BPS Core Textbooks Series

Developed in collaboration with the British Psychological Society

Chapter 32 – Tell Me Where It Hurts: Feminist Psychology’s Critique of Hegemonic Masculinity

Chapter Summary

This chapter explores the emergence of feminist psychology as a radical critique of mainstream psychology’s complicity with patriarchal power. Beginning with Phyllis Chesler’s exposé of sexual abuse by male therapists in the 1970s, the chapter uncovers how feminist psychologists revealed the gendered assumptions underpinning both theory and clinical practice. These pioneers did not merely seek inclusion in psychology; they demanded its transformation. Drawing on personal narratives, standpoint epistemology, and survey data, feminist psychologists challenged the neutrality of ‘objective’ knowledge and exposed the normative violence of universalising male perspectives. Through the work of key figures such as Naomi Weisstein, Sandra Bem, Carol Gilligan, and Gail Lewis, the chapter explores how feminist critiques reshaped concepts of identity, morality, care, and justice. Using the critical thinking tool of hegemony, it demonstrates how dominant assumptions become naturalised until made visible by critique. Ontologically, feminist psychology questioned binary sex categories and the pathologisation of femininity; epistemologically, it redefined what counted as valid knowledge; politically, it fought to change institutional structures and ethical norms. By the end of the twentieth century, feminist psychology had begun to reimagine the psychology as a platform for collective empowerment and change.

Chapter 32 – Quiz

  • Chapter 32 – Flashcards

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  • Chapter 32 – Key Readings

    Bookwala, J., & Newton, N. J. (2022). Reflections from pioneering women in psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 

    Burman, E. (2016). Fanon, Foucault, feminisms: Psychoeducation, theoretical psychology, and political change. Theory & Psychology, 26(6), 706-730. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354316653484 

    Dennis PM. (2020) Bishop Fulton J. Sheen: America’s public critic of psychoanalysis, 1947–1957. Journal of the History of the Behavioural Sciences, 56(1), 36–51. https://doi.org/10.1002/jhbs.22000 

    Dhar, A. (2020). Psychology: A discipline in trouble and trouble in the discipline. Theory & Psychology, 31(2), 310-312. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354320945795 

    Hare-Mustin, R. T., & Marecek, J. (1988). The meaning of difference: Gender theory, postmodernism, and psychology. American Psychologist, 43(6), 455–464. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.43.6.455 

    Hubbard, K., & Hegarty, P. (2024). A feminist companion to conceptual and historical issues in psychology. Open University Press. 

    Kim, S., & Rutherford, A. (2015). From seduction to sexism: Feminists challenge the ethics of therapist–client sexual relations in 1970s America. History of Psychology, 18(3), 283–296. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039524 

    Maass, V. S. (2023). Feminist psychology: History, practice, research, and the future. Praeger. 

    Meijer, M. (2022). Making therapy more transparent: On Kevin R. Smith’s therapeutic ethics. Theory & Psychology, 33(3), 424-432. https://doi.org/10.1177/09593543221131271  

    Rutherford, A. (2021). Psychology at the intersections of gender, feminism, history, and culture. Cambridge University Press. 

    Rutherford, A., Vaughn-Blount, K., & Ball, L. C. (2010). Responsible opposition, Disruptive voices: science, social change, and the history of feminist psychology. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 34(4), 460–473. 

    Spandler, H., & Carr, S. (2022). Lesbian and bisexual women’s experiences of aversion therapy in England. History of the Human Sciences, 35(3-4), 218-236. https://doi.org/10.1177/09526951211059422  

    Stupak, R., & Dyga, K. (2018). Postpsychiatry and postmodern psychotherapy: Theoretical and ethical issues in mental health care in a Polish context. Theory & Psychology, 28(6), 780-799. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354318802973 

  • Chapter 32 – Reflective Questions

    1. How did feminist psychologists expose the ethical failures of mainstream therapeutic practice in the 1970s? 
    2. What role does ‘experience’ play in feminist psychology as a form of evidence? 
    3. How did key feminist thinkers like Carol Gilligan and Sandra Bem challenge psychological assumptions about gender and development? 
    4. What is ‘hegemony’, and why is it a useful critical tool for analysing psychological knowledge and institutions? 
    5. In what ways did feminist psychology reimagine the purpose of psychological science itself? 

  • Chapter 32 – Weblinks

    A comparative survey of therapist sexual misconduct between an American state and an Australian state – APA Article (Educational Resource)

    https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.27.3.289

    This academic article provides clear explanations of, and comparative data regarding patient experiences of sexual misconduct with their therapist, giving students an understanding of the impact and statistics behind the concept.

    Naomi Weisstein – Feminist Voices

    https://feministvoices.com/profiles/naomi-weisstein

    This webpage gives an overview of the life, work and contributions of Weisstein to the many fields she worked in. It gives students a thorough and clear look at her works and the context that created them, letting them engage with the subject more.

    Psychology’s Feminist Voices (Educational Resource)

    https://feministvoices.com

    This site gives students access to a large database of information on various important feminist figures in psychology, including primary resources for students to access using the searchable features of the site.

    In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development – Carol Gilligan JSTOR Article (Archival Resource)

    https://www.jstor.org/stable/41035310

    This page contains an archival copy of the aforementioned paper, which explores the development and resulting implications of Carol Gilligan’s work.

    Gail Lewis – Wikipedia (Educational Resource)

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gail_Lewis_(academic)

    This page contains an overview of the life and works of Gail Lewis, providing plenty of access to further resources regarding what is discussed on the page so students can engage thoroughly with the subject of race and gender in psychology.

    Rachel T. Hare-Mustin (1928-2020) – APA PsychNet (Academic Paper)

    https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-26586-018

    This paper gives tribute to the extensive work done by Hare-Mustin, giving students the ability to engage with early feminist work on ethics in psychotherapy, which is critical for understanding the debates surrounding therapist-patient sexual misconduct.

    The Feminist Therapy Centre

    https://thefeministtherapycentre.co.uk

    This webpage gives an overview of the founding and context behind the Feminist Therapy Centre, including some information on Dr Bekah Shallcross, the founder of the organisation. This gives students the ability to engage with a real-world application of the theories discussed in the chapter.