ABSTRACT
In Chapter 2 of this book I argued that a critical developmental perspective has much to offer as an approach to understanding the psychology of women. In Chapter 3 I outlined and critiqued what traditional developmental psychologists and personality theorists have had to say about women’s psychological development. In this chapter I will describe some of the attempts to provide a womancentred perspective on the psychological development of girls and women. Several of the writers whose work will be described adopt a specifically feminist stance, some do not. Most have made a strong contribution to an understanding of female psychology, one which does not suffer from being derived from male norms and values. Importantly, these writers have succeeded in revaluing the attributes often associated with the psychology of women and of the feminine. However, I will also outline some of the ways in which these authors fail – to a greater or lesser extent – to interrogate the foundational assumptions of their developmental thinking.
