ERIC Number: EJ844110
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0145-935X
EISSN: N/A
A Mediated Lifespace: Working Relationally with Girls
Hoskins, Marie L.; Mathieson, Lindsay C.
Child & Youth Services, v26 n2 p53-74 2004
A lifespace has to do with how selves are mediated by combining multiple cultural symbols to construct an identity in the world. The authors cite examples from media texts, as well as from a narrative study conducted with 10 adolescent girls in a treatment program for eating disorders, that illustrate the importance of practitioners considering the lifespace when working with adolescent girls. A fuller understanding is needed of how societal influences such as media, globalization, gender, and body image impact girls' lives in significant ways. Although there are no set formulas for working with this kind of knowledge, there are strategies that can be used to raise one's awareness as a practitioner working with girls. Such strategies include challenging one's assumptions about gender stereotypes, refining and elaborating meaning-making questions, and resisting the restrictive discourses that inhibit girls' development. (Contains 2 notes.)
Descriptors: Sex Stereotypes, Females, Self Concept, Eating Disorders, Global Approach, Cultural Influences, Identification (Psychology), Adolescents, Counseling Techniques, Social Influences, Body Composition, Gender Issues, Adolescent Development
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A