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Feminist and community mental health center psychotherapists' expectations of mental health for women

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Abstract

Female (n=75) and male (n=55) community mental health center psychotherapists and feminist therapists (n=82) were given the Rosenkrantz, Vogel, Bee, Broverman, and Broverman (1968) Sex-Role Stereotype Questionnaire and were asked to rate either mentally healthy adults, females, wives, or mothers. Female community mental health center therapists and feminist therapists were found to maintain one standard of mental health; that is, their perceptions of mental health for adults, females, wives, and mothers did not differ. In contrast, male therapists perceived mentally healthy adults in more male-valued terms than they perceived mentally healthy females, wives, and mothers. Additionally, both feminist and other female therapists differed from male therapists in their perceptions of health for mothers, but not for adults and wives.

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This report is based on a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the doctoral degree at the College of Education, University of Maryland, 1974. The author wishes to express her appreciation to her dissertation chairperson, Dr. Janice M. Birk, for her invaluable assistance during all phases of this study.

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Aslin, A.L. Feminist and community mental health center psychotherapists' expectations of mental health for women. Sex Roles 3, 537–544 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287837

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