The feminizing of psychology

When I was a graduate student in the late 1950s psychology was a masculine dominated discipline. Oh, there were women doing university teaching and research, and even a few clinicians,mostly child psychologists, but the major psychologists on a national level were primarily men. Towering figures develped elegant theories of loearning, perception, memory, and personality. These were grand rational conceptualizations backed by brilliant research. Proponenets of major schools of psychology did battle in learned journals--Hull v. Tolman, Rogers v. Skinner, for example. Emotion was a part of those theories but largely played a secondary role.

Today there seems to be major paradign shift. Practianers increasingly seem to be women, particularly school psychologists. With this feminine shift there seems also to be increased emphasis upon feelings. Yes, cognitive behavioral theory places cognitions first, followed by emotions and behavior. But concern about abuse,trauma, marital problems, disfunctional families, the effects of poverty appears to place more and more emphasis on feelings. Simultaneously conceptualizations appear to be based more emotional than rational. What gets tossed of as thoery would never make the Psych. Review.

Recently I attended a three hour seminar about eating disorders. The speaker, a female university lecturer and clinician shifted seamlesly from anorexia, bulemia, binge eating, and the like to disconnectedness and social isolation as determining factors. She offered a disclaimer that most eating disorders affect women and that her experience at an eating disorder clinic was primarily with women. All theories are basicly the same she added--psychoanalytic, cognitive, behavioral-- they are all coming from the same place. (However, she was quick to add that is cognitive-behavioral in persuasion.) We learn at an early age, she explained, that thin is good and fat bad. That accounts for the cognitive part of her theory.

It seems to me that when I sit and watch the Piladelphia Eagles play the Dallas Cowboys with my male riends and relatives we are all well connected. We bond nonverbally. There is little talk except about football strategy and plays. We can go an entire hour without anyone saying anything but we are still communicating. We may sometimes discuss politics or the stock market or finance but I don't ever remember anyone bringing up feelings or relationships, except for an occasional smutty joke. Oh, did I mention, none of us has an eating disorder?

One last thought. I have been a practicing clinician for over forty years but I can honestly say that never once have I ever asked a client "How did that make you feel?" I would choke over the words.

A state of mind

I never turned on to golf. It's mostly because of my vision. I'm like Weakeyes Yokum in Li'l Abner, I just don't see well. When I manage to hit the ball I can't locate it for the next shot. So Retirement doesn't sit well with me either. This past weekend we did a fast trip to Orlando. Hilton offered us a deal we couldn't refuse. The trip on Air Trans was horrendous but that's another story. Just don't ever willingly fly out of Terminal D in Philadelphia. Things improved once we arrived despite 96 degree temperatures. The quid pro quo was a two hour sales pitch for a Florida Hilton time share. We already are Hilton owners in New York City which allows us to go almost anywhere so why would I need another time share? How many times do I really want to see Disneyworld?

But that takes me back to retirement. I am retiring for the third time in June. Not really retiring, just leaving. I'm going to consult, providing mental health services to schools. They've invited me to a retirement party all the same, so I'll attand and have a good time. So long as I'm healthy, why reire? I like what I do and still do it well. I make my own hours, more or less, and so does my wife. We can go to Orlando or the Big Apple, or Swahillyland if we want to (if we can afford it).

We did retire for six months about half a dozen years ago. After a while we were both talked out. We had nothing new to discuss...so we went back to work and never looked back. It makes life more interesting. I mostly listen anyway but Joyce talks for the both of us.

When Marvin Levi at age 75 was still coaching the Buffalo Bills a reporter asked him when he would retire. "When you start thinking about retirement" he quipped "you're already retired."