WP 100

Telling the Truth about Power

Jean Baker Miller, M.D.

($10.00)

See a preview of the paper!

(Adobe Acrobat required)

This paper suggests methods that may help therapists to acknowledge their power and also to change from power-over actions to mutually empowering relationships. From this line of thinking, there follows an exploration of altering the concept of boundaries in therapy into mutually constructed agreements between patient and therapist. The paper was first presented at the Summer Training Institute of the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute, June 2003.

WP 101

Strengthening Resilience in a Risky World: It's All About Relationships

Linda M. Hartling, Ph.D.

($10.00)

See a preview of the paper!

(Adobe Acrobat Required)

Building on Judith Jordan's earlier work (Relational Resilience), this paper challenges the commonly held view that resilience is a unique form of individual "toughness" endowed to a lucky few and suggests that resilience can be strengthened in all people through participation in growth-fostering relationships. The author reviews the research describing individual, internal characteristics associated with resilience and explores the relational aspects of these characteristics. A case example illustrates that efforts promoting relational development help people grow through and beyond experiences of hardship and adversity. In addition, the author proposes specific ways resilience can be strengthened through engagement in relationships that enhance one's intellectual development, sense of worth, sense of competence, sense of empowerment, and, most importantly, sense of connection.

WP 102

Valuing Vulnerability: New Definitions of Courage

Judith V. Jordan, Ph.D.

($10.00)

See a preview of the paper!

(Adobe Acrobat Required)

In a dominant, Western culture that celebrates strength in separation and holds unrealistic expectations for independent, autonomous functioning, vulnerability is seen as a handicap. This system creates the illusion of an invulnerable and separate self, using autonomous, individualistic standards to measure a person's worth. Since these unrealistic expectations cannot be humanly attained, these controlling images become the source of shame and disconnection. Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT) suggests that there is value in embracing vulnerability and in providing support, both at an individual and a societal level, for the inevitable vulnerability of all people. Rather than espousing the individual, mostly mythical, traits of a "lone hero," RCT moves us toward new and important pathways to resilience and courage through connection. A version of this paper was originally presented at the 2002 Learning from Women Conference cosponsored by Harvard Medical School and the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute.

WP 103

Prevention Through Connection: A Collaborative Approach to Women's Substance Abuse

Linda M. Hartling, Ph.D.

($10.00)

See a preview of the paper!

(Adobe Acrobat Required)

This paper conceptualizes substance abuse as a disease of disconnection, which progressively separates and isolates people from relationships that can help them reduce their risk, promote their recovery, and ensure their health and well-being. Examining, particular, substance abuse among women, the author explores how women often use drugs or alcohol in two ways:

1. to facilitate and establish connections with others, such as intimate partners, peers, and social groups, and/or

2. to cope with serious relational disruptions, violations, or trauma.

In response, the author proposes a relational approach to prevention that emphasizes collaboration and the development of growth-fostering interpersonal, professional, and community relationshipsãprevention through connection. Using an example from a college setting, this paper describes how everyone can participate in a relational approach to prevention, opening the way to new possibilities and opportunities to reduce high-risk substance use and abuse. This paper will appear as a chapter in an upcoming casebook on Relational-Cultural Theory, edited by Wendy Rosen and Maureen Walker to be published by Guilford Press.