The impulsive woman as client: Treating the legacy of shame.

Abstract

Many clinicians have noted that a principal issue in psychotherapy with women is the exaggerated shame often experienced and uncovered during treatment (e.g., Jones, 1990;Rawlings & Carter, 1977; Resneck-Sannes, 1991;Scheff & Retzinger, 1991). Research also suggests that women may be more likely to feel a more profound humiliation regarding the commission of impulsive actions than do men (Johnson, McCown, & Booker, 1986). These feelings are associated with a variety of behaviors that men may find less stigmatizing, including violence (Scheff & Retzinger, 199 1) , sexual behavior (Reiss, 1990), and alcohol and other drug abuse (Miller, 1980). Women are also likely to experience serious humiliation and stigmatization when they are victims of the impulsive behavior of others, as is indicated by the negative social response to sexual abuse victims (Blume, 1990; Lowery, 1987).In this chapter we present several new studies reiterating that impulsive actions committed by women are judged more harshly than areWe wish to thank Deborah Barkhausen for her contribution to this chapter.