International Human Rights Standards as they apply to women.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/women/economicrights.html

Violence Against Girls & Women

<This site defines the problem gender-based violence and explores the “culture of silence” associated with it In addition, there are links to many other pages connected with the topic.

http://www.unfpa.org/intercenter/violence/intro.htm

5. Childbearing

Birth Psychology

<site features numerous articles on each stage of pregnancy, focusing on both mother and child.

http://www.birthpsychology.com

Breastfeeding

<Medline Plus page features articles on breastfeeding, but also presents conditions under which mothers should not breastfeed.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/breastfeeding.html

Breastfeeding—Best for Baby. Best for Mom

<US Department of Health and Human Services site presents findings on the benefits of breastfeeding.

http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/index.cfm?page=home

C-section: Birth and the road to recovery

<This Mayo Clinic article discusses Caesarian birth and recovery in a step-by-step way.

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/PR/00101.html

C-section: When is it the best option?

<This Mayo Clinic page explores the reasons for caesarian birth, possible complications, and managing anxiety about caesarian birth.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-section/PR00078

Dealing Emotionally with Miscarriage

<This site shows ways of coping with miscarriage

http://www.womenshealth.co.uk/miscarr.htm

Depression During and After Pregnancy

<US Department of Health and Human Services page answers eight questions on depression during and after pregnancy.

http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/postpartum.htm

Fetal Psychology

<This Psychology Today article by Janet L. Hopson explores fetal developmental psychology during the entire period of gestation.

http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/tul/psychtoday9809.html

Miscarriage

<This page presents a comprehensive discussion of miscarriage, why it occurs, the kinds of miscarriage, how to prevent it, and coping with one’s emotions after a miscarriage, with links.

http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/miscarriage.html

Mother-in-Law: Friend or Foe?

<Jill Eggleton Brett’s article explores both the dilemmas and promise posed by one’s mother-in-law when a new baby comes into the house. With links on new parenting, growing up with grandparents, grandparents and toddlers, etc.

http://babiestoday.com/resources/articles/mominlaw.htm

Post-partum Depression

<This page features numerous links on post-partum depression.

http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.post-partum.html

Pregnancy Center at the Mayo Clinic

<Comprehensive site on pregnancy and childbearing.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pregnancy/PR99999

Pregnancy and Depression

<Sandra Klume’s 2006 Newsweek article. “Not Always ‘the Happiest Time’: Pregnancy and depression: a new understanding of a difficult—and often hidden—problem” explores the necessity of treating a mother’s depression because “a mother’s mental health directly affects the mental health of her children.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12321428/site/newsweek/

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

<Medline Plus page defines SIDS and offers numerous sites to clarify what it is and how to prevent it, as well as research, journal articles, statistics and, most importantly, coping with it.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/suddeninfantdeathsyndrome.html

Understanding Psychological Changes during Pregnancy

<Elizabeth Eden, M.D., explores the psychological changes of each trimester, as well as the psychology of the father.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/understanding-psychological-changes-during-pregnancy.htm

6. Adulthood: Interpersonal Issues

APA Division 44: Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues

<This URL will take you to a wide variety of LGBTQ resources.

http://www.apadivision44.org/resources/

Communication Differences in Interpersonal Relationships

<This Ohio State University Fact Sheet by Cynthia Burggraf Torppa explores the problem of how we talk across the gender line.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/flm02/pdf/FS04.pdf

Dating, Relationships, and Reality

<WebMD site with lots of links.

http://www.webmd.com/solutions/sc/relationships

Gender and Communication—Finding Common Ground

<This U. S. Coast Guard essay by Dee Norton explores how women and men misunderstand each other in communication, and ways to avoid the problem in this military culture.

http://www.uscg.mil/leadership/gender.htm

Gender Differences in the Exchange of Social Support with Friends, Neighbors, and Coworkers at Midlife

<A 40 page article (pdf) by Carolyn A. Liebler and Gary D. Sandefur presents 2002 findings on friendship in our divorce-riddled and mobile age.

http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cde/cdewp/2001-12.pdf

Gender Patterns in Friendships

<This Syracuse University essay by Rannveig Traustadottir provides findings on gender patterns in a variety of friendships.

http://thechp.syr.edu/genpat.htm

Gender Styles in Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC)

<This Georgetown University site presents findings supporting Tannen’s research on gender

styles as seen in computer-mediated communication; it includes links to other gender/

communication sites at Georgetown.

http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/bassr/githens/cmc.htm

Marriage Psychology

This website features a group of essays on martial issues ranging from infidelity to listening,

counseling to divorce.

http://www.psychology.org/links/Environment_Behavior_Relationships/Marriage/

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

<This site is a major resource for initiatives on behalf of the lgbtq community.

http://thetaskforce.org/

Single Parent Community

<This site addresses many of the issues faced by divorced and single parents.

http://www.wholefamily.com/parent_center/bridge_pages/single_parents.html

7. Adulthood: Employment, Balancing Family and Work