- Email: [email protected]
Turning point—A programme for women in transition
BooK REVIEWS
348
society is making us sick. In its piace he offers as yet unrealized visions of the future sought by Karl Marx. The old Utopian idea of a society without restraints is proposed, where “the vast variety of human potentialities would flourish and be nurtured”. He holds that social changes that “would encourage deeper respect for children’s developing needs and capacities for autonomy” including single parient families . . , gay parents, communal and other living arrangements . . . offer alternatives to conventional family life. . . .” There is nothing new here concerning psychosocial forces in health and disease. There is just a plea for tighter bodily regulation and looser social restraints. STEWART WOLF
Institute
for Human
Ecology, Bangor, Pennsylvania
Turning Point-A Programme for Women in Transition. SANDRA SMITH MOORE, CAROL HARTMAN and ANDREA WELBOURN~. Division of Continuing Education, University of Kansas, 1982. Price not given. THE COLLECTIONof papers in the form of ‘workshop’ covers a variety of topics related to ‘women in transition or displaced homemakers’ (a somewhat unfortunate euphemism). It begins with life-coping skills-a series of articles looking at personal and emotional strengths, support systems, stress management and assertiveness-training. This section of the book is excellent and worthy of the attention of a British audience. It is a pity that it could not be published as a separate booklet. The rest of the publication fails to navigate the journey across the Atlantic. Two-thirds of the copy covers consumerism. legal assistance, job readiness and career-plans but they all relate to the American way of life and are virtually inapplicable to Britain. 1 particularly liked the whimsical ‘I’m sorry, boycott’-an article which reflected woman’s need to apologise for everything she might remotely feel responsible or irresponsible for. 1 also appreciated the self-rating questionnaires on stress-related problems and excellent advice to group leaders on how to conduct a two-day workshop on stress management; but all that is in the first third of the book which I whole-heartedly recommend.
JUDY GREENWOOD Senior Registrar, Royal Edinburgh Hospital
Human Sexuality and its Problems. Price f12.00.
JOHN
BANCROFT. Churchill
Livingstone,
Edinburgh,
1983. pp. 447.
as he has approached human sexuality from psychoJOHN BANCROFT is a ‘man for all disciplines’, physiological, endocrinological, medical and psycho-social perspectives. This is a long, comprehensive and thorough textbook which is clear and informative throughout. It is probably the only textbook on the market which covers so many relevant issues in such detail. Basic facts are supplied as well as clear descriptions of the latest world research on Human Sexuality. Many textbooks of this kind avoid certain issues involving therapy for sexual minorities, but Bancroft is sympathetic towards these groups and maintains an unbiased attitude towards heterosexuals and homosexuals. Some people were rather prejudiced towards Bancroft’s views on homosexuality in the early 70’s but he could not be accused of being authoritarian or taking a heavy hand in this book. Nowadays a more controversial issue in sex therapy is the use of surrogate partners and he is supportive towards this service, although he concludes that the ethical problems are not going to be dismissed easily. A further valuable aspect of this book is the emphasis upon the treatment of sexual deviants who run foul of the law. He describes the treatment well of solitary and clandestine deviants some of whom come before the law where they are revealed to be more in need of treatment than punishment, at least in the
348
society is making us sick. In its piace he offers as yet unrealized visions of the future sought by Karl Marx. The old Utopian idea of a society without restraints is proposed, where “the vast variety of human potentialities would flourish and be nurtured”. He holds that social changes that “would encourage deeper respect for children’s developing needs and capacities for autonomy” including single parient families . . , gay parents, communal and other living arrangements . . . offer alternatives to conventional family life. . . .” There is nothing new here concerning psychosocial forces in health and disease. There is just a plea for tighter bodily regulation and looser social restraints. STEWART WOLF
Institute
for Human
Ecology, Bangor, Pennsylvania
Turning Point-A Programme for Women in Transition. SANDRA SMITH MOORE, CAROL HARTMAN and ANDREA WELBOURN~. Division of Continuing Education, University of Kansas, 1982. Price not given. THE COLLECTIONof papers in the form of ‘workshop’ covers a variety of topics related to ‘women in transition or displaced homemakers’ (a somewhat unfortunate euphemism). It begins with life-coping skills-a series of articles looking at personal and emotional strengths, support systems, stress management and assertiveness-training. This section of the book is excellent and worthy of the attention of a British audience. It is a pity that it could not be published as a separate booklet. The rest of the publication fails to navigate the journey across the Atlantic. Two-thirds of the copy covers consumerism. legal assistance, job readiness and career-plans but they all relate to the American way of life and are virtually inapplicable to Britain. 1 particularly liked the whimsical ‘I’m sorry, boycott’-an article which reflected woman’s need to apologise for everything she might remotely feel responsible or irresponsible for. 1 also appreciated the self-rating questionnaires on stress-related problems and excellent advice to group leaders on how to conduct a two-day workshop on stress management; but all that is in the first third of the book which I whole-heartedly recommend.
JUDY GREENWOOD Senior Registrar, Royal Edinburgh Hospital
Human Sexuality and its Problems. Price f12.00.
JOHN
BANCROFT. Churchill
Livingstone,
Edinburgh,
1983. pp. 447.
as he has approached human sexuality from psychoJOHN BANCROFT is a ‘man for all disciplines’, physiological, endocrinological, medical and psycho-social perspectives. This is a long, comprehensive and thorough textbook which is clear and informative throughout. It is probably the only textbook on the market which covers so many relevant issues in such detail. Basic facts are supplied as well as clear descriptions of the latest world research on Human Sexuality. Many textbooks of this kind avoid certain issues involving therapy for sexual minorities, but Bancroft is sympathetic towards these groups and maintains an unbiased attitude towards heterosexuals and homosexuals. Some people were rather prejudiced towards Bancroft’s views on homosexuality in the early 70’s but he could not be accused of being authoritarian or taking a heavy hand in this book. Nowadays a more controversial issue in sex therapy is the use of surrogate partners and he is supportive towards this service, although he concludes that the ethical problems are not going to be dismissed easily. A further valuable aspect of this book is the emphasis upon the treatment of sexual deviants who run foul of the law. He describes the treatment well of solitary and clandestine deviants some of whom come before the law where they are revealed to be more in need of treatment than punishment, at least in the