Feminism Project

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Feminism Project

• Bethany Price-Morato and Matt Fleming

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What is feminism?

• Affirmative-Action Feminism
• Anti-Feminism
• Amazon Feminism
• Anarcho Feminism
• 'Boss Tweed' Feminism
• Catholic Feminism
• Christian Feminists
• Constructionist Feminism
• Cultural Feminism
• Difference Feminism
• Dominance Feminism
• Eco Feminism
• Equity Feminism
• Erotic Feminism
• Femicommie
• Feminazi

French Feminism Gender Feminism Hegemonic
Feminism Individualist, or Libertarian Feminism
Lesbianism Lesbianism 30 sexual
orientations Liberal Feminism Libertarian
Feminism Marxist Feminism Material Feminism
Matriarchal Separatist Feminism Moderate
Feminism Pod Feminist Pop Feminism
Post-modernist Feminism Power Feminism
Pro-Family Advocates Pro-Feminist Men
Pro-Life feminists
Pro-Sex Feminists Radical Feminism Redfem
Resenter (angry at men) Feminism Separatists
Socialist Feminism Survivor-Feminism Total
Rej (total rejection) Feminism Vegetarian
Feminists Victim Feminism Women of Color
Feminism (Womanism)
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Feminisms

• "We can't even agree on what a 'Feminist'
  is...Feminism in America has come to mean
  anything you like, honey. There are as many
  definitions of feminism as there are feminists,
  some of my sisters say, with a chuckle. I don't
  think it's funny."
• Carmen Vasquez, Towards A Revolutionary
  Ethics

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Brief Herstory of Feminism in the United States

• 1848 Seneca Falls, NY--Declaration of Sentiments
• 1890 Wyoming --First women voters
• 1900 All states pass Womens Property Act
• 1918 Birth control advice allowed
• 1938 Minimum wage regardless of gender
• 1960 Marks beginning of second wave

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Timeline for Feminism
Suffrage Movement Begins
First Wave
Second Wave
Suffrage Movement Begins
Suffrage Movement Begins
Third Wave
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Major Issues in Feminism(s)

• Social and Political Equality
• Reproductive Rights
• Domestic Violence
• Sexism, Racism, Class-ism, Heterosexism,
  Able-ism, and other isms.

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Feminist Cartoons and Images
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Feminism and Therapy

• Naomi Weisstein (1968)
• Validation of sexist biases about women
• Personality traits vs. social context
• Essential differences between men women
• Phyllis Chesler (1972)
• Emphasis on illness and pathology rather than
  strength and coping
• masculinity health

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Feminism and Therapy

• Chesler (1972)
• Mother as ideal woman or mother to blame?
• Womens promiscuity viewed as cause for abuse,
  therefore responsible for own suffering
• Psychotherapeutic relationship protecting status
  quo in a male dominated society
• reinforces sexism, bias, heterosexism, and racism

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Feminism and Therapy

• The psychotherapeutic encounter is just one more
  instance of an unequal relationship, just one
  more opportunity to be rewarded for expressing
  distress and to be helped by being (expertly)
  dominated.
• Phyllis Chesler (1972)

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Feminism and Therapy

• Some change in degree of gender gap in
  psychotherapy, but recent research also finds
  stereotypes in therapy
• How do therapists view women?
• hypothetical rating of male and female
• healthy female rated less independent, more
  submissive, less adventurous, less aggressive,
  less competitive, and more easily influenced than
  healthy male

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Do Traditional Therapies work for Women?

• Traditional Approaches through the feminist lens
• Psychoanalytic
• Humanistic
• CBT
• Family Systems Therapy
• Interpersonal Therapy
• Postmodernism, constructivism, and Narrative
  Therapies

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Traditional Approaches

• Psychodynamic Approaches
• Women viewed as appendages to men
• Electra complex, penis envy
• Object relations and Self Psychology
• Jungian Archetypal Psychology
• focus of feminine psychology
• heal the wounded feminine

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Traditional approaches...

• Humanistic Therapies
• Person-Centered Therapy
• Emphasizes autonomy, realizing individual
  potential, self-directedness, etc.
• Unconditional positive regard with clients viewed
  as their own best experts (Rogers, 1951)
• Gestalt Therapy
• Encourages expression of strong emotions and
  responsibility for actions
• Addresses social context

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Traditional Approaches...

• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
• Early use to resocialize women in becoming aware
  of rights and negative self-beliefs
• Retrain women in redirecting their power in
  productive ways, influencing environments
• Many positive aspects of CBT with women
• Fair amount of critique

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Traditional approaches...

• Assertiveness Training
• Serves as an important tool for women
• But holds a narrow definition of correct
  assertive responses
• View human rights as independent from complex
  gender role context
• Assertive speech typically resembles
  stereotypically masculine behavior
• May encourage individualism over interdependence

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Treatment for disorders specific to women

• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Coping with trauma
• Borderline personality disorder

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Traditional Approaches...

• Family Systems Therapy
• Interpersonal Therapy
• Postmodernism, constructivism, and Narrative
  Therapies

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Feminist Therapy

• Essential Elements
• Empowerment
• Respect
• Gender Sensitivity
• Activism

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Feminist Therapy

• The personal is political.
• Considerations
• Power Differentials
• Context
• Socio-Cultural Factors
• Therapeutic Relationship

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Video

• Discussion of Feminist Therapy in Practice
• Post session discussion with Lenore Walker

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Video 2

• Can a man be a feminist therapist?
• Male therapist role plays feminist techniques
  with two feminist therapists.

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Feminist Therapy

• Applications and Special Populations
• Family Therapy
• Domestic Violence
• Prison Populations
• Disabled Clients
• Women of Color
• LGBT
• Life Cycle Changes

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Discussion

• Gender Relevant Health Issues
• Ethical Practice
• Integrating Feminist Principles in General
  Practice
• Men as Feminists

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PMDD