Journeys of Embodiment at the Intersection of Body and Culture
The Developmental Theory of Embodiment
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Elsevier Science Publishing Co Inc
Published:20th Sep '17
Should be back in stock very soon
Examines an innovative developmental theory that provides new perspective on how women and girls inhabit and experience their body
Journeys of Embodiment at the Intersection of Body and Culture: The Developmental Theory of Embodiment describes an innovative developmental and feminist theory—understanding embodiment—to provide a new perspective on the interactions between the social environment of girls and young women of different social locations and their embodied experience of engagement with the world around them. The book proposes that the multitude of social experiences described by girls and women shape their body experiences via three core pathways: experiences in the physical domain, experiences in the mental domain and experiences related directly to social power. The book is structured around each developmental stage in the body journey of girls and young women, as influenced by their experience of embodiment. The theory builds on the emergent constructs of ‘embodiment’ and ‘body journey,’ and the key social experiences which shape embodiment throughout development and adolescence—from agency, functionality and passion during early childhood to restriction, shame and varied expressions of self-harm during and following puberty. By addressing not only adverse experiences at the intersection of gender, social class, ethnocultural grouping, resilience and facilitative social factors, the theory outlines constructive pathways toward transformation. It contends that both protective and risk factors are organized along these three pathways, with the positive and negative aspects conceptualized as Physical Freedom (vs. Corseting), Mental Freedom (vs. Corseting), and Social Power (vs. Disempowerment and Disconnection).
"In this remarkable and engaging book, Piran allows us to see into the worlds of girls and women across the lifespan and to hear their often confronting and poignant body journey narratives. Anchored in these narratives, she has described a new multidimensional theory of the development of embodied experiences - the Developmental Theory of Embodiment, which will certainly guide future practice and research in the field. This book is also an inspiring call to action to create environments in which girls and women can recapture embodied experiences of agency, functionality and passion." --Susan Paxton, Ph.D., FAED, FAPS, Professor, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia "Dr. Piran is the leading expert on the topic of embodiment in young women and this book pulls together her life’s work on research, theory development, and application. I picked up the book and could barely put it down. While rich in theory, the text reads very easily due to the inclusion of various stories of body journeys of girls and women. Dr. Piran writes so beautifully about the Theory of Embodiment, which she has developed. As a long-time researcher on body image, a mother, a yoga teacher, and an adult woman with my own body journey, I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning about, and improving, the lives of girls and women." --Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD, Professor and Division Head, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, US "Her book, Journeys of Embodiment at the Intersection of Body and Culture, is an in-depth description and discussion of the theory, illustrated with many quotes from the girls and women she interviewed… Women’s studies faculty and students should find it especially interesting." -- Joan C. Chrisler, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of Psychology, Asian Women: The Research Institute for Asian Women. "Chapters of this book would make for excellent readings for upper-level undergraduate courses that discuss such disparate topics as body image, eating psychopathology, violence against women, adolescent development, and mental health, among others. In addition, this book or portions of it should be required reading for courses on feminist theory, particularly as it relates to psychological issues. This book would make an excellent text for an undergraduate or graduate course on the Psychology of Women or Psychology of Gender." -- Taryn Myers, Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of Academic Effectiveness, Virginia Wesleyan University
ISBN: 9780128054109
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 450g
336 pages