Psychology of Women: A Handbook of Issues and Theories

With the rise of feminist thought and women's studies, there has been a growing need for a comprehensive reference on the psychology of women. This handbook meets that need by providing a systematic and informative overview of the psychological world of women. The volume is organized into several sections, each of which discusses a broad aspect of the mental and emotional life of women. Within each section, chapters written by expert contributors provide thorough and thoughtful analyses of the topics and issues of greatest significance. This exceptional work balances previous references in psychology, which have been devoted almost exclusively to men or which have given only sparse attention to women. The handbook begins with an insightful survey of the history and foundations of the psychology of women. The section that follows explores how women interact with and shape society, and how women are, in turn, influenced by the social world in which they live. The next section contains essays on the development of personality across the lifespan and offers theoretical perspectives on social and cognitive development from infancy to old age. Because mind and body are closely related, another section treats the interaction between psychological and physiological processes; and because women have so often been misunderstood and exploited by men in various ways, a section discusses the victimization of women. The concluding section takes into account the important role of women in the workplace and examines the issues and concerns that they face in their careers. The chapters in each of these sections examine particular topics in greater detail, and the result is an exceptionally useful combination of breadth and depth. This major reference will be widely used by all those interested in psychology, women's studies, and related fields.Psychology of Women: A Handbook of Issues and Theories, with ISBN 9780313262951 and ISBN 0313262950.