"A superb, up-to-date feminist analysis of the
borderline condition. . . . Characterized by
stereotypically feminine qualities, such as poor
interpersonal boundaries and an unstable sense of self,
borderline diagnosis has been questioned by many as a
veiled replacement of the hysteria diagnosis. . . .
Wirth-Cauchon includes narratives from women exhibiting
the theoretical underpinnings of the borderline
diagnosis. . . . The author is rigorous in her analysis,
and mainstream academics and diagnosticians should take
note lest they create yet another label that disregards
the contradictory and conflicting expectations
experienced by so many women. Includes an excellent
bibliography and a wealth of good reference. Highly
recommended."-Choice "This book contributes to a rich,
feminist interdisciplinary theoretical understanding of
women's psychological distress, and represents an
excellent companion volume to Dana Becker's book titled
Through the Looking Glass."-Psychology of Women
Quarterly "Wonderfully written. . . . [The] argument
proceeds with an impeccable and transparent logic, the
writing is sophisticated, evocative, even inspired. This
work should have enormous appeal."- Kenneth Gergen,
author of Realities and Relationships "Impressive in its
synthesis of many different ideas . . . both clinicians
and people diagnosed with BPD may find much of value in
Wirth-Cauchon's thoughtful and provoking
analysis."-Metapsychology At the beginning of the
twentieth century, "hysteria" as a medical or
psychiatric diagnosis was primarily applied to women. In
fact, the term itself comes from the Greek, meaning
"wandering womb." We have since learned that this
diagnosis had evolved from certain assumptions about
women's social roles and mental characteristics, and is
no longer in use. The modern equivalent of hysteria,
however, may be borderline personality disorder, defined
as "a pervasive pattern of instability of self-image,
interpersonal relationships, and mood, beginning in
early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts."
This diagnosis is applied to women so much more often
than to men that feminists have begun to raise important
questions about the social, cultural, and even the
medical assumptions underlying this "illness." Women are
said to be "unstable" when they may be trying to
reconcile often contradictory and conflicting social
expectations. In Women and Borderline Personality
Disorder, Janet Wirth-Cauchon presents a feminist
cultural analysis of the notions of "unstable" selfhood
found in case narratives of women diagnosed with
borderline personality disorder. This exploration of
contemporary post-Freudian psychoanalytic notions of the
self as they apply to women's identity conflicts is an
important contribution to the literature on social
constructions of mental illness in women and feminist
critiques of psychiatry in general. Janet Wirth-Cauchon
is an associate professor of sociology at Drake
University.
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