Women's Psychology – serie

Every year, at least 1.8 million women in the United States are beaten by their intimate partners. And that is only the number reported physically abused. It does not include those who remain silent, or those for whom the abuse is psychological. In this concise work, a team of writers examines the emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of women, the risk factors for becoming a target, medical and psychological consequences, legal issues and effective treatments for recovery. The book dispels myths about intimate violence, including the notion that one can identify a potential perpetrator. The most current research, theory and advocacy on this topic are presented so the reader will have the knowledge to help herself or others who are being abused.Every year, at least 1.8 million women in the United States are beaten by their intimate partners. And that is only the number reported physically abused. It does not include those who remain silent, or those for whom the abuse is psychological.In this concise work, a team of writers examines the emotional, physical and sexual abuse of women. They explain the risk factors for becoming a target of intimate abuse, including the effects of class and culture on this type of violence. They look at the potential legal issues, and explore effective treatments for recovery. Equally important, they dispel many myths about intimate violence, including the notion that one can identify a potential perpetrator. Most crucially, Intimate Violence against Women offers current research, theory and advocacy on this topic, arming the reader to with the knowledge to help herself or others who are being abused. The book presents specific safety recommendations for victims, as well as recommendations for teen-agers regarding dating violence. Legal and advocacy resources are included as well.

June was 9 years old when she came home from school and her schizophrenic mother met her at the door, angrily demanding to know, Who the hell are you? What are you doing in my house? Tess's mother would wait outside church, then scream at family friends as they emerged, accusing them of spying and plotting to kill her. Five-year-old Tess and her 7-year-old brother would cry and beg their mother to take them home as onlookers stared. These are just two of the stories among dozens gathered for this book. The children, now adults, grew up with mentally ill mothers at a time when mental illness was even more stigmatizing than it is today. They are what Nathiel calls the daughters of madness, and their young lives were lived on shaky ground. Telling someone that there's mental illness in her family, and watching the reaction is not for the faint-hearted, the therapist says, quoting another's research. Nathiel adds, Telling them it is your mother who's mentally ill certainly ups the ante. A veteran therapist with 35 years experience, Nathiel takes us into this traumatic world—each of her chanpters covering a major developmental period for the daughter of a mentally ill mother—and then explains how these now-adult daughters faced and coped with their mothers' illness.While the stories of these daughters are central to the book, Nathiel also offers her professional insights into exactly how maternal impairment affects infants, children, and adolescents. Women, significantly more than men, are often diagnosed with serious mental illness after they become parents. So what effect does a mentally ill mother have on a growing child, teenager or adult daughter, who looks to her not only for the deepest and most abiding love, but also a sense of what the world is all about? Nathiel also makes accessible the latest research on interpersonal neurobiology, attachment, and the way a child's brain and mind develop in the contest of that relationship.

As a path of meaning seeking, healing, and transformation, spirituality is becoming more prominent in our society. Historically, women have been the custodians of their families' spiritual domain. This book advances the concept of Woman Soul, a gender-specific way of embracing spirituality. WomanSoul discusses the personal and professional impact of spirituality in the lives of women from a variety of ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds. It examines the psychological, multicultural, and personal expressions of female spirituality. More specifically, the essays collected here look at the impact of women's spirituality on identity, healing, and transformation across the lifecourse. WomanSoul focuses on how females express spirituality from their diverse backgrounds and situated realities. It cuts across ethnic identities, culture, and a multitude of spiritual experiences, such as Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi, Goddess, Native American, and Agnosticism.As women tend to experience sacredness in a gender-specific manner, they frequently place more emphasis on spirituality than on religiousness. Seen as a freeing force by most women, spirituality is most often perceived to be more gender-fair, culturally liberating, and less restrictive than many religious denominations. Both informative and inspirational, WomanSoul is written by psychologists who understand the implications of spirituality on the lives of women and the people around them.

This must-have guide uses the latest research on the science of happiness to show single mothers how to transform feelings of fear, guilt, anxiety, and low self-esteem into feelings of power and freedom.There are 82 million mothers in the United States and Canada alone. This book is for them. Single Mother in Charge: How to Successfully Pursue Happiness employs the latest research on the science of happiness to show single moms how to be stronger, happier, and more balanced. Through it, they will learn to use their own power to improve the quality of their lives and those of their children. This hands-on guide starts with three critical lessons for personal transformation: the right belief, the right attitude, and taking action. Readers are then taught how to transform feelings of fear, anxiety, guilt, and low self-esteem into a positive, confident attitude. Once these barriers to happiness have come down, the single mother can use the 22 "happiness strategies" outlined in the book create a happier and healthier life for herself and her family.

This work serves to celebrate the strengths of women of color, identify unique opportunities, and examine the specific challenges and issues of this group.Psychological Health of Women of Color: Intersections, Challenges, and Opportunities is an anthology that examines core issues of women of color's emotional health and well-being. Organized by subject, the work comprises contributions from noted experts on the psychological health of women of color.The book analyzes the life stages of women of color: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. It serves to address the challenges women of color face in the forms of physical health, violence, substance abuse, psychopharmacology, and legal/forensic issues as well as to highlight diverse identity intersections and opportunities for women of color. The section on intersections of identity discusses the psychological health of lesbians of color, multiracial women, female immigrants of color, women with disabilities, and working mid-career women, while high achievers, leaders, mentors, athletes, artists, and spiritual individuals among women of color are addressed in the section on opportunities.

Every woman in the world has the right to control her own body, plan her family, receive good quality medical care, and give birth to a healthy baby. This book takes a comprehensive look at the status of women's reproductive rights from a transnational, human-rights perspective."Reproductive justice" is a relatively new term that underscores the fact that the existence of reproductive rights does not mean that women are able to exercise those rights. For women unable to exercise their rights for any number of reasons—a lack of available services where they live, lack of money or health insurance to pay for services, being forbidden by family members to seek services—the reality is they have no choices to make and possess little if any control over their own bodies, regardless of what the government states their "rights" are.Reproductive Justice: A Global Concern provides a comprehensive and integrated examination of the status of reproductive rights for the world's women, covering a wide range of reproductive rights issues. Topics include women's rights to determine their own sexuality and choose their own partners, rape, sex trafficking, fertility treatments and other assisted reproductive technologies, contraception and abortion, maternal and infant mortality, postpartum support, and breastfeeding.

Written by experts in psycho-oncology, this book synthesizes the findings of the latest research on women's cancers to empower women to make informed choices about treatment options.Each year, hundreds of thousands of women are diagnosed with cancer in the United States alone. The total number affected is larger still, comprising siblings, parents, partners, and children of these women. In this single-volume work, an international team of experts address the physical, medical, and psychological matters that are triggered by a diagnosis of having a form of "women's cancer"—breast, cervical, endometrial, gestational, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar being some of the more common. The handbook examines and explains each type of women's cancer, covering the specifics of incidence, diagnosis, treatment options, and more, providing an up-to-date guide for women and their families to assist in making informed choices about their treatment options. The book includes personal accounts from women who survived cancers and beat their emotional challenges, addresses myths versus realities regarding women's cancers, and covers relevant, related topics such as race, sexual orientation, religion, and cancer coping. Special attention is given to the impact of women's cancers on relationships, intimacy, and body image, as well as psychological factors such as anxiety, depression, and fear.

This groundbreaking book challenges the medicalized approach to women's experiences including menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause and suggests that there are better ways for women to cope with real issues they may face.Before any woman diets, douches, botoxes, reduces, reconstructs, or fills a prescription for antidepressants, statins, hormones, menstrual suppressants, or diet pills, she should read this book. Contesting common medical practice, the book addresses the many aspects of women's lives that have been targeted as "deficient" in order to support the billion-dollar profits of the medical-pharmacological industry and suggests alternatives to these "remedies."The contributors—psychologists, sociologists, and health experts—are also gender experts and feminist scholars who recognize the ways in which gender is an important aspect of the human experience. In this eye-opening work, they challenge the marketing and "science" that increasingly render women's bodies and experiences as a series of symptoms, diseases, and dysfunctions that require treatment by medical professionals who prescribe pharmaceutical and surgical interventions. Each article in the book addresses the marketing of a specific "condition" that has been constructed in a way that convinces a woman that her body is inadequate or her experience and behavior are not good enough. Among the topics addressed are menstruation, menopause, pregnancy, post-partum adjustment, sexual desire, weight, body dissatisfaction, moodiness, depression, grief, and anxiety.

A team of interdisciplinary experts provides an up-to-date review of current theories, empirical research, and management strategies that will help organizations address workplace bullying through both prevention and intervention.Workplace bullying is a serious issue that can lead to anxiety, depression, substance abuse, absenteeism, sleep disturbances, and post-traumatic stress syndrome. This book has a simple goal: to help employers see bullying—and stop it. It does that by providing organizations with best practices, management strategies for bullying prevention, and protocols for investigating bullying complaints.Part I of the book overviews workplace bullying, discussing incidence, psychological dimensions, and explanatory models. It looks at reasons bullies do what they do, at the difference between a tough boss and a bully, and at the cost of bullying for organizations. Equally important are the book's insights into the impact of bullying on employees. Everyday problems of employees targeted by bullies at work are illustrated, including the resulting psychological distress that can lead to suicide. Part II of the work focuses on prevention and coping and on legislation that protects employees, including Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Finally, to help both employers and employees, the book offers sample anti-bully policies and bully awareness training programs, and also lists organizations concerned with workplace bullying.

This book addresses women's civil strategies for negotiation and leadership through careful analysis of social science research and management theory as well as interviews with women legislators, documenting how women in Washington are affecting the development of the world at all levels.In October 2013, after the war between Republican and Democratic men in Congress resulted in a government shutdown, Time magazine referred to the women legislators as "the only adults left in Washington." In Why Congress Needs Women: Bringing Sanity to the House and Senate, editor Michele A. Paludi and various contributors explain how women in Washington have redefined leadership and power by embracing a transformational leadership style: a style that incorporates empowerment, ethics, nurturance, inclusiveness, and social justice, transcending their own self-interests for the good of the group—or, in the case of the shut-down, for the good of the nation.A resource that will prove invaluable for anyone interested in politics and leadership as well as students taking courses in politics, women's studies, gender studies, or management, the chapters provide an in-depth review of the ways women in Washington are striving to find lasting solutions to our nation's challenges. The contributors document the mindset and methodologies women legislators are using to achieve their legislative goals and work toward creating gender-equitable environments in Washington's well-established climate where bullying, harassment, and sexual exploitation is perceived as normative. Insights from interviews with women senators and congress members enhance the scholarship discussed in this book.

Addresses current legal and psychological issues involved in campus and workplace violence, specifically sexual misconduct, and offers best practices for organizations seeking to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct.Based on an idea conceived at a conference for the International Coalition of Sexual Harassment, this book offers up-to-date information about sexual harassment and other forms of sexual misconduct in academic and workplace settings, as well as legal and guidance updates and best practices that discuss prevention methods. The chapters are written by noted attorneys, campus and workplace consultants, and other scholars who have assisted in collecting incident data and have thought leadership to offer.Chapters address how workplaces and campuses respond to forms of violence as well as the impact of sexual harassment on individuals, bystanders, and organizations. Readers will learn about topics such as the "Not Alone" initiative—a result of President Obama's Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault—and the history of Titles VII and IX legislation the United States. The editors have compiled resources that address the cultural and social views of sexual harassment, the history of sexual misconduct on campuses and in organizations, and sample organizations at the national level that deal with prevention, advocacy, and legal guidance for students and employees.

A practical guide to prevention of and response to sexual assault on college campuses, this invaluable resource will help ensure Title IX compliance—and can also help reduce the incidence of these all-too-prevalent events.The frequency of sexual assault on college campuses is startlingly high. Notwithstanding this fact, most campus officials are not trained in the psychology of the victimization process, while most students are not aware of their reporting options. A practical guide to sexual assault at colleges and universities, this book integrates theories and empirical research with information about legislation and techniques to help college administrators deal with—and prevent—these disturbing offenses. The work brings together a team of experts who discuss various types of assault, including rape, stalking, intimate partner violence, and sexual harassment, and detail the legal, educational, and federal responses to such events on college campuses. They address federal and state laws, including new bills being proposed in Congress, and present research on the physical and psychological dimensions of sexual assault. Perhaps most important, the book shows how human resource techniques and principles can be used to establish preventative measures and to respond appropriately when sexual assault does occur. Students' accounts of prevention training and education enhance the scholarly and legal contributions to this important—and timely—volume.

Renowned subject experts Michele A. Paludi and J. Harold Ellens lead readers through a detailed exploration of the feminist methods, issues, and theoretical frameworks that have made women central, not marginal, to religions around the world.At a conference in 2013, Gloria Steinem noted that religion is the "biggest problem" facing feminism today. In this insightful volume, a team of researchers, psychologists, and religious leaders led by editors Michele A. Paludi and J. Harold Ellens supply their expertise and informed opinions to examine the problems, spur understanding, and pose solutions to the conflicts between religion and women's rights, thereby advocating a global interest in justice and love for women. Examples of subjects addressed include the pro-life/pro-choice debate, feminism in new age thought, and the complex intersections of religion and feminism combined with gender, race, and ethnicity.The contributed work in this unique single-volume book enables a better understanding of how various religions view women—both traditionally and in the modern context—and how feminist thinking has changed the roles of women in some world religions. Readers will come away with clear ideas about how religious cultures can honor feminist values, such as family-friendly workplace policies, reproductive justice, and pay equity, and will be prepared to engage in conversation and constructive debate regarding how faith and feminism are interrelated today.