Gender Aware Therapy: A Synthesis of Feminist Therapy and Knowledge About Gender

Good, Glenn E.; Gilbert, Lucia Albino; Scher, Murray

doi:10.1002/j.1556-6676.1990.tb02514.x

Cited by 106 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In contrast to the sex-differences approach, variability among men is meaningfully addressed by allowing for individual differences in the degree to which men endorse different masculinity ideologies and struggle with varying degrees and types of gender-role conflict. Masculine gender roles create a natural focus for psychosocial treatments either tailored to more traditionally masculine ways of relating (Brooks, 1998) or aimed at helping individual men become less constrained by gender-role expectations (Good, Gilbert, & Scher, 1990;J. O'Neil, 1996).…”

Section: Implications Of the Masculine Role Socialization Paradigmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Men, masculinity, and the contexts of help seeking.

Addis¹,

Mahalik²

2003

American Psychologist

2,170

135

1,997

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M en are often characterized as unwilling to ask for help when they experience problems in living. Popular stereotypes portray men reluctantly asking for directions when they are lost, having difficulty sharing vulnerable feelings with friends and family, and avoiding seeking needed help from professionals. A large body of empirical research supports the popular belief that men are reluctant to seek help from health professionals. Men are less likely than women to seek help for problems as diverse as depression, substance abuse, physical disabilities, and stressful life events (Husaini, Moore, & Cain, 1994;McKay, Rutherford, Cacciola, & Kabasakalian-McKay, 1996;Padesky & Hammen, 1981;Thom, 1986;Weissman & Klerman, 1977). The empirical research and the pervasiveness of popular beliefs about men's help seeking raise important questions for psychologists and other social scientists. Why do many men have difficulty asking for help? How are masculinity norms, stereotypes, and ideologies related to help-seeking behavior? How can psychologists and other health care professionals integrate an understanding of social norms and ideologies about masculinity into an analysis of men's use of health services?We consider the utility of existing work on men's help seeking from three perspectives. First, to what extent is the study of men's help seeking grounded in theoretical frameworks that can account for the variable ways in which men do or do not seek help from health care professionals? Second, do existing theories lead to empirically testable predictions about the determinants of help-seeking behavior? Third, how well do existing approaches provide a foundation for developing interventions that facilitate adaptive help seeking from mental and physical health care providers? Because the majority of previous work has focused on help sought from health professionals, we limit our analysis to this type of help seeking, although we recognize that people seek help in a variety of less formal ways. In addition, because help seeking is often an important step toward resolving numerous problems in living, it is a crucial link in the chain of effective health care service delivery. The study of men's help seeking thus has direct implications for bettering men's and women's lives, reducing national health care costs, and developing effective interventions informed by a psychology of gender. 1 It also exemplifies some of the critical theoretical and methodological issues facing the psychology of men and masculinity more generally.To provide a context for addressing these issues, we begin by briefly reviewing the literature on sex differences in seeking help for a variety of problems in living. We then consider theory and research on the relationships between masculine gender-role socialization and help seeking. We evaluate the ability of both bodies of work (a) to contribute to the development of coherent theoretical frameworks that specify the psychosocial processes governing men's help seeking, and (b) to provide a useful theoretic...

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Section: Implications Of the Masculine Role Socialization Paradigmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Men, masculinity, and the contexts of help seeking.

Addis¹,

Mahalik²

2003

American Psychologist

2,170

135

1,997

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…As mental health professionals have advocated increasingly for integrating a gendered perspective into assessment and treatment with clients (e.g., Brooks & Good, 2001;Brown, 1986;Gilbert & Scher, 1999;Good, Gilbert, & Scher, 1990;Mahalik, 1999aMahalik, , 1999b, once normed, the CFNI may provide such a tool for the assessment of a large number of feminine norms with female clients, which would allow a richer understanding of the salient aspects of femininity for a given individual. Although research must be done to determine if interventions that incorporate interpretation of the CFNI with clients are helpful and for what issues, consistent with feminist theory (Brown, 1986), we speculate that it may be useful to explore with female clients how their conformity or nonconformity to any of the femininity norms both benefits them in daily living as well as contributes stress to their relationships, work, and health.…”

Section: Potential Uses For the Cfnimentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of the Conformity to Feminine Norms Inventory

et al. 2005

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This article describes the construction of the Conformity to Feminine Norms Inventory (CFNI), which was designed to assess women's conformity to an array of feminine norms found in the dominant culture in the United States. In addition, we present four studies in which the psychometric properties of the CFNI were examined. In Study 1, factor analysis indicated that the CFNI is comprised of eight distinct factors labeled as Nice in Relationships, Thinness, Modesty, Domestic, Care for Children, Romantic Relationship, Sexual Fidelity, and Invest in Appearance. Results from Study 2 indicated that the CFNI has strong internal consistency estimates and differentiates college women from college men. In addition, Study 2 demonstrated that the CFNI Total score and subscale scores relate to Bem Sex Role Inventory and Feminist Identity Development Scale scores in theoretically consistent patterns. Study 3 indicated that the CFNI Total score and several of the subscales significantly and positively relate to scores on the Eating Disorder Inventory. Finally, Study 4 demonstrated that the CFNI Total score and subscale scores have high test-retest estimates for a 2-3 week period. The discussion focuses on potential uses of the CFNI, limitations to the study, and suggestions for future research.

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“…The American Psychological Association identified four general areas of gender bias in therapy: (1) Fostering traditional sex roles; (2) Bias in expectations and devaluation of women; (3) Sexist use of psychoanalytic concepts; (4) Responding to women as sex objects, including the seduction of female clients (APA, 1975, in Good, Gilbert, & Scher, 1990. The research findings indicate the existence of the first and second biases within the studied shelters.…”

Section: Concluding Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Gender-sensitive therapy is referred here as a synthesis of feminist therapy and gender awareness (Good et al, 1990). Although feminist therapy seems to have been designed for women, there is a growing body of literature to support the view that male clients can equally benefit from it.…”

Section: Concluding Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Feminist theorists and practitioners developed principles for gender-sensitive therapy. For example, Good et al (1990) suggest employing the following five principles of gender aware therapy: (a) Regard conceptions of gender as integral aspects of counseling and mental health; (b) Consider problems within their societal context; (c) Actively seek to change gender injustices experienced by women and men; (d) Emphasize the development of collaborative therapeutic relationships -in the therapeutic process, the therapist helps the clients to discover solutions for themselves; and (e) Respect the clients' freedom to choose what is right for them, despite gender conceptions, political correctness or dogma. Another example of the principles of gender-aware therapy is offered by Dominelli and Campling (2002), who leans on several feminist theoreticians including Kate Millet, bell hooks, Patricia Hill Collins and Nancy Adamson, to develop a gender sensitive therapeutic view, based on: (a) The integration of personal and political elements of life; (b) Respect for women's diversity; (c) Seeking egalitarian forms of social relationships; (d) Acknowledging that the patriarchal social order serves both men and women badly, and therefore should be transformed.…”

Section: Concluding Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ungendering and Regendering Shelters for Survivors of Human Trafficking

Hacker

Levine-Fraiman

Halili

2015

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This article is based on intensive fieldwork in the two Israeli shelters designated for victims of human trafficking and slavery. The shelters, one for women and one for men, are a refuge for survivors of sex trafficking; labor migrants subjected to severe exploitation by their employers; and asylum seekers who arrived in Israel after experiencing severe physical and emotional abuse at the hands of kidnappers and smugglers en route to Israel. The study included interviews with policy makers and professionals, and with women and men who resided at the shelters, as well as an analysis of the relevant legislation and official reports. The article explores the problematic gendered differentiations between the two shelters. Most significantly, while support for residents of the shelter for women is anchored by emotional and psychological rehabilitation, residents of the shelter for men do not receive any therapeutic support. At the same time, while staff in the shelter for men put significant effort into the reintegration of the men into the labor force, the women's employment prospects receive less attention. Based on these and other findings, the article cautions against gender-biased rehabilitation services for victims of human trafficking and slavery, and calls for a gendersensitive rehabilitation theory and practice.

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Gender Aware Therapy: A Synthesis of Feminist Therapy and Knowledge About Gender

Cited by 106 publications

References 10 publications

Men, masculinity, and the contexts of help seeking.

Men, masculinity, and the contexts of help seeking.

Development of the Conformity to Feminine Norms Inventory

Ungendering and Regendering Shelters for Survivors of Human Trafficking

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