Self-definition is a thought pattern, scored from imaginative fantasy, which is related to constructive behavioral independence of social norms. Research has shown that self-definition seems related to the opportunity for operant initiative-taking, especially when active and less sex-stereotyped activities are chosen. Senior college women (N=118)…

This booklet contains descriptions of 34 sex equity projects in Oregon. Project descriptions contain such information as a contact person and the project's audience, procedures, outcomes, and funding sources. The projects are organized under three headings--displaced homemaker projects, support services/special needs projects, and women in…

Women who are able to acknowledge their distinctive perceptions and to relate them to their lives are the ones most likely to expose the oppressiveness of a power-driven society. Nathaniel Hawthorne's fictional character, Hester Prynne ("The Scarlet Letter") illustrates a crucial theme: a woman's faculty for critical awareness and her ability to…

This unit for American Indian girls 15 to 18 years old and for their parents is an attempt to create a better understanding of alcoholism. The narrative section focuses upon the following ideas: (1) what alcoholism is; (2) frequency of alcoholism; (3) physical effects; (4) the effect of alcoholism on the family; (5) causes of alcoholism; (6) signs…

The interrelationships of deviant life experiences and current status, i.e., prostitution versus non-prostitution, were investigated by the application of multivariate analyses. Variables were studied involving early home life, pregnancy history, sexual history, and criminal involvement. Based on the analyses, three models were developed that…

"Fascinating womanhood" ("total woman") is explored as a response to anxiety generated by awareness of the potential for experiencing the self as a separate, responsible person. A therapeutic approach that can be utilized in encouraging optimal individuation is discussed, with group, marital, and individual therapy examples. Precautions are also…

Life histories of 27 white, middle-aged, middle class, American mothers were analyzed for career-like components. Motherhood dominates these women but is only one of several careers in their lives. The career set acts as a social and personal resource, providing consistent and continuous meaning throughout major periods of time. (Author)

This paper argues the need for curricula for women's growth, highlights the experimental curriculum, content and process, summarizes the data on the pre, post, and longitudinal measures of ego and moral maturity, and presents implications of curricula for women's growth. Prepared for the American Psychological Association, Chicago, 1975. (Author)

Presents statistics of a girl's age, height, and weight at menarche, and the possible effect on these variables of various factors such as her health, genetic inheritance, socioeconomic circumstances, and environment. The behavior of present day adolescents cannot be attributed to earlier physical and sexual development. (Author/IRT)

The past 15 years have brought a re-evaluation of women's adult development in light feminist thinking. However, many outdated assumptions in psychological theory remain comfortably ensconced; to challenge these ideas, some misrepresentations of women's experience are examined. The focus is on Erik Erikson's explanation of the second stage of…

Legal and political theorists strive at expanding the scope of children's rights to cover further areas of their lives and choices. This paper suggests that this effort is misguided, and that the protection of children requires instituting adults' obligations, rather than broadening children's rights. Contrary to the common theoretical and…

Use of the Inventory of Feminine Values" with a group of college women indicated that they were prepared to sacrifice a career for a family. Apparently, attitudes held by fathers of young women influence their attitudes toward working wives. Counselors must help young women plan early for problems to be faced working and raising a family. (CJ)

Explores the process by which young rural women translate adolescent aspirations for their own adult achievements and those of hypothetical "future" husbands into attainment patterns early in the life course. Stresses the influence of educational aspirations and attainment as prime factors of status attainment. (Author/JD)

Highlights two studies examining multiple meanings of schooling for 36 adolescent girls in 3 school sites. Focuses on how peer relationships affect the sense of self through hierarchical social groupings, how school tasks either obliterate the self as a participant or provide opportunities for self- discovery, and how teachers can honor…

The matter of gender differences that influence adolescent development is considered by means of an empirical investigation. Implications of the results are discussed for parents, teachers and special services professionals. (Author)