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Embodiment and Well-Being: The Embodied Journeys of Girls and Women

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Feminist Perspectives on Building a Better Psychological Science of Gender

Abstract

Girls’ and women’s experiences in inhabiting their bodies have been of central interest to feminist researchers in psychology due to their inextricable link to social structures of power and privilege and their association with measures of well-being. The chapter starts with a discussion of embodiment in relation to the feminist movement and to women’s well-being. Anchored in the embodied journey of one participant in the older women study, the chapter describes the research-based constructs of embodiment, embodied journeys, and the social factors that shape them according to the Developmental Theory of Embodiment and delineates their implications to practice.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, OISE/University of Toronto, 252 Bloor St. West, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S 1V6

    Niva Piran Ph.D., C. Psych.

Authors
  1. Niva Piran Ph.D., C. Psych.
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Correspondence to Niva Piran Ph.D., C. Psych. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

    Tomi-Ann Roberts

  2. Psychology, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

    Nicola Curtin

  3. Psychology, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA

    Lauren E. Duncan

  4. Psychology and Women’s Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Lilia M. Cortina

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Piran, N. (2016). Embodiment and Well-Being: The Embodied Journeys of Girls and Women. In: Roberts, TA., Curtin, N., Duncan, L., Cortina, L. (eds) Feminist Perspectives on Building a Better Psychological Science of Gender. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32141-7_4

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