Gilligan has written the books:-In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development (1982)
-Women, Girls, and Psychotherapy: Reframing Resistance (1991)
-Meeting at the Crossroads (1992)
-Between Voice and Silence: Women and Girls, Race and
-Relationship (1995)
-The Birth of Pleasure (2002)
Gilligan's
If there is such a thing as a current classic,
this text is one of them. Gilligan's book is a complaint against the
male centered personality psychology of Freud and Erickson, and the
male centered developmental psychology of Kohlberg. Her complaint is
not that it is unjust to leave women out of psychology (though she
says that). Her complaint is that it is not good psychology if it
leaves out half of the human race.
Gilligan proposes a stage theory of moral
development for women. If you know anything about developmental
psychology, you know stage theories are important. But in fact there
are alternatives to stage theories that we will not cover in this
class. Much of the research in current developmental psychology is
not focused on stages, and does not assume their primacy in
explaining developmental progress. Instead, many developmental
psychologists look carefully at how some particular skill (e.g.
drawing, abstract thinking, thinking about other people, making
excuses, helping others) develops over time. Much of this research
suggests that the stage theories are too simplistic in their picture
of changes in skills, attributes, and competencies over
time.
-Women, Girls, and Psychotherapy: Reframing Resistance (1991)
-Meeting at the Crossroads (1992)
-Between Voice and Silence: Women and Girls, Race and
-Relationship (1995)
-The Birth of Pleasure (2002)
Gilligan's
In a Different Voice
If there is such a thing as a current classic,this text is one of them. Gilligan's book is a complaint against the
male centered personality psychology of Freud and Erickson, and the
male centered developmental psychology of Kohlberg. Her complaint is
not that it is unjust to leave women out of psychology (though she
says that). Her complaint is that it is not good psychology if it
leaves out half of the human race.
Gilligan proposes a stage theory of moral
development for women. If you know anything about developmental
psychology, you know stage theories are important. But in fact there
are alternatives to stage theories that we will not cover in this
class. Much of the research in current developmental psychology is
not focused on stages, and does not assume their primacy in
explaining developmental progress. Instead, many developmental
psychologists look carefully at how some particular skill (e.g.
drawing, abstract thinking, thinking about other people, making
excuses, helping others) develops over time. Much of this research
suggests that the stage theories are too simplistic in their picture
of changes in skills, attributes, and competencies over
time.
The Birth of Pleasure by Carol Gilligan
Three Parts:
Part one: A Radical Geography of Love
The first part talks about a love triangle. Two men fall in love with one woman. The point of the part is how adult love is almost childlike. At the end of the part, Sonya says “If I love you, will you leave me?” Children usually don’t want people they depend on or love to leave because they won’t know how to survive. Same with love, Sonya is saying, if I love you, how will I live without you?
Part two: Regions of Light
The gods, Cupid and Psyche are planning to get married. Cupid’s father, Jupiter removes the ligament s of their relationship to make their relationship “no longer uneven” and frees the threat that Cupid will not leave Psyche if she does not obey him. Psyche has to drink a liquid to bring her to heaven.
This part’s point is that with love and marriage, everything has to be equal and that their marriage isn’t threatened by someone leaving.
Part three: The Birth of Pleasure
Every time Psyche hurts, Cupid Hurts. When Cupid tried to punish Psyche, Cupid ended up getting hurt as well. Cupid asks his father, Jupiter, for help with the marriage. Jupiter called Psyche to heaven and made her immortal so that Cupid and Psyche’s marriage can last forever and neither one has to worry about the other leaving. Psyche then gives birth to the daughter named Pleasure.
This part’s point is that if Cupid and Psyche don’t have to worry about either one leaving, then they will their marriage will be happy.
