ABSTRACT
Several years ago the author was asked by the editors of a new cross-disciplinary journal to edit a series of articles on sex and gender for them. Therefore, the author sought work that appeared to be somewhat distinct from usual theory and practice within psychology-work that was on the cutting edge of feminist psychology. It is, however, characteristic of social constructionism-a theoretical framework that is important for feminists in many disciplines outside of psychology, notably, anthropology, history, and literary criticism. It is too early in the development of the area to attempt to define a feminist methodology for psychology based upon social constructionism. This chapter considers race and class as well as sexual issues. It focuses on the differential consciousness of victims and non-victims, illustrating how different styles of coping can be evaluated only in terms of the context of the individual’s life.
