This volume presents cutting-edge work at the interface of feminist theory and mental health. Building on the success of their acclaimed Personality and Psychopathology, which called into question traditional models of health and disorder, Mary Ballou and Laura S. Brown have invited a stellar array of contributors to continue the vital process of feminist theory building and critique. The book outlines compelling theoretical approaches-- including postmodern, constructivist, relational- cultural, and feminist ecological perspectives--that go beyond simply inserting analyses of gender, culture, and other contextual factors into existing paradigms. Also examined are specific areas of distress and disorder about which new feminist understandings have been developed in the past decade. Shedding new light on such conditions as depression, PTSD, psychosis, somatoform disorders, and premenstrual syndrome, chapters address critical questions about how disorders are diagnosed, who gets labeled as "sick," and how treatment is conceptualized and delivered. Table of Contents
I. Developing Feminist Theories
1. Unfinished Business: Postmodern Feminism in Personality Psychology, Marecek
2. A Feminist Critique of Attachment Theory and Evolutionary Psychology, Contratto
3. New Developments in Relational–Cultural Theory, Jordan and Hartling
4. Constructing Identities: A Feminist, Culturally Contextualized Alternative to "Personality"
Suyemoto
5. Toward a Feminist Ecological Theory of Human Nature: Theory Building in Response to Real- World Dynamics, Ballou, Matsumoto, and Wagner
II. Psychopathology
6. Somatoform and Pain Disorders, Webster
7. Raging Hormones?: Feminist Perspectives on Premenstrual Syndrome and Postpartum Depression
Chrisler and Johnston-Robledo
8. Alcohol and Drug Addiction in Women: Phenomenology and Prevention, Collins
9. The Chrysalis Program: A Feminist Treatment Community for Individuals Diagnosed as Personality Disordered, Rivera
10. Contextual and Developmental Frameworks in Diagnosing Children and Adolescents, Porter
11. Depression and Schizophrenia in Women: The Intersection of Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and Class, Sparks from the publisher's website |
