The stereotypical adolescent girl is often portrayed by the media, at best, as uncertain and overly concerned with her appearance and, at worst, as a victim of eating disorders, declining self-esteem, and risky sexual behavior. These stereotypes fail to capture the richness and diversity of adolescent girls' experiences. Going beyond these superficial media depictions, this volume presents a more balanced view of teenage girls that emphasizes their strengths as well as the challenges they must meet.
The contributing authors explore topics at the heart of adolescence, including gender-role prescriptions, body image concerns, relationships with family and peers, sexual decision-making, experiences at school and in the community, and health and safety concerns. This ground-breaking volume is essential reading for a wide audience of professionals interested in this critical period of development and growth in young women's lives.
Contributors
Foreword
—Dorothy W. Cantor
- Passage on the Wild River of Adolescence: Arriving Safely
—Norine G. Johnson and Michael C. Roberts
I. Developing the Woman in Myself
Introduction to Section I
—Judith Worell
- Gender Influences on Adolescent Development
—Susan A. Basow and Lisa R. Rubin - Self Evaluations of Competence, Task Values, and Self-Esteem
—Jacquelynne Eccles, Bonnie Barber, Deborah Jozefowicz, Oksana Malenchuk, and Mina Vida - Body Image Concerns and Disordered Eating in Adolescent Girls: Risk and Protective Factors
—Ruth H. Striegel Moore and Fary M. Cachelin
II. Adolescent Girls of Color: Declaring Their Place and Voice
Introduction to Section II
—Jessica Henderson Daniel
- The "Other" Adolescent Girls: Who Are They?
—Bonnie Y. Ohye and Jessica Henderson Daniels - Immigrant Adolescent Girls of Color: Facing American Challenges
—Cynthia de las Fuentes and Melba J. T. Vasquez - American-Born Asian, African, Latina, and American Indian Adolescent Girls: Challenges and Strengths
—Melba J. t. Vasquez and Cynthia de las Fuentes
III. To the Heart of the Matter: The Relational Lives of Adolescent Girls
Introduction to Section III
—Lyn Mike1 Brown
- Cultivating Hardiness Zones for Adolescent Girls: A Reconceptualization of Resilience in Relationships With Caring Adults
—Elizabeth DeBold, Lyn Mikel Brown, Susan Weseen, and Geraldine Kearse Brookins - The Others in My I: Adolescent Girls' Friendships and Peer Relations
—Lyn Mikel Brown, Niobe Way, and Julia L. Duff - Female Adolescent Sexuality in Relational Context: Beyond Sexual Decision-Making
—Deborah Tolman
IV. Coping, Negotiating, and Problem Solving in Community Contexts
Introduction to Section IV
—Denise M. DeZolt
- Adolescent Girls' Experiences in School and Community Settings
—Denise M. DeZolt and Mary Henning-Stout - Dating Violence and Teenage Prostitution: Adolescent Girls in the Justice System
—Michele Harway and Marsha Liss - Health Care for Adolescent Girls
—Denise M. Dougherty
V. Implications and Future Trends
Introduction to Section V
—Michael C. Roberts
- Sexual Obsessions: Public Policy and Adolescent Girls
—Brian L. Wilcox - Practice and Education Issues Related to Adolescent Girls
—Joanne E. Callan - Enhancing the Development of Adolescent Girls
—Florence L. Denmark
Appendix: A New Look at Adolescent Girls: Strengths and Stresses
Author Index
Subject Index
About the Editors
Norine G. Johnson, PhD, is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) Board of Directors and is the past president of the Division of the Psychology of Women. She is cochair of the APA's Presidential Task Force on Adolescent Girls. Dr. Johnson has a full-time independent practice in Quincy, Massachusetts, and specializes in adolescent girls' and women's issues. She is a clinical assistant professor in the Boston University Medical School, Department of Neurology. She is coeditor with Judith Worell of the volume, Shaping the Future of Feminist Psychology: Education, Research, and Practice. Dr. Johnson received her doctorate in clinical psychology from Wayne State University and did her postdoctoral work in the 2-year Program for Mental Health Planners/Administrators sponsored by Harvard Medical School.
Michael C. Roberts, PhD, ABPP, graduated from Purdue University in clinical psychology with a specialization in clinical child psychology, after completing his clinical internship at Oklahoma Children's Hospital. Dr. Roberts has served as editor for the Journal of Pediatric Psychology and Children's Health Care. He is the current editor of Children's Services: Social Policy, Research, and Practice. Dr. Roberts has served as president of the Society of Pediatric Psychology and of the Section on Clinical Child Psychology of the American Psychological Association (APA). Recently, he chaired the APA Committee on Children, Youth, and Families and now is the liaison between the APA and the American Academy of Pediatrics. His professional and research interests include topics in services for children and families in mental and physical health care, and public policy.
Judith Worell, PhD, is a professor of child clinical psychology in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology at the University of Kentucky, where she teaches courses on social development, gender development, and counseling women. She is the author or coauthor of six prior books, is a member of numerous journal editorial and consulting boards, and was the editor of Psychology of Women Quarterly from 1989 to 1995. Dr. Worell has conducted research on feminist identity development and process and outcomes of feminist therapy and is a past president of the American Psychological Association Division of the Psychology of Women.
Beyond Appearance presents the cutting edge thinking of the best and brightest researchers in this most important arena—the lives of adolescent girls. It challenges us to see the girls around us from a different, innovative perspective: from the point of view if their competencies, "hardiness," and resiliency, as well as their vulnerabilities. This is truly an inclusive work, focusing not only on White middle-class girls but also on working-class girls and girls of color.
The contributors take us beyond much of the superficial literature about girls today, probing the depths of true scientific understanding, while remaining practical with important suggestions for interventions with the girls we cherish and respect. I recommend it highly to any researcher in the field of gender, any teacher of girls' or women's' studies, all clinicians who deal with adolescent girls, and even to parents curious and involved in their children's lives. It is also incumbent on male researchers and scholars in the study of boys and men to read this volume from cover to cover if they are to truly understand the realities of youth of both genders. Through such understanding we can work toward a 21st-century in which we help both young men and young women achieve their fullest potential.
—William S. Pollack, PhD, author of Real Boys and New Psychotherapy for Men, Harvard Medical School/Center for Men, McLean Hospital, Fellow and Founding Member of APA, Division 51, Society for the Study of Men and Masculinity
With the publication of Beyond Appearance: A New Look at Adolescent Girls, Johnson, Roberts, and Worrell provide a thorough going and critical review of the literature of adolescent girls, conceived at the provocative intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality. The chapters are comprehensive in their wide-ranging coverage and at times exhilarating, as they lift up the next generation of research, policy, and practice issues. The volume is a must-read for educators, researchers, practitioners, activists, and policymakers. A gift from the American Psychological Association to the young women of our nation and those of us eager to work with them and on their behalf!
—Michael Fine, PhD, Professor of Social/Personality Psychology, The City University of New York, The Graduate School and University Center
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