Gender and Addictions

Historically, addiction research and treatment have been based on male models, while gender studies were almost exclusively concerned with women. Straussner and Zelvin have compiled the first major work to confront issues of gender as they relate to the treatment of both substance abuse and process addictions (gambling, sexual dependency, compulsive eating). Recognizing that men and women have different patterns and different needs, the book emphasizes the relational model of female psychological development formulated by such theorists as Miller, Chodorow, and Gilligan, which illuminates women's functional focus on connection and relationship as opposed to men's on separation and individuation. Similarly, traditional male roles, values, and concerns are reconsidered as power, control, and socially condoned behaviors are explored and mined for insights into dependency and recovery.