Sex Roles And Psychopathology

Psychopathology is the science of deviant behavior. However, as psy chopathologists, our explanations of deviant behavior are not developed in a sterile, laboratory environment. Abnormality is a relative concept, and the labeling of someone or some behavior as abnormal is inextrica bly linked to a particular social context. In the United States, for exam ple, a woman reporting vivid hallucinations is likely to be committed to a mental hospital and the behavior considered maladaptive. In other cultures, the same behavior may be interpreted as reflecting magical, healing powers, and the woman honored and revered. An explicit assumption underlying this book is that elements of social causality influence the development and maintenance of psycho pathology. While the chapters emphasize environmental influences, this is not intended to negate the importance of physiological, biological, genetic, or hormonal factors in relation to psychopathology. The purpose of this book is to examine the impact of sex role ster eotypes on the occurrence and distribution of specific forms of psycho pathology. In contrast to prior work, which emphasizes sex differences (e.g., Franks and Gomberg's Gender and Disordered Behavior) these are not the primary focus of this volume. Sex Roles and Psychopathology analyzes the extent to which cultural norms about the sexes, societal expectations and values about sex-typed behavior and sex differences, and profes sional biases influence the development, manifestation, and mainte nance of abnormal behavior among men and women.

Gender and Psychopathology is a comprehensive review of the connection between gender and psychopathology. The text is divided into five parts. Part I covers the introduction to the central themes discussed such as the connection between gender and patterns of psychopathology, personality disorders, concepts of mental health, and models related to gender. Part II deals with the developmental perspective of gender and psychopathology and includes topics such as the relationship between gender and the psychopathology of both the adult and child. Part III talks about topics related to gender and major psychopathology such as gender and depression, schizophrenia, and phobia. Part IV covers personality disorders in relation to gender, which includes drinking and alcohol abuse, drug use and abuse, and crime. Part V discusses gender and mind-body problems such as sexual problems and psychophysiological disorders. The book is recommended for both graduate and advanced undergraduate students who are taking up women's studies, abnormal psychology, or counseling.

Starting in embryonic development, gender has profound influences on us. Endocrine receptors in the brain affect cognition, mood, and behavior differently in males and females, and gender roles inevitably affect our psychosocial experiences. It should be no surprise that men and women have differences in vulnerability for developing many forms of psychopathology, in expression of symptoms and in response to treatment. Gender and Its Effect on Psychopathology examines the gender differences in psychopathology, including susceptibility to psychiatric disorders, the timing of their onset, their course, and their response to treatment. Dr. Ellen Frank and colleagues show how studying these differences helps clinicians in predicting patients' responses to treatment. This book reviews The types of depression to which women are prone, the hormonal basis of mood disorders in women, and the specific clinical phenomenology of reproduction-related depressions Findings on how gender difference in socialization affect the development and symptoms of psychiatric disorders Studies hormonal and pubertal changes that may explain the rise in rates for depression among females relative to males between ages 10 and 15 years Epidemiological findings on the prevalence of depression among women and discusses plausible explanations for these findings Gender differences in antisocial and borderline personality disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and substance dependence A synopsis of current research on gender differences, Gender and Its Effects on Psychopathology provides practitioners with invaluable insight into understanding and treating patients with a variety of psychiatric disorders.

Gender has a fundamental influence on the human brain, not only by virtue of biological and hormonal differences between the sexes but also because of the impact of gender-specific cultural, social, anthropological and environmental factors. Nevertheless, the relation of gender and psychopathology remains a largely neglected field. Gender perspective has been treated as a paradigm in this book on psychopathology because it determines the way in which a psychiatric symptom is defined, perceived and understood. This conception of gender as being of key importance in the definition of psychiatric symptomatology is exceptional in the literature. The book opens by examining historical and cultural aspects of mental health in women worldwide and the relation of sex, brain and gender, with coverage of both neurobiological and psychosocial aspects. The significance of gender with regard to specific aspects of psychopathology is then addressed in detail. A wide range of psychological disorders are considered, as well as hormonal influences and issues concerning body image, self identity, sexuality and life instinct. It is hoped that this book will make a significant contribution in ensuring that gender perspective receives due attention within descriptive psychopathology.

There is a growing knowledge base in understanding the differences and similarities between women and men, as well as the diversities among women and sexualities. Although genetic and biological characteristics define human beings conventionally as women and men, their experiences are contextualized in multiple dimensions in terms of gender, sexuality, class, age, ethnicity, and other social dimensions. Beyond the biological and genetic basis of gender differences, gender intersects with culture and other social locations which affect the socialization and development of women across their life span. This handbook provides a comprehensive and up-to-date resource to understand the intersectionality of gender differences, to dispel myths, and to examine gender-relevant as well as culturally relevant implications and appropriate interventions. Featuring a truly international mix of contributors, and incorporating cross-cultural research and comparative perspectives, this handbook will inform mainstream psychology of the international literature on the psychology of women and gender.