The Tending Instinct

Ranging widely over biology, evolutionary psychology, physiology, and neuroscience, "The Tending Instinct" examines the biological imperative that drives women to seek each other's company and to tend to the young and the infirm, bestowing great benefits to the group but often at great cost to themselves.

A groundbreaking work that reveals how the instinct to "tend and befriend" is vital for human society. In times of crisis and upheaval, our responses to stress become especially important. We have long heard about the "fight or flight" response, but renowned psychologist Shelley E. Taylor points out that hardwired in females -- both humans and those of other species -- is an instinct that can transcend "fight or flight." Their "tend and befriend" response is not only demonstrable but, as Taylor deftly explains in this eye-opening work, a key ingredient in human social life. With great skill and insight, Taylor examines stress, relationships, and human society through the special lens of women's biology. She draws on genetics, evolutionary psychology, physiology, and neuroscience to show how this tending process begins virtually at the moment of conception and literally crafts the biology of offspring through genes that rely on caregiving for their expression. Taylor also examines what drives women to seek each other's company, and to tend to the young and the infirm -- acts that greatly benefit the group but often at great cost to the individual. The Tending Instinct will forever change the way we view ourselves, and will revolutionize our understanding of the role of women and nurturing in maintaining a stable society.

Stress has long been considered the price Americans must pay for their way of life. Analyzing and interpreting both popular and academic accounts of stress in cultural terms, this book follows the development of the stress concept into an important vehicle for defining, expressing and containing middle-class anxieties.

Youre on demand 24/7, juggling children, home management, work, relationships, and never-ending to-do lists. You perform superhuman feats of multitasking to get it all done, but the harder you strive for life balance and happiness, the more tired, frustrated, and underappreciated you feel. Like many moms today, you are simply running on empty. In this guide, Kelly Pryde, Ph.D., combines real-life experiences with extensive research to help you step out of the hurried fogginess of everyday juggling into a deeper, more joyful experience of motherhood. Her seven pathways of reinvention will help you learn how to: turn around self-limiting beliefs and practices reclaim your feminine wisdom and restore your energy and mood rethink balance and priorities find joy, meaning, and peace of mind amidst the chaos slow down and reconnect with what matters most to you and your family Filled with practical advice, inspiring stories, and a wealth of resources, Reinventing Mom will support, nurture, and guide you toward becoming the Mom and woman you are meant to be.

BRILLIANTLY EXPLORING TODAY'S CUTTING-EDGE BRAIN RESEARCH,MIND WIDE OPENIS AN UNPRECEDENTED JOURNEY INTO THE ESSENCE OF HUMAN PERSONALITY, ALLOWING READERS TO UNDERSTAND THEMSELVES AND THE PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES AS NEVER BEFORE.Using a mix of experiential reportage, personal storytelling, and fresh scientific discovery, Steven Johnson describes how the brain works -- its chemicals, structures, and subroutines -- and how these systems connect to the day-to-day realities of individual lives. For a hundred years, he says, many of us have assumed that the most powerful route to self-knowledge took the form of lying on a couch, talking about our childhoods. The possibility entertained in this book is that you can follow another path, in which learning about the brain's mechanics can widen one's self-awareness as powerfully as any therapy or meditation or drug.InMind Wide Open,Johnson embarks on this path as his own test subject, participating in a battery of attention tests, learning to control video games by altering his brain waves, scanning his own brain with a $2 million fMRI machine, all in search of a modern answer to the oldest of questions: who am I?Along the way, Johnson explores how we "read" other people, how the brain processes frightening events (and how we might rid ourselves of the scars those memories leave), what the neurochemistry is behind love and sex, what it means that our brains are teeming with powerful chemicals closely related to recreational drugs, why music moves us to tears, and where our breakthrough ideas come from.Johnson's clear, engaging explanation of the physical functions of the brain reveals not only the broad strokes of our aptitudes and fears, our skills and weaknesses and desires, but also the momentary brain phenomena that a whole human life comprises. Why, when hearing a tale of woe, do we sometimes smile inappropriately, even if we don't want to? Why are some of us so bad at remembering phone numbers but brilliant at recognizing faces? Why does depression make us feel stupid?To readMind Wide Openis to rethink family histories, individual fates, and the very nature of the self, and to see that brain science is now personally transformative -- a valuable tool for better relationships and better living.

A guide to dealing with hormone related mood swings in men describes the triggers and warning signs of Irritable Male Syndrome, the ways it can affect those suffering from it and the best ways for men and their families to work through it. 30,000 first printing.

Psychologists, as well as the general public, have recognized the importance of female friendships. Scientists call this bond the tending instinct- a kind of female relaxation response that has salutary effects. Such special attachment shields women from isolation and provides an enhanced sense of wellbeing. Intimate friends can therefore act as sisters of the heart to promote connection, solace, wholeness, and longevity. Moreover, women friends frequently provide emotional, social, physical, and spiritual benefits. Indeed, sisters of the heart constitute an unparalleled bond that encourages women to connect with themselves, with others, and with the world at large. In this book, twelve women therapists, who are diverse in age-- young, middle, and older women; as well as in ethnicity--White, African American, Latina, Asian American, Native American, and multiracial women---examine the psychological and physical aspects of this unique female bonding. Through their narratives we hear their distinctive voices as women and as healers. In this fashion, they reflect on both the functional and dysfunctional dynamics occurring between intimate female friends. Finally, these women therapists examine how their experience with a sister of the heart informed their development as healers, and discuss how they use this special bond in psychotherapy with women. This book was originally published as a special issue of Women & Therapy. 'This enlightening, iconic book is for anyone who wants to understand more about the powerful roles of friendships—including challenges--among women that facilitate their ability to survive and thrive. It is special in that the chapter authors are psychotherapists who describe the impact of female bonding, from scientific as well as personal bases. The descriptions are rooted in theory, research, extensive clinical experience and personal lives. Refreshing and much needed, this book will prove useful to professionals as well as any women or men who want to understand the value and salience of female relationships.' Melba Vasquez, PhD, ABPP Past President, American Psychological Association Independent Practice, Austin, Texas