Abstract
In traditional Western psychological theories of development, the “self” has long been viewed as the primary reality and unit of study. Typically, the self has been seen as separated out from its context, a bounded, contained entity that has both object and subject qualities. Clinical and developmental theories generally have emphasized the growth of an autonomous, individuated self. Increasing self-control, a sense of self as origin of action and intention, an increasing capacity to use abstract logic, and a movement toward self-sufficiency characterize the maturation of the ideal Western self. Although most theorists have struggled with the issue of reification of the self, all have to some degree succumbed to the powerful pull to de-contextualize, abstract, and spatialize this concept. I will examine some of these models in terms of their limited applicability to the psychology of women and suggest an alternative conceptualization of self, a “relational self” or, as Jean Miller has suggested, a model of “being in relation” (Miller, 1984).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Baldwin, J. (1968). The self-conscious person. In C. Gordon & K. Gergen (Eds.), The self in social interaction (pp. 161–171 ). New York: John Wiley and Sons. (Original work published 1897 )
Basseches, M. (1980). Dialectical schemata: A framework for the empirical study of the development of dialectical thinking. Human Development, 23, 400–421.
Belenky, M., Clinchy, B., Goldberger, N., & Tarule, J. (1986). Women’s way of knowing: The development of self, voice, and mind. New York: Basic Books.
Broverman, I., Broverman, D., Clarkson, F., Rosenkrantz, P., & Vogel, S. (1970). Sex role stereotype and clinical judgments of mental health. Journal of Consulting and Counselling Psychology, 43, 1–7.
Chodorow, N. (1978). The reproduction of mothering: Psychoanalysis and the sociology of gender. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Cooley, C. H. (1968). The social self: on the meanings of “I.” In C. Gordon & K. Gergen (Eds.), The self in social interaction, (pp. 87–93). New York: John Wiley and Sons. (Original work published 1902 )
Erikson, E. (1963). Childhood and society ( 2nd ed. ). New York: W. W. Norton.
Fairbairn, W. (1952). An object relations theory of personality New York: Basic Books. ( Original work published 1946 )
Fliess, R. (1942). The metapsychology of the analyst. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 11, 211–227.
Freud, S. (1955). Beyond the pleasure principle. In J. Strachey (Ed. and Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Frevd (Vol. 18, pp. 3–64). London: Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1920)
Gergen, M. (1988). Feminist thought and the structure of knowledge. New York: New York University Press.
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Garden City, NY: Doubleday Anchor.
Guntrip, H. (1973). Psychoanalytic theory, therapy and the self. New York: Basic Books.
Hoffman, M. (1977). Sex differences in empathy and related behaviors. Psychological Bulletin, 84 (4), 712–722.
Horney, K. (1967). The flight from womanhood. In H. Kelman (Ed.), Feminine psychology (pp. 54–70 ). New York: W. W. Norton. (Original work published 1926 )
James, W. (1968). The self. In C. Gordon and K. Gergen (Eds.), The self in social interaction (pp. 41–51 ). New York: John Wiley & Sons. (Original work published 1890 )
Jordan, J. (1984). Empathy and self boundaries. Work in progress. No. 16. Wellesley, MA: Stone Center Working Paper Series.
Jordan, J. (1985). The meaning of mutuality. Work in progress, No. 23. Wellesley, MA: Stone Center Working Paper Series.
Jordan, J. (1987). Clarity in connection: Empathic knowing, desire and sexuality. Work in progress, No. 29. Wellesley, MA: Stone Center Working Paper Series.
Jordan, J. (1989). Relational development: Therapeutic implications of empathy and shame. Work in progress. 39 Wellesley, MA: Stone Center Working Paper Series.
Jordan, J. (1990). Relational development through empathy: Therapeutic applications. Work in progress. 40 Wellesley, MA: Stone Center Working Paper Series.
Jordan, J. & Surrey, J. (1986). The self-in-relation: Empathy and the mother-daughter relationship. In T. Bernay and D. Cantor. The psychology of today’s woman: New psychoanalytic visions. New York: Analytic Press.
Kaplan, A. (1983). Women and empathy. Work in progress, No. 2. Wellesley, MA: Stone Center Working Paper Series.
Kaplan, A. (1984). The “self-in-relation”: Implications for depression in women. Work in progress, No. 14. Wellesley, MA: Stone Center Working Paper Series.
Kegan, R. (1982). The evolving self: Problem and process in human development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Keller, E. (1985). Reflections on gender and science. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Kohlberg, L. (1989). The psychology of moral development: The nature and validity of moral stages. San Francisco, CA: Harpn & Row.
Klein, G. (1976). Psychoanalytic theory: An explanation of essentials. New York: International Universities Press.
Klein, M. (1953). Love, hate and reparation, with Joan Riviere. London: Hogarth Press.
Kohut, H. (1984). How does analysis cure? Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Lynd, H. (1958). On shame and the search for identity. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Lynn, D. (1962). Sex role and parental identification. Child Development, 33 (3), 555–564.
Mahler, M. S., Pine, F., & Bergman, A. (1975). The psychological birth of the human infant: Symbiosis and individuation. New York: Basic Books.
Markus, H., & Wurf, E. (1987). Th dynamic self-concept: A social psychological perspective. Annual review of psychology, 38, 299–337.
Mead, G. H. (1968). The genesis of the self. In C. Gordon & K. Gergen (Eds.), The self in social interaction. (pp. 51–61 ). New York: John Wiley and Sons. (Original work published 1925 )
Miller, J. B. (1976). Toward a new psychology of women. Boston: Beacon Press.
Miller, J. B. (1984). The development of women’s sense of self. Work in progress, No. 12. Wellesley, MA: Stone Center Working Paper Series.
Miller, J. B. (1986). What do we mean by relationships? Work in progress, No. 22. Wellesley, MA: Stone Center Working Paper Series.
Piaget, J. (1952). The origins of intelligence in children. New York: W. W. Norton.
Pollak, S. & Gilligan, C. (1982). Images of violence in thematic apperception test stories. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, (1), 159–167.
Sagi, A., & Hoffman, M. (1976). Empathic distress in newborns. Developmental Psychology, 12, 175–176.
Sanday, P. R. (1988). The reproduction of patriarchy in feminist anthropology. In M. Gergen (Ed.), Feminist thought and the structure of knowledge. (pp. 49–69 ). New York: New York Universities Press.
Schafer, R. (1959). Generative empathy in the treatment situation. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 28, 342–373.
Shotter, J., & Logan, J. (1988). The pervasiveness of patriarchy: On finding a different voice. In M. Gergen (Ed.), Feminist thought and the structure of knowledge (pp. 69–87 ). New York: New York University.
Simner, M. (1971). Newborn’s resonse to the cry of another infant. Developmental Psychology, 5, 135–150.
Sorokin, P. (1947). Society, culture and personality: Their structure and dynamics. New York: Harper.
Stern, D. (1986). The interpersonal world of the infant. New York: Basic Books.
Stiver, I. (1984). The meanings of “dependency” in female-male relationships. Work in Progress, No. 11. Wellesley, MA: Stone Center Working paper Series.
Sullivan, H. S. (1953). The interpersonal theory of psychiatry. New York: W. W. Norton.
Surrey, J. (1985). Self-in-relation: A theory of women’s development. Work in Progress, No. 13. Wellesley, MA: Stone Center Working Paper Series.
Thompson, C. (1941). Cultural processes in the psychology of women. Psychiatry, 4, 331–339.
Tiryakian, E. (1968). The existential self and the person. In C. Gordon & K. Gergen (Eds.), The self in social interaction (pp. 75–87 ). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Trevarthan, C. (1979). Communication and cooperation in early infancy: A description of primary intersubjectivity. In J. M. Bullower (Ed.), Before speech: The beginning of interpersonal communication. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Turner, R. (1968). The self-conception in social interaction. In C. Gordon & K. Gergen (Eds.), The self in social interaction (pp. 93–107 ). New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1991 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Jordan, J.V. (1991). The Relational Self: A New Perspective for Understanding Women’s Development. In: Strauss, J., Goethals, G.R. (eds) The Self: Interdisciplinary Approaches. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8264-5_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8264-5_8
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-8266-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-8264-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive