Psychological Development of Girls and Women

Choice Recommended ReadThis thoroughly revised new edition updates Sheila Greene's original transformative account of the psychological development of girls and women and the central role of time in shaping human experience. Greene critically reviews traditional and contemporary theoretical approaches – ranging from orthodox psychoanalysis to relational and post-modern theories – and argues that even those that claim to focus on development have presented a view of women's lives as fixed and determined by their nature or their past. These theories, she believes, should be rejected because of their inherent lack of validity and their frequently oppressive implications for women.Essential but often neglected insights from the more compelling developmental and feminist theories are woven together within a theoretical framework that emphasizes temporality, emergence and human agency. The result is a liberating theory of women's psychological development as constantly emerging and changing in time rather than as static and fixed by their nature, socio-cultural context and personal history.Updated for a new generation of readers, The Psychological Development of Girls and Women will continue to be essential reading for students and researchers in the psychology of women, developmental psychology and women's studies.

"The Psychological Development of Women and Girls is as relevant today as it was in its original publication. Students and established professionals alike will find that Sheila Green’s reframing of human development provides a fresh perspective on girls and women, and is a vital resource for learning and research." – Annie G. Rogers, School of Critical Social Inquiry, Hampshire College, USA Praise for the first edition"An important corrective to 'malestream' developmental psychology. Deserves to be standard reading on all developmental psychology courses." – Valerie Walkerdine, Centre for Critical Psychology, University of Western Sydney, Australia"Greene’s argument for greater cohesion between the psychology of women and developmental psychology fields motivates the reader to reconsider notions of women and girls. The book provides researchers and educators new ways of understanding and promoting diversity and independence for girls and women." – Annette Hatcher Parkerson in Educational Researcher, Vol 33, No 6, "In this second edition, Greene (emer., Trinity College Dublin, Ireland) continues to challenge the orthodox Freudian development schemas and extends that challenge to the more recent neurobiological theories that posit definitive male and female differences. In doing so, she presents a thorough review of developmental theory. Approximately a quarter of the references in the second edition postdate those in the first...This revised edition of Greene's study will be an important resource for those with a particular interest in gender and women's studies.Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals." - D. L. Loers, Akoan Consulting, CHOICE, November 2015"The Psychological Development of Women and Girls is as relevant today as it was in its original publication. Students and established professionals alike will find that Sheila Green’s reframing of human development provides a fresh perspective on girls and women and is a vital resource for learning and research." – Annie G. Rogers, School of Critical Social Inquiry, Hampshire College, USA Praise for the first edition"An important corrective to 'malestream' developmental psychology. Deserves to be standard reading on all developmental psychology courses." – Valerie Walkerdine, Centre for Critical Psychology, University of Western Sydney, Australia"Greene’s argument for greater cohesion between the psychology of women and developmental psychology fields motivates the reader to reconsider notions of women and girls. The book provides researchers and educators new ways of understanding and promoting diversity and independence for girls and women." – Annette Hatcher Parkerson in Educational Researcher, Vol 33, No 6"[This] book challenges the traditional developmental psychology model as applied to women. [...] Greene continues to challenge the orthodox Freudian development schemas and extends that challenge to the more recent neurobiological theories that posit definitive male and female differences. In doing so, she presents a thorough review of developmental theory. [...] She uses these references to support her theory taht traditional view of development is too gender biased, overemphasizing the biological differences of brain development between men and women or emphasizing only the cultural differences that shape development. [...] This revised edition of Greene's study will be an important resource for those with a particular interest in gender and women's studies. Summing up: Recommended." -D. L. Loeras, Akoan Consulting, CHOICE November 2015

Sheila Greene is Professor and Fellow Emeritus at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, where she was co-founder of the Children’s Research Centre and the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies. Her research interests include the psychology of women and gender, child development and children’s issues and developmental theory.