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Gender
Issues In Psychology (PSY -
512)
VU
Lesson
43
GENDER
AND PSYCHOTHERAPY
Most
students doing an under graduate or
graduate course in psychology
are familiar with the
various
perspectives
or prevalent models in psychology. All of
these models have their
specific approach towards
the
understanding
and explanation of mental illness, as
well as the therapeutic interventions
for treating these
disorders.
In our discussion on gender
and psychotherapy we will
not go into the details of the
commonly
known
psychotherapeutic approaches that
may be around 400 in number.
It
is assumed that you are
already fully aware of these
approaches. Our emphasis, in this
segment of this course,
will
be upon the feminist approach toward
psychotherapy. As discussed earlier, the
feminist approach
emphasizes
women's issues, the impact of
socialization, gender stereotypes,
issues specific to women's
well
being,
and similar topics. Before starting
our discussion on gender and
psychotherapy, let us try to
find the
answer
to a question!
What
is common between psychoanalysis, Behavioral Therapy,
Client-Centered Therapy, Existential Therapy
and
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy?
If
the question puzzles and confuses you,
then think about another
question!
What
is common between Freud, Jung,
Adler, Watson, Skinner, Rogers
Maslow and Ellis??
We
are sure that you
have found the answer. In the
former question, all the therapeutic
approaches mentioned
were
given by male psychologists. And in the
latter, all the psychologist mentioned
are males. Not only
that all
these
are male psychologists but,
more than that they are
all male psychologists, from
the west, all white.
In
our discussion on gender and
psychopathology, we mentioned that men
are used as norms;
stereotypically
masculine
gender roles are considered
as a standard. As a result, a behavior
deviating significantly from this
norm,
i.e., feminine behavior, is
likely to be identified as pathological. A
similar trend has been
observed, and
can
always be expected, in the therapeutic
intervention if the therapeutic process is
male-dominated, male-
centered,
and male-controlled.
As
a result of the feminist movement of the 1960s,
psychological approaches, and therapeutic
interventions
also
saw a shift in focus.
Psychotherapists with a feminist
approach do not deal with,
and understand,
pathology
in the same manner as a conventional
therapist would usually do. We
find two key elements at
the
core
of the feminist therapeutic process:
a)
Gender
b)
Power
"It
is built on the premise that it is
essential to consider the social
and cultural context that contributes to
a
person's
problems in order to understand
that person" (Herlihy, and
Corey, 2001, P. 343). Herlihy
and Corey
have
given a very good account of the historical
evolution, nature, and
process of feminist therapy. "A
central
concept
in feminist therapy is the psychological
oppression of women and the
constraints imposed by the
sociopolitical
status to which women have
been relegated" (Herlihy, and Corey,
2001).
Traditional
Versus Feminist Theory
While
some psychologists on one hand
were trying to give feminist
theory a shape and polish
it, many others
were
looking into the faulty
perceptions of genders held by
conventional approaches in
psychology.
In
a similar attempt, Worell and
Remer (1992) highlighted six
features/characteristics of the prevalent
traditional
theories. These characteristic
show the outdated assumptions about the
role of a person's gender
in
behavior.
These characteristics determine the
nature and process of
psychotherapy.
Worell
and Remer (1992) described
the following characteristics:
Androcentric
Theory
Such
theories draw conclusions
about human nature form
male-oriented constructs.
Gendercentric
Theory
These
theories rest on the assumption
that men and women
follow separate developmental paths.
This
assumption
appears to have the underlying
belief that men and
women are separate entities,
and therefore the
course
and nature of their development is
different.
122
Gender
Issues In Psychology (PSY -
512)
VU
Ethnocentric
Theories
These
theories propose that all
cultures, nations, and races
have the same factual
evidence related to
human
development
and interaction.
Heterosexism
This
approach views heterosexual
orientation to be normative; therefore this
orientation is the socially
acceptable
norm and desirable
behavior.
Intrapsychic
Orientation
It
is a tendency towards
finding
The
origin of behavior in intrapsychic
causes. As a consequence instead of
finding fault with the
circumstances
and
other external variables, it is usually
the victim who is to be
blamed.
Determinism
This
a pessimistic approach in the sense
that it assumes that
behavior, and personality are
pre-determined, and
fixed
at an early stage of development.
All
these characteristics make the
nature of conventional therapies
quite fixed, inflexible, and
single tracked.
Feminist
therapy, on the other hand, involves
more flexibility, human
element, and an interactionist approach
.
The
Characteristics of the Feminist
Theory
Worell
and Remer (1992) have
shown how the main features
of feminist theory can be
used as criteria for
evaluating
whether a theory for counseling
women is suitable or not.
Besides describing the characteristics
of
conventional
psychotherapy, Worell and
Remer (1992) have also
described the essential elements of
feminist
therapy.
i.
Gender-free Theories
Feminist
theory considers socialization
processes to be very important. As
opposed to conventional
theories
feminist
theories explain gender differences
considering the experiences of the
socialization process to be of
prime
importance. The conventional theories
take these differences to be
stemming for the `true' nature
of
people.
ii.
Flexible Theories
Feminist
theory involves constructs
and strategies that are
equally applicable to individuals as
well as groups, all
ages,
races, cultures, genders, or
sexual orientations. One can
take this feature to imply
that feminist therapy
gives
due importance to the lifestyle, gender, cultural
origin etc. when viewing the
problems of the client.
iii.Interactionist
Theories
As
the very name implies, different
aspects of human experience
are covered; cognition, affect,
and behavior.
Besides,
the contextual and environmental
variables are also taken
into account.
iv.
Life-span Perspective
As
compared to the conventional
perspectives, the feminist perspective
does not limit its
understanding of
behavior
or pathology to socialization in early
years alone. The whole
life-span is considered important and
all
stages
of development treated as significant
contributors.
Human
development is not restricted to the
so-called "formative years"
alone, but it is a life long
process.
Changes,
growth, and addition of new
facets in personality may take
place at any stage.
Principles
of Feminist Psychology
Feminist
theory is based upon the
following principles (Herlihy, and Corey,
2001):
The
personal is political
Social
transformation should be a goal. We should go
for social change, not just
individual change.
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Gender
Issues In Psychology (PSY -
512)
VU
The
counseling relationship is
egalitarian:
Feminist
theory, counseling, or therapy is not
skewed towards the therapists. It
gives an important and
active
place
to the client. The client is perceived as
someone who has the
potential to not only change
(within herself),
but
also who can produce
change. Instead of being the only, and
the final authority, the therapist is
just another
source
of information.
Clients
have an active role in
defining themselves.
i.
Feminist
theory honors women's
experiences:
Unlike
other theories and
therapies, men's behavior is
not considered as a norm.
These theories place
women's
experiences
at the very core of the therapeutic process in
understanding their distress. A goal of
feminist
therapy
is to replace patriarchal "objective
truth" with feminist
consciousness, which acknowledges a
diversity
of
ways of knowing. Women are
encouraged to express their emotions
and their intuition and to
use their
personal
experience as a touchstone for determining what
"reality" is."
"Theories
of feminist therapy evolve from and
reflect lived experiences that
emerge from the relationships
among
the participants" (Herlihy, and Corey,
2001, P. 352).
ii.
Feminist therapy reformulates the
definitions of mental illness and
distress:
Deviating
from the conventional approach, feminist
therapies define and do not
see distress, pain, or
psychological
problems as a disease. Only a
part of clients' distress, pain,
and agony consists of the
intrapsychic
and
interpersonal factors. These factors
only partially explain the problem.
The rest can be explained after
an
understanding
of the external factors.
Therefore,
feminist therapy reframes distress as a
communication about unjust systems, rather than a
disease.
Similarly
pain is understood as an evidence of resistance
and the skill and will to
survive (Worell, and Johnson,
1997).
Whereas the conventional approaches
may define pain as indicative of some
deficit or defect.
iii.
The use of an integrated analysis of
oppression:
In
the understanding of oppression, the feminist
therapists use an integrated,
all involving, approach.
In
understanding
and explaining human
behavior, or distress, the feminist
therapies give importance to the
culturally
shaped gender roles; the effect of
stereotypical upbringing and
differential treatment of genders.
Cultural
practices, primarily those of
raising children, affect the personalities,
perceptions, and attitudes
of
both
men and women.
When
men go for therapy or counseling, they
find it difficult to express
their emotions as they have learnt
that
vulnerability is a weakness; they have
this problem even in their
daily, routine life.
Women;
on the other hand, experience another
problem. Since they have not
been independent, and
have
learned
to give prime importance to the family's well-being, rather than
their own wishes, they find
it hard to
identify
and honor what they want out of
therapy.
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