"Thoughtful, probing, and caring. . . Destined for distinction as one of the best books of the year."
--Janice G. Raymond
author of "Women as Wombs: Reproductive Technologies and the Battle Over Women's Freedom" and "A Passion for Friends"

""Changing Our Minds" is a brave, invigorating, and important book. . . essential reading for anyone in, or anyone who studies, the helping professions; it is even more essential for any woman in distress who wants 'help'."
--Phyllis Chesler, Ph.D.
author of "Women and Madness, About Men," and "Mothers on Trial: The Battle for Children and Custody"

"A wide-ranging, hard-hitting analysis of psychology and its dangers. "Changing Our Minds" should be compulsory reading for all psychologists and deserves a place on every feminist's bookshelf."
--Sue Wilkinson
editor of "Feminism & Psychology: An International Journal"

Women today are being instructed on how they can raise their self-esteem, love their inner child, survive their toxic families, overcome codependency, and experience a revolution from within. By holding up the ideal of a pure and happy inner core, psychotherapists refuse to acknowledge that a certain degree of unhappiness or dissatisfaction is a routine part of life and not necessarily a cause for therapy. Lesbians specifically are now guided to define themselves according to their frailties, inadequacies, and insecurities.

An incisive critique of contemporary feminist psychology and therapy, "Changing our Minds" argues not just that the current practice of psychology is flawed, but that the whole idea of psychology runs counter to many tenets of lesbian feminist politics. Recognizing that many lesbians dofeel unhappy and experience a range of problems that detract from their well-being, "Changing Our Minds" makes positive, prescriptive suggestions for non-psychological ways of understanding and dealing with emotional distress.

Written in a lively and engaging style, "Changing our Minds" is required reading for anyone who has ever been in therapy or is close to someone who has, and for lesbians, feminists, psychologists, psychotherapists, students of psychology and women's studies, and anyone with an interest in the development of lesbian feminist theory, ethics, and practice.

Drawing its contributions from a variety of disciplines (including cross-disciplinary and multidisciplinary work), this book focuses not only on women's health as a topic within psychology, but also highlights feminist research on health rather than health research on women. Derived from the 1992 Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society, this comprehensive volume provides a broad sample of contemporary British feminist work on women and health. It spans the disciplines of psychology, sociology, social policy, social anthropology and economics, and demonstrates the development of feminist theorizing and activism in these areas over the past decade. Topics include: global and national politics of women's health; the "psychologization" of health: sexuality and AIDS; body image and pregnancy; reproductive technology; substance abuse; breast cancer; and the long-term health problems of women. Calling for a greater understanding of women and health, the contributors acknowledge the gender-based inequities of women's experiences and address the need for social and political change in order to improve the health and health care of women across the lifespan.

Drawing its contributions from a variety of disciplines (including cross-disciplinary and multidisciplinary work), this book focuses not only on women's health as a topic within psychology, but also highlights feminist research on health rather than health research on women. Derived from the 1992 Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society, this comprehensive volume provides a broad sample of contemporary British feminist work on women and health. It spans the disciplines of psychology, sociology, social policy, social anthropology and economics, and demonstrates the development of feminist theorizing and activism in these areas over the past decade. Topics include: global and national politics of women's health; the "psychologization" of health: sexuality and AIDS; body image and pregnancy; reproductive technology; substance abuse; breast cancer; and the long-term health problems of women. Calling for a greater understanding of women and health, the contributors acknowledge the gender-based inequities of women's experiences and address the need for social and political change in order to improve the health and health care of women across the lifespan.

The old model of lesbianism as a pathological affliction has largely given way to a liberal social scientific one which presents it as an alternative lifestyle, a way of loving, a sexual preference, or a source of personal fulfillment.

This controversial book argues that the shift from 'pathological' to 'gay affirmative' research merely substitutes one depoliticized construction of lesbianism for another. The author contends that the gay affirmative model is fundamentally incompatible with radical feminist theory in which lesbianism is a political statement representing the bonding of women against male supremacy.

This volume was awarded a 1989 Distinguished Publication Award by the Association for Women in Psychology.

"Thoughtful, probing, and caring. . . Destined for distinction as one of the best books of the year."
--Janice G. Raymond
author of "Women as Wombs: Reproductive Technologies and the Battle Over Women's Freedom" and "A Passion for Friends"

""Changing Our Minds" is a brave, invigorating, and important book. . . essential reading for anyone in, or anyone who studies, the helping professions; it is even more essential for any woman in distress who wants 'help'."
--Phyllis Chesler, Ph.D.
author of "Women and Madness, About Men," and "Mothers on Trial: The Battle for Children and Custody"

"A wide-ranging, hard-hitting analysis of psychology and its dangers. "Changing Our Minds" should be compulsory reading for all psychologists and deserves a place on every feminist's bookshelf."
--Sue Wilkinson
editor of "Feminism & Psychology: An International Journal"

Women today are being instructed on how they can raise their self-esteem, love their inner child, survive their toxic families, overcome codependency, and experience a revolution from within. By holding up the ideal of a pure and happy inner core, psychotherapists refuse to acknowledge that a certain degree of unhappiness or dissatisfaction is a routine part of life and not necessarily a cause for therapy. Lesbians specifically are now guided to define themselves according to their frailties, inadequacies, and insecurities.

An incisive critique of contemporary feminist psychology and therapy, "Changing our Minds" argues not just that the current practice of psychology is flawed, but that the whole idea of psychology runs counter to many tenets of lesbian feminist politics. Recognizing that many lesbians dofeel unhappy and experience a range of problems that detract from their well-being, "Changing Our Minds" makes positive, prescriptive suggestions for non-psychological ways of understanding and dealing with emotional distress.

Written in a lively and engaging style, "Changing our Minds" is required reading for anyone who has ever been in therapy or is close to someone who has, and for lesbians, feminists, psychologists, psychotherapists, students of psychology and women's studies, and anyone with an interest in the development of lesbian feminist theory, ethics, and practice.

Discourse analysis is now a key methodology in social psychology and is considered an important tool by feminist psychologists. Feminism and Discourse is not only representative of the diverse schools using discourse analysis but also offers an informed examination of the value and methodology for feminism and psychology. A critical introduction contextualizes the recent debates in discourse analysis and illustrates four topics of key feminist concern: adolescent knowledge about menstruation, sexual harassment, gendered representation, and anorexia nervosa. The second part of the book contains five assessments of the utility of discourse analysis--both as theory and as method. Feminism and Discourse constitutes both a showcase for a major area of contemporary feminist social psychology in Britain and a critical evaluation of discourse analysis for the feminist project of intellectual, social, and political change. This book is essential reading for discourse analysts across the social sciences and for feminist social psychologists. It will also be of interest to students in social psychology, the psychology of women, psychology and language, women's studies, linguistics, sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies.

Discourse analysis is now a key methodology in social psychology and is considered an important tool by feminist psychologists. Feminism and Discourse is not only representative of the diverse schools using discourse analysis but also offers an informed examination of the value and methodology for feminism and psychology. A critical introduction contextualizes the recent debates in discourse analysis and illustrates four topics of key feminist concern: adolescent knowledge about menstruation, sexual harassment, gendered representation, and anorexia nervosa. The second part of the book contains five assessments of the utility of discourse analysis--both as theory and as method. Feminism and Discourse constitutes both a showcase for a major area of contemporary feminist social psychology in Britain and a critical evaluation of discourse analysis for the feminist project of intellectual, social, and political change. This book is essential reading for discourse analysts across the social sciences and for feminist social psychologists. It will also be of interest to students in social psychology, the psychology of women, psychology and language, women's studies, linguistics, sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies.

Recipient of the 1989 Distinguished Publication Award from the Association of Women in Psychology.

The debate within research on homosexuality is between the "pathological" and the "gay affirmative" schools. This controversial book stands outside that debate and argues for a radical homosexual approach. Its central point is that gay affirmative research, far from being a liberating force, represents a new development in the oppression of women in general and lesbians in particular. The Social Construction of Lesbianism stands alone in the field of research on homosexuality. It does, however, extend and complement the growing literature on social constructionism and the sociology of science. Essential reading for all feminists and all scholars interested in the social construction of social science.

"A brilliant book! Should be required reading for anyone writing in the social sciences."

--Barbara Katz Rothman, City University of New York

"There have been relatively few studies of lesbian women in the social sciences, none of them like Celia Kitzinger?s. Her book is fascinating, challenging, and controversial. The bibliography is broad-ranging and thorough."

--Choice

"It is both a scholarly and empirically substantial study which will make an important contribution to existing debates within social construction theory."

--Times Higher Education Supplement

"This is an insightful, perceptive, and informed account of how science has been used to dissolve the political meaning of lesbianism through the use of ''gay affirmative lifestyle'' research. . . . The Social Construction of Lesbianism is an excellent foundation for generating new and important questions."

--Sex Roles

"An excellent example of feminist writing, primarily from France, England and Canada, that attempts to identify and to deconstruct the liberal humanistic ideology that is so pervasive throughout the social sciences, particularly in sex and gender research. . . . A passionate, well-documented, brilliantly developed book, highly recommended for all lesbians and other members with minority or nonminority affiliations. Kitzinger clearly presents how the construction of social norms and values is manipulated to preserve and protect the dominant culture."

--AFFILIA

"Dr. Kitzinger makes an excellent job of presenting the pros and cons of both liberal humanist and radical feminist approaches. . . . It will have you thinking about these issues long after the book has been put down, and discussing it with your friends. It will then have achieved much of its purpose."

--British Journal of Guidance and Counselling

"Provides important new insights and analyses that alert us to the dangers of liberal humanism--a timely warning."

--Helen Lenskyi, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

"Kitzinger?s analysis of the differences between radical and liberal feminism is clear and should be required reading for feminists unfamiliar with these distinctions. . . . Taken as a whole, this combined analysis of the political roles of research together with a thoughtful research contribution adds to our understanding of the real politik of science. . . . The book has an exceptionally comprehensive bibliography which will introduce the novice to the sociology of science field. I do recommend this interesting book highly."

--Archives of Sexual Behavior

"This book is required reading for people interested in homosexuality, the relation of identity to ideology, the politics of science, and feminist theory. Kitzinger?s focus on ''accounts'' of lesbianism rather than lesbianism as an essential form of identity makes it relevant for students of ethics as well."

--Ethics