Feminist theory and cognitive behaviorism.

Abstract

Modern feminist ideologies in English-speaking societies can be traced to Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792/1975). Appearing in the French revolutionary period, when many traditional "givens" were being questioned, her book was a best-seller. The theory of natural rights, as extended by Wollstonecraft, maintained that women had a right to develop their intellects, to pursue their interests, and to enjoy the protection of the law on the basis of their common humanity with men. A cognitive behaviorist would understand these philosophical arguments as cognitions that individuals might activate as behavioral schemata, with varying degrees of success, depending on the opportunities available in the social setting.As I will show, this formulation of women as human beings whose rights should be considered on a par with those of men has strongly influenced feminist perspectives in both psychology and psychiatry. The role of "structured social interaction" in changing individual beliefs about appropriate roles has interested cognitive behaviorists and will be addressed later in this chapter. Very little is known, however, about either the processes 495

Feminist critique of and integration with diagnostic and therapeutic treatment models.

“…Also, many CBT interventions include skills training and selfmanagement strategies, which empower the client. Similarly, Allen (1995) suggested that there had been little feminist critique of CBT because of its active involvement of the client in treatment and its avoidance of labeling cognitions or behaviors as "normal." Clients are encouraged to self-direct change and transfer their new skills to future situations.…”

“…Assertiveness training (AT) is a particular CB strategy that has grown out of response to women's issues, particularly the social expectation that women be nonassertive, gentle, helpful, nurturing, and deferent (Allen, 1995), which is a dichotomous stereotype of women on the warmth-competence dimension (Fiske, Cuddy, Glick, & Xu, 2002), and which may vary by cultural background. From a learning viewpoint, nonassertiveness can be described as a maladaptive, socially conditioned behavior (Kantrowitz & Ballou, 1992).…”

“…To make CBT more compatible with feminist principles, Worell and Remer (2003) suggested more emphasis on the importance of context on client learning, particularly contexts that communicate sexist messages, and more exploration of feelings and their origins and functions, especially feelings of anger related to issues of discrimination and rigid gender roles. Allen (1995) provided a summary of feminist principles to be incorporated into CBT:…”