"Lucid and convincing...Makes clear that [Freud's] vision was limited both by the social climate in which he worked and the personal experiences he preferred, subconsciously, not to deal with." —Los Angeles Times Sigmund Freud was quite arguably one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century. Yet, over the last decade, portions of his theories of the mind have suffered remarkably accurate attacks by feminists and even some conservative Freudians. How could this great mind have been so wrong about women? In The Freudian Mystique, analyst Samuel Slipp offers an explanation of how such a remarkable and revolutionary thinker could achieve only inadequate theories of female development. Tracing the gradual evolution of patriarchy and phallocentrism in Western society, Slipp examines the stereotyped attitudes toward women that were taken for granted in Freud's culture and strongly influenced his thinking on feminine psychology. Of even greater importance was Freud's relationship with his mother, who emotionally abandoned him when he was two years old. Slipp brings the tools of a trained clinician into play as he examines, from an object relations perspective, Freud's own pre-oedipal conflicts, and shows how they influenced Freud's personality as well as the male-centric shape of his theory. Not limited to only one perspective, The Freudian Mystique analyzes how the entire contextual framework of individual development, history, and culture affected Freud's work in feminine psychology. The book then looks forward, to formulating a modern biopsychosocial framework for female gender development.

What impact has the rapid economic development of Asia had on women? Why is Asia still home to the largest number of impoverished women? How does the feminization of poverty, one of the most urgent issues facing the continent, actually take place ? This remarkable book charts the effects of the economic boom on women across Asia. The author, one of Japan’s leading journalists, demonstrates how Asian women are confronting rapid economic development which is accompanied by widespread infringement of human rights. Analysing the lives of women in Japan, Thailand, the Phillipinnes, Taiwan, China, Nepal and Korea, Yayori Matsui explores the impact of globalization - including the feminization of migration and an increase in the trafficking of women sexual violence - from the ‘comfort’ women to child prostitution development projects - the cause of mass deforestation and displacement of communities However she also describes women’s credit co-ops, democratization movements and unionization of women workers. She meets women who have organized anti-logging blockades, literacy classes and campaigns against trafficking. She finds women across Asia resisting the dictatorship of development, the feminization of poverty and patriarchal values. Throughout the continent, she finds the seeds of hope for a new Asia.

This book is for women who have recently left an abusive relationship and are attempting to face the challenge of putting their lives back together. During this difficult period, women who have managed to leave the relationship are faced with the scary and daunting prospect of living independently, rebuilding self-esteem and self-worth, and learning how to establish healthy relationships in the future. Many are tempted to return to the abuser and have to mend or re-establish relationships with friends or family. This book provides accessible practical information on how to protect yourself once you've left the relationship, how to get through the difficult emotions that accompany leaving an abusive relationship, and includes exercises that are designed to help women monitor their emotional progress as they get further away from their old relationships.

Bewerkingen van eerder in De Volkskrant gepubliceerde "Signalementen", waarin de psychologie als wetenschap dienstbaar wordt gesteld aan de samenleving.

We are all bombarded with information from an ever-increasing number of sources, from books and magazines to e-mail and the internet. In a frenzy to acquire ever more knowledge, firm in the belief that the more we possess the more powerful we become we find that unfortunately the exact opposite is true. When faced with information stress, our performance is undermined, making it harder to think clearly, or act sensibly. These practical strategies help not merely to stay afloat but to swim confidently and profitably with the surging tide. It explains how to shut yourself off from what is irrelevant and how to determine the core message in any piece of information quickly.