Problematic women: psychology, gender, and health in North America

Autores

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20435/pssa.v0i0.692

Palavras-chave:

history, health, psychology, feminism, gender

Resumo

Taking its cue from the medical field, psychology has long been curious about the relationship between biological sex and illness just as societies have long been interested in regulating women’s bodies. From 19th Century gender differences scholarship through 20th century activism this article introduces the gendered history of psychology and health. Offering a general overview of the past and more recent feminist present within a North American framework. Taking as its base foundation the intellectual shifts away from an exclusively individualistic lens towards one that now emphasizes systems and society; referred to as the difference between a “women-as-problem” and a “women-in-context” approach. Topics addressed include early gender differences scholarship, mental health costs and gendered violence; dual impact of the paradigms of masculinity, perversity in medicating and treating a woman’s psychological condition which result from living in a patriarchal societies; constructs of female sexual dysfunction, and more. We encourage South American scholars to take up the call to more thoroughly explore and expand on the histories of gendered health and psychology within regional and historical time sensitive contexts.

Biografia do Autor

Elissa N. Rodkey, Crandall University, Moncton, New Brunswick

Elissa N. Rodkey teaches psychology at Crandall University in New Brunswick, Canada. She was trained at York University, where her research focused on women in the history of psychology, such as Eleanor Gibson, Gertrude Stein, and Milicent Shinn. Her dissertation featured the emotion theorist Magda Arnold, whose mid-career conversion to Catholicism provides an opportunity for analysis of the relationship between psychology and religion at the mid-20th century. Elissa uses a feminist framework to analyze the experiences of marginalized psychologists, such as the significance of non-academic networks or communities (e.g. friends, families, and religious groups) for the such psychologists' encouragement and intellectual growth. She also draws on feminist critiques of psychology to illuminate episodes of disciplinary failure, such as the history of unrecognized infant pain and the ethical lapses of the American Psychological Association outlined in the Hoffman Report.

Kelli Vaughn-Johnson, York University

Kelli Vaughn-Johnson was a doctoral student in the Historical, Theoretical, and Critical Studies of Psychology program at York University in Toronto, Ontario at the time of this writing. She is the former News and Notes Editor for History of Psychology and is the current Social Media Director for the Psychology’s Feminist Voices project (www.feministvoices.com); a multimedia internet archive devoted to the women of psychology's past and the diverse voices of contemporary feminist psychologists.  Her research areas include the life and work of American Psychologist Lillien Jane Martin, the history of women in psychology and historical and contemporary constructions of gender, sexuality, and adult development.

Referências

Abrams, L. S., & Curran, L. (2009). “And you’re telling me not to stress?” A grounded theory study of postpartum depression symptoms among low-income women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 33, 351-362.

Bankcroft, J. (2002). The medicalization of female sexual dysfunction: The need for caution. Archive of Sexual Behaviour, 31(5), 451-455.

Bardwick, J. M. (1971). Psychology of women: A study of bio-cultural conflict. New York: Harper & Row.

Bartkey, S. L. (2002). Emotional exploitation. In H. LaFollette (Ed.), Ethics in practice: An anthology (pp. 156-165). Cambridge, MA: Blakwell Publishing.

Beery, A. K., & Zucker, I. (2011). Sex bias in neuroscience and biomedical research. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 35, 565-572.

Bem, S. L. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42, 155-162.

Benjamin, A. (1996). I. Sexual abuse: The contemporary coverup. Feminism & Psychology, 6, 277-280.

Boring, E.G. (1951) The woman problem. American Psychologist, 6, 679-682.

Brooks, G. R., & Silverstein, L. S. (1995). Understanding the dark side of masculinity: An interactive systems model. In R. F. Levant & W. S. Pollack (Eds.), A new psychology of men (pp. 280-333). New York, NY: Basic Books.

Brownmiller, S. (1975). Against our will: Men, women, and rape. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Bryan, A. I., & Boring, E. G. (1944). Women in American psychology: Prolegomenon. Psychological Bulletin, 41, 447-454.

Bryan, A. I., & Boring, E. G. (1946). Women in American psychology: Statistics from the OPP questionnaire. American Psychologist, 1, 71-79.

Bryan, A. I., & Boring, E. G. (1947). Women in American psychology: Factors affecting their professional careers. American Psychologist, 2, 3-20.

Caplan, P. J., McCurdy-Myers, J., & Gans, M. (1992). Should “premenstrual syndrome” be called a psychiatric abnormality? Feminism & Psychology, 2, 27-44.

Carlson, E. R., & Carlson, R. (1961). Male and female subjects in personality research. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 61, 482-483.

Carter-Sowell, A. R., & Zimmerman, C. A. (2015). Hidden in plain sight: Locating, validating, and advocating the stigma experiences of women of color. Sex Roles, 73, 399-407.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014). Fatal Injury Report. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Available in http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/fatal_injury_reports.html

Chesler, P. (1972). Women and madness. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

Chrisler, J. (2000/2004). PMS as a culture bound syndrome. In J. C. Chrisler, C. Golden, & P. D. Rozee (Eds.), Lectures on the psychology of women (pp. 110-127). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Chrisler, J. C., Johnston, I. K., Champagne, N. M., & Preston, K. E. (1994). Menstrual joy: The construct and its consequences. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 18, 375-387.

Crawford, M., & Marecek, J. (1989). Psychology reconstructs the female. Psychology of Women Quarterly 13, 147-165.

Dan, A. J., & Beekman, S. (1972). Male versus female representation in psychological research. American Psychologist, 27, 1078.

Daniels, A. K. (1987). Invisible work. Social Problems, 34, 403-415.

Diehl, L. A. (1986). The paradox of G. Stanley Hall: Foe of coeducation and educator of women. American Psychologist, 41, 868-878.

Erickson, R. J. (2005). Why emotion work matters: Sex, gender, and the division of household labor. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 337-351.

Fallon, M. A., & Jome, L. M. (2007). An exploration of gender-role expectations and conflict among women rugby players. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 31, 311-321.

Follingstand, D. R., Brennan, A. F., Hause, E. S., Polek, D. S., & Rutledge, L. L. (1991). Factors moderating physical and psychological symptoms of battered women. Journal of Family Violence, 6, 81-95.

Friedan, B. (1963). The feminine mystique. New York: Dell Publishing.

Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Greenberg, G. (2013). The book of woe: The DSM and the unmaking of psychiatry. New York, NY: Blue Rider Press.

Harding, S. (1986). The science question in feminism. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Hare-Mustin, R. T. (1974). Ethical considerations in the use of sexual contact in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy, 11, 308-310.

Held, L., & Rutherford, A. (2012). Can’t a mother sing the blues? Postpartum depression and the construction of motherhood in late 20th-century America. History of Psychology, 15, 107-123.

Henrich, J., Heine, S. J., & Norenzayan, A. (2010). Beyond WEIRD: Towards a broad-based behavioral science. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 33, 111-135.

Hochschild, A. R. (1983). The managed heart: Commercialization of human feeling. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Hollingworth, L. S. (1914a). Functional periodicity: An experimental study of the mental and motor abilities of women during menstruation. Teachers College, Columbia University, Contributions to Education, nº 69.

Hollingworth, L. S. (1914b). Variability as related to sex differences in achievement: A critique. American Journal of Sociology, 19, 510-530.

Holmstrom, L. L., & Burgess, A. W. (1983). Rape and everyday life. Society, 20, 33-40.

Hooks, B. (1981). Ain’t I a woman: Black women and feminism. New York, NY: Routledge.

Johnston Robledo, I. (2000). From postpartum depression to the empty nest syndrome. In J. C. Chrisler, C. Golden, & P. D. Rozee (Eds.), Lectures on the psychology of women (pp. 128-147). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Jonzon, E., & Lindblad F. (2004). Disclosure, reactions, and social support: Findings from a sample of adult victims of child sexual abuse. Child Maltreatment, 9(2), 190-200. doi: 10.1177/1077559504264263

Kaschak, L., & Tiefer, L. (Eds.). (2001). A new view of women's sexual problems. Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Press.

Keller, E. F. (1985/1995). Reflections on gender and science. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Kessler, R. C. (2003). Epidemiology of women and depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 74, 5-13.

Kessler, R. C., McGonagle, K. A., Zhao, S., Nelson, C. B., Hughes, M., Eshleman, S., Wittchen, H. U., & Kendler, K. S. (1994). Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States: results from the National Comorbidity Study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 51, 8-19.

Kim, S., & Rutherford, A. (2015). From seduction to sexism: Feminists challenge the ethics of therapist-client sexual relations in 1970s America. History of Psychology, 18, 283-296.

Koss, M. P., Goodman, L. A., Browne, A., Fitzgerald, L. F., Keita, G. P., & Russo, N. G. (1994). United all women: The fear of rape. In M. P. Koss et al., No safe haven: Male violence against women at home, at work, and in the community (pp. 157-176). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Landrine, H. (1989). The politics of personality disorder. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 13, 325-339.

Levant, R. F. (1992). Toward the reconstruction of masculinity. Journal of Family Psychology, 5, 379-402.

Levant, R. F. (1997). The masculinity crisis. Journal of Men's Studies, 5, 221-231.

Levant, R. F. (2011). Research in the psychology of men and masculinity using the gender role strain paradigm as a framework. American Psychologist, 66, 762-776.

Levant, R. F., Good, G. E., Cook, S., O’Neil, J., Smalley, K. B., Owen, K. A., & Richmond, K. (2006). Validation of the Normative Male Alexithymia Scale: Measurement of a gender-linked syndrome. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 7, 212-224.

Levant, R. F., Halter, M. J., Hayden, E., & Williams, C. (2009). The efficacy of Alexithymia Reduction Treatment: A pilot study. Journal of Men’s Studies, 17, 75-84.

Levant, R. F., Majors, R., & Kelley, M. (1998). Masculinity ideology among young African-American and European-American women and men in different regions of the United States. Cultural Diversity and Mental Health, 4, 227-236.

Levant, R. F., & Richmond, K. (2008). A review of research on masculinity ideologies using the Male Role Norms Inventory. The Journal of Men's Studies, 15, 130-146.

Levant, R. F., Richmond, K., Majors, R. G., Inclan, J. E., Rosello, J. M., Rowan, G., & Sellers, A. (2003). A multicultural investigation of masculinity ideology and alexithymia. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 4, 91-99.

Liebert, R., Leve, M., & Hui, A. (2011). The politics and possibilities of activism in contemporary feminist psychologies. Feminism & Psychology, 35, 697-704.

Maccoby, E. E., & Jacklin, C. N. (1974). The psychology of sex differences. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Marecek, J., & Hare-Mustin, R. T. (1991). A short history of the future: Feminism and clinical psychology. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 15, 521-536.

McHugh, M. C. (2006). What do women want? A new view of women’s sexual problems. Sex Roles, 54, 361-369.

Moraga, C., & Anzaldúa, G. (1981/2015). This bridge called my back: Writings by radical women of color. Albany, NY: Suny Press.

Nagoski, E. (2015, August, 23). Op-ed: The real problem with ‘pink Viagra’. Los Angeles Times. Available in http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0823-nagoski-pink-viagra-20150823-story.html

Nevers, C. C., & Calkins, M. W. (1895). Dr. Jastrow on community of ideas of men and women. Psychological Review, 2, 363-367.

Peat, C. M., & Muehlenkamp, J. J. (2011). Self-objectification, disordered eating, and depression. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 35, 441-450.

Pettit, M. (2008). The new woman as “tied-up dog”: Amy E. Tanner’s situated knowledges. History of Psychology, 11, 145-163.

Pleck, J. H. (1981). The myth of masculinity. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Reid, P. T. (1993). Poor women in psychological research: Shut up and shut out. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 17, 133-150.

Riger, S. (1992). Epistemological debates, feminist voices: Science, social values, and the study of women. American Psychologist, 47, 730-740.

Rix, S. E. (Ed.). (1990). The American woman, 1990-1991. NewYork: Norton.

Rothbaum, B. O., Foa, E. B., Riggs, D. S., Murdock, T., & Walsh, W. (1992). A prospective examination of post-traumatic stress disorder in rape victims. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 5, 445-475.

Rush, F. (1996). The Freudian coverup. Feminism & Psychology, 6, 260-276.

Russell, D. E. H. (1975). The politics of rape: The victim’s perspective. New York, NY: Stein and Day.

Rutherford, A. (2011). Sexual violence against women: Putting rape research in context. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 35, 342-347.

Rutherford, A. (2015). Maintaining masculinity in mid-20th century American psychology: Edwin Boring, scientific eminence, and the “woman problem”. Osiris, 30, 250-271.

Rutherford, A., & Granek, L. (2010). Emergence and development of the psychology of women. In J. C. Chrisler, & D. R. McCreary (Eds.), Handbook of Gender Research in Psychology (pp. 19-41). New York, NY: Springer.

Rutherford, A., Marecek, J., & Sheese, K. (2012). Psychology of women and gender. In D. K. Freedheim, & I. B. Weiner (Eds.). Handbook of psychology, Volume 1: History of Psychology, Second edition (pp. 279-301). New York, NY: Wiley.

Rutherford, A., & Pettit, M. (2015). Feminism and/in/as psychology: The public sciences of sex and gender. History of Psychology, 18, 223-237.

Rutherford, A., Vaughn-Blount, K., & Ball, L. C. (2010). Responsible opposition, disruptive voices: Science, social change, and the history of feminist psychology. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 34, 460-473.

Sánchez, F. J., Greenberg, S. T., Liu, W. M., & Vilain, E. (2009). Reported effects of masculine ideals on gay men. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 10, 73-87.

Seward, G. H. (1944). Psychological effects of the menstrual cycle on women workers. Psychological Bulletin, 41, 90-102.

Seward, G. H. (1946). Sex and the social order. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Sherif, C. W. (1998). Bias in psychology. Feminism & Psychology, 8, 58-75.

Shields, S. A. (1975). Functionalism, Darwinism, and the psychology of women. American Psychologist, 30, 739-754.

Shields, S. A. (1982). The variability hypothesis: The history of a biological model of sex differences in intelligence. Signs, 7, 769-797.

Shields, S. A. (2007). Passionate men, emotional women: Psychology constructs gender difference in the late 19th century. History of Psychology, 10, 92-110.

Staller, K. M., & Nelson-Gardell, N. (2005). “A burden in your heart”: Lessons of disclosure from female preadolescent and adolescent survivors of sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 29(12), 1415-1432. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.06.007

Sunday, S. R., & Tobach, E. (1985). Violence against women: A critique of the sociobiology of rape (Genes & Gender series V. 1). New York, NY: Gordian Press.

Thompson, H. B. (1903). The mental traits of sex: An empirical investigation of the normal mind in men and women. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Tiefer L. (2001). The selling of ‘female sexual dysfunction’. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 27, 625-628.

Tiefer, L. (2010). Still resisting after all these years: an update on sexuo-medicalization and on the New View Campaign to challenge the medicalization of women's sexuality. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 25, 189-196.

Tiefer, L., Tavris, C., & Hall, M. (2002). Beyond dysfunction: A new view of women's sexual problems. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 28, 225-232.

Travis, C. B. (2003). Evolution, gender, and rape. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Ullman, S. E. (2010). Challenging the rape culture: Recommendations for change. In S. E. Ullman, Psychology of women (APA Division 35). Talking about sexual assault: Society's response to survivors (pp. 145-165). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Unger, R. K. (1979). Toward a redefinition of sex and gender. American Psychologist, 34, 1085-1094.

Walker, L. (1991). The feminization of psychology. Psychology of Women Newsletter of Division, 35(18), 4.

Warton, A. S. (2009). The sociology of emotional labor. Annual Review of Sociology, 35, 147-165.

Weisstein, N. (1971). Psychology constructs the female. Boston, MA: New England Free Press.

Wong, Y. J., Pituch, K. A., & Rochlen, A. B. (2006). Men's restrictive emotionality: An investigation of associations with other emotion-related constructs, anxiety, and underlying dimensions. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 7, 113-126.

Wood, J. M., Koch, P. B., & Mansfield, P. K. (2006). Womenès sexual desire: A feminist critique. The Journal of Sex Research 43(3), 236-244.

Woolley, H. T. (1910). A review of the recent literature on the psychology of sex. The Psychological Bulletin VII(9), 335-42.

Publicado

2018-10-15

Como Citar

N. Rodkey, E., & Vaughn-Johnson, K. (2018). Problematic women: psychology, gender, and health in North America. Revista Psicologia E Saúde, 10(3), 71–85. https://doi.org/10.20435/pssa.v0i0.692

Edição

Seção

Artigos