Feminist Therapy – Flashcards
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What is Feminist therapy founded on?
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a theory of inclusion
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Who are some notable founders?
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Jean Baker Miller, Carolyn Zerbe Enns, Olivia M. Espen and Laura S. Brown
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What is a central concept of Feminist therapy?
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The importance of understanding and acknowledging the psychological oppression of women and the constraints imposed by the sociopolitical status to which women have been relegated.
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How far back can feminism be traced back?
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1800s
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What are 4 enduring feminist philosophies, often described as the "second wave" of feminism?
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Liberal, Cultural, Radical and Socialist
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What is the focus of a Liberal feminist?
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on helping individual women overcome the limits and constraints of traditional gender-role socialisation patterns.
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What is a major goal of therapy for liberal feminists?
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Personal empowerment of individual women, dignity, self-fulfilment, shared power in decision making in relationships, and equality.
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What do Cultural feminists highlight?
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The value of interdependence over individualism.
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What is a major goal of therapy for cultural feminists?
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Social transformation through the infusion of feminine values (i.e. - cooperation, altruism, and connectedness) into the culture.
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What is a belief of cultural feminists?
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Oppression stems from society's devaluation of women's strengths, values and roles.
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What is the focus for Radical feminists?
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The oppression of women that is embedded in patriarchy and seek to change society through activism and equalising power.
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What is a major goal of therapy for radical feminists?
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Transform gender relationships, transform societal institutions, and increase women's sexual and procreative self-determination.
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Socialist and radical feminists share many of the same goals for societal change. How do they differ?
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Socialist feminists focus on multiple oppressions and believe solutions to society's problems must include consideration of class, race, sexual orientation, economics, nationality and history.
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What is a major goal for socialist feminists?
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To transform social relationships and institutions.
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What is "3rd Wave" of feminism?
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It embraces diversity with its inclusion of women of colour, lesbians, and the postmodern and constructivist viewpoints espoused by many of the most recent generation of feminist women.
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What is the perspective of postmodern feminists?
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The assumption that "reality is embedded in social relationships and historical contexts, is socially created or invented, and is reproduced through power relationships".
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What do women of colour feminists believe?
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It is essential that feminist theory be broadened and made more inclusive.
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What do women of colour feminists challenge in regards to feminist theory?
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To include an analysis of the intersections of multiple oppressions, an assessment of access to privilege and power to recognise the importance of the spiritual dimension of human experience, and to emphasise activism.
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What commonalities do Lesbian feminists and Radical feminists share?
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They both view women's oppression as related to heterosexism and sexualised images of women.
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What perspective do global international feminists have?
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A worldwide perspective.
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What do global international feminists seek to understand?
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The ways in which racism, sexism, economics, and classism affect women in different countries.
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Global international feminists assume something. What is it?
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That each woman lives under unique systems of oppression.
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How are Western global international feminists challenged?
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To recognise their ethnocentrism and stereotyping of women in different parts of the world.
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How does Brown (2010) define feminist therapy?
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Postmodern, technically integrative approach that emphasises the analysis of gender, power and social location as strategies for facilitating change.
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How many core principles of Feminist Therapy are there?
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Six (6)
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What is "andocentric"?
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Using male-oriented constructs to draw conclusions about human, including female, nature.
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What is "gendercentric"?
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Proposing 2 separate paths of development for women and men.
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What is "heterosexist"?
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The viewing of a heterosexual orientation as normative and desirable and devaluing lesbian, gay male and bisexual orientations.
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What is "deterministic"?
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The assumption that personality patterns and behaviour are fixed at an early stage of development.
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What is "intrapsychic orientation"?
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...attributing behaviour to internal causes, which often results in blaming the victim and ignoring sociocultural and political factors.
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What terms describe the constructs of feminist therapy?
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gender-fair, flexible-multicultural, interactionist, and life-span-oriented
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What is the meaning of "gender-fair approaches"
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Explains differences in the behaviour of women and men in terms of socialisation processes rather than on the basis of our "innate" natures, therefore avoiding stereotypes in social roles and interpersonal behaviour.
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What is the definition of the "flexible-multicultural perspective"?
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The flexible-multicultural perspective uses concepts and strategies that apply equally to individuals and groups regardless of age, race, culture, gender, ability, class or sexual orientation.
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What concepts does the interactionist view contain?
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The interactionist view contains concepts specific to the thinking, feeling and behaving dimensions of human experience and accounts for contextual and environmental factors.
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What does the life-span perspective assume?
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The life-span perspective assumes that human development is a lifelong process and that personality and behavioural changes can occur at any time rather than being fixed during early childhood.
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What do feminist therapists emphasis in regards to the perspective of personality development?
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Societal gender-role expectations profoundly influence a person's identity from the moment of birth and become deeply ingrained in adult personality.
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What do techniques of feminist therapy foster?
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Mutuality, relational capacities and growth in connection
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What are gender schemas?
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Internalisations of the gender roles perpetuated in a sexist society.
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What is "Relational-cultural theory"?
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A perspective suggesting that a woman's sense of identity and self-concept develop in the context of relationships.
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What do feminist therapists remind us?
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That traditional gender stereotypes of women are still prevalent in cultures through the world and that uncritical acceptance of traditional roles can greatly restrict their range of freedom.
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What are the 6 core principles of Feminist therapy?
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1. The personal is political 2. Commitment to social change 3. Women's and girl's voices and ways of knowing are valued and their experiences are honoured. 4. The counselling relationship is egalitarian. 5. A focus on strengths and a reformulated definition of psychological distress. 6. All types of oppression are recognised.
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Which core principle does the following passage apply to? "The valuing and facilitation of women's voices in or out of therapy directly counteracts the often forced silence of women and contributes to an ultimate change in the body politic of society"
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Women's and girl's voices and ways of knowing are valued and their experiences are honoured.
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What assumption is "the personal is political" principle based on?
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On the assumption that the personal or individual problems that individuals bring to counselling originate in a political and social context.
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What is an example of the assumption that "the personal is political" is based on?
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Stereotyping, marginalisation, subordination or oppression
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What other perspective do feminist therapists work from?
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A biopsychosocial perspective
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It is important that women who engage in the therapy process recognise what?
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That they have suffered from oppression as members of a subordinate group and that they can join with other women to right these wrongs.
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What goal is related to the core principle, "commitment to social change"?
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To advance a different vision of societal organisation that frees both women and men from the constraints imposed by gender-role expectations.
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What are women encouraged to value in feminist therapy?
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Their emotions and their intuition and to use their personal experience as a touchstone for determining what is "reality".
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Define the Egalitarian relationship
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Power should be balanced in a relationship. In feminist therapy the voices of the oppressed are acknowledged as authoritative and valuable sources of knowledge.
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"Attention to power is central" True or False?
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TRUE
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What intent is behind techniques used in feminist therapy?
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The intent is to shift power and privilege to the voices and experiences of those who come to counselling and away from those who deliver it.
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How is psychological distress reframed?
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As a communication about unjust systems.
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Can symptoms be reframed as survival strategies?
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Only when contextual variables are considered.
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How are clients best understood?
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In the context of their sociocultural environment
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What are some goals of feminist therapy? Name three (3)
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Empowerment, valuing and affirming diversity, striving for change rather than adjustment, equality, balancing independence and interdependence, social change and self-nurturance
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What is possibly the ultimate goal for feminist therapy?
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To create the kind of society where sexism and other forms of discrimination and oppression are no longer a reality.
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What is a goal of feminist therapy that relates to multiple levels?
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To empower all people to create a world of equality that is reflected at individual, interpersonal, institutional, national and global levels.
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How does empowerment help clients?
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Clients are able to free themselves from the constraints of gender-role socialisation and to challenge ongoing institutional oppression.
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Do feminist share common ground with Adlerian therapists? If yes, how?
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YES Their emphasis on social equality and social interest.
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What emphasis do feminist therapists share with existential therapists?
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They both emphasise therapy as a shared journey, one that is life changing for both client and therapist, and with their basic trust in the client's ability to move forward in a positive and constructive manner.
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Relating to the therapeutic relationship, define a way feminist therapists differ from person-centred therapists.
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Feminist therapists do not see the therapeutic relationship alone as being sufficient to produce change.
