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ED 234 304 CG 016 898

AUTHOR Avery, Donna M., Ed.TITLE Case Studies of Critical Events.INSTITUTION Chicago State Univ., IL. Center for Woman's Identity

Studies.SPONS AGENCY Women's Educational Equity Act Program (ED),

Washington, DC.PUB DATE 81NOTE 73p.; For related documents, see CG 016 897-899.PUB TYPE Guides - Non-Classroom Use (055)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Biculturalism; Blacks; *Case Studies; *Counselor

Training; Cultural Influences; Emotional Problems;*Females; *Goal Orientation; Hispanic American8;*Individual Development; Midlife Transitions; ParentAspiration; Self Actualization; Sex Role; StressVariables; Training Methods

IDENTIFIERS *Identity Formation; *Life Events

ABSTRACTThis book addresses the need for counselor training

materials which deal with the counseling needs of women of varyingethnic and racial backgrounds. It is designed for training ih,community agencies, women's centers, college and universitycounseling centers, and other programs addressing the needs ofre-entry women, single women, and displaced homemakers. The role ofcritical events in individual development is discussed, and thebenefits of the case study method as a learning tool are described.Strategies for using case studies in a group setting are outlined anda discussion guide is provided. Ten composite case studies arepresented which Were developed from two interview studies ofperceived critical events in the lives of 150 Black, White, andHispanic women. The cases contain quotations and other details takenfrom the interview material, and illustrate the range of issues andevents reported by participants. The cases are written from aclient's point of view and represent _a variety of counselingsituations dealing with marital and family problems, career issues,health concerns, and adjusting to change. (JAC)

************************************************************************ Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made ** irom the original document. *

**********************************************************************

CASE STUDIES OF CRITICAL EVENTS

Donna M. Avery, Editor

Center for Woman's Identity StudiesChicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

y, This document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organizationoriginating it.Minor changes have been made to improvereproduction quality.

Points of view or opinions stated in this dacemerit do not necessarily represent official NIEposition or policy.

Women's Educational Equity Act ProgramU.S. EDUCATION DEPARTMENTTerrel H. Bell, Secretary

C3 i..vri3ht :1921, !'. Pv:2ry. .".11

rfproduction pernissien.

Ij

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATFRIALHASBEENGRANTEDBY

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."

Discrimination Prohibited: No_person in_the UnitedStates shall, on the grounds of race, color, or na-tional origin, be excluded froM participation in,be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to dis-crimination under any program or activity receivingFederal financial assistance; or be so treated onthe_basis of sex under most education programs oractivities receiving Federal assistance.

The activity which is the subject of this book wasproduced under a_grant from the U.S. Education De-partment, under the auspices of the Women's Educa-tional Equity Act._ Opinions expressed herein donot necessarily reflect the position or pcilicy ofthe Department, and no official endorSement shodldbe inferred.

-,,^-

Developed and Produced by:

Center for Women't Identity StudiesChicago State UniversityChicago, Illinois 60628

Donna M. Avery; DirectorAlexis Huffman; Assistant DirectorRose L. Blouin, Staff AssociateCatherine I-rrington, Office Manager

Case Writers:

Elaine R. Strauss; Ed.!).Marie L. Johnson; Ph.D.Phillit Santullano, M.D.

Layout & Typing: Rose L. Blouin

4

Review and Evaluation:

Samella Abdullah, Psychotherapist inPrivate Practice, Chicago

Sherrie R. Bartell, Department of CounselorEducation, San Bernadino State College

Roman G. Carek, Director, Counseling andCareer Development Center, Bowling GreenState University

Nancy L. Carlson, Director, Counseling andCareer Services, University of RhodeIsland

Joan Dworkin, Staff Associate, IllinoisNational Association of Social Workers

Marilyn Saloman, Jane Addams School ofSocial Work, University of Illinois

r-

Other materials being developed by the Centerfor Woman's Identity Studies, Chicago StateUnivertity:

THE CRITICAL EVENTS INTERVIEW TRAINING MANUAL.A pre-decision making technique for counselingwomen. This new technique offers both clientand counselor a unique approach to helpingwomen in transition.

SOURCES OF GROWTH: A RESOURCEBOOK FOR COUNSELORSOF WOMEN. Describes and identifies variablesassociated with growthful critical events in-cluding independence, courage and self worth.Includes implications to inform the practiceof counseling with women.

CRITICAL EVENTS SHAPING THE HISPANIC WOMAN'SIDENTITY. A companion study of Hispanic womenof both Mexican-American and Puerto Ricandescent. Includes presentation of criticalevents data and an analysis of the culturalforces affecting the identity of Hispanicwomen.

EN,ACT_:_BLACK WOMEN'S IDENTITY IN ACTION. AfaCilitator's_manual for a personal growthworkshop on historical, social and psycholo-gical forces affecting the contemporaryidentity of black women.

EXPERIENCING YOUR IDENTITY: DEVELOPMENTAL MA-TERIALS FOR ACADEMIC AND COMMUNITY SETTINGS.

Provides le3rning materials through whichhigh school students and young adults canexperience issues relating to their ownsense of identity. Contains topics forcreative expression and activities for groupparticipation.

Related material developed by the Center forWoman's Identity Studies and currently avail-able from the Education Development Center,55 Chapel Street, NeKton, Massachusetts 02160:

CRITICAL EVENTS SHAPING WOMAN'S IDENTITY: AHANDBOOK FOR THE HELPING PROFESSIONS. Idealfor "helping professionals" -- those socialworkers, psychiatrists and counselors respon7sible for the delivery of mental health ser-vices to women. This resource handbook pro-vides information about those critical eventsin women's lives that influence their iden-tity in a time of rapid social change.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

page

PART I

CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEWWomen and Counseling

1

Meaning of Critical Events 2

CHAPTER TWO: DEVELOPMENT 5

CHAPTER THREE: CASE ANALYSISLearning from Cases _9Group Methods 11_

Ditcussion Guide 12Retouftes 14

PART II

THE CASES

Adele 17Barbara 21Clarice 26Dolores 30Helen 35Juanita 40Naomi 44Peggy 49Sara 54Toni 58

REFERENCES 62

RESOURCES 63

8

PART I

CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW

10

WOMEN AND COUNSELING ±. 1L)

During the past decade, a growing body of litera-ture on issues related to the practice of counsel-ing and therapy with women has been developed.The journals of the helping professions, theirannual convention programs and even the mass mediaprovide indications of the importance and preva-lence of interest in such issues not only by help-ing professionals themselves, but also by the gen-eral public and in particular by the consumers ofcounseling services, namely women themselves.

In part, the emphasis for examining the quality ofcounseling practice with women came from the re-cognition_that, as women turned to the helpingprofessions in times of crisis and decision, thosevery professionals were often unable to providethe necessary support, insight, understanding andsensitivity required to facilitate the woman cli-ent's growth toward full personhood. Further, nu-merous studies consistently revealed prevalentpractices and theoretical models conceptualizingwomen as less than complete human beings and in-capable of substantial achievements and responsi-bilities outside the home and family. The atti=tudes, methods, theoretical approaches and treat-ment practices of the helping professions have re-flected commonly held social, economic and politi-cal views of women.

To some degree, the limiting consequences of sexrole stereotyping have been brought to the fore-front in professional considerations of counselingwomen. No longer are_helping professionals solikely to argue the merits of career versus family,but are more apt to focus on how these efforts maybe combined as well as the nature of limitationsand benefits for the woman herself, members of her

family, for communities and for society at large.

Even a cursory examination of the literature ofthe helping professions will reveal the scope ofresearch, of program development and of particularapproaches related to the practice of counselingwomen. Nevertheless; there remains a continuingneed for training materials for use all levelsand types of training programs as well as in staffdevelopment programs for present members of thehelping professions. Even greater is the need fortraining materials addressing the counseling needsof women of varying ethnic and racial backgroundsand for considerations of the issues of dual mem-bership in society based on race or ethnicity andsex.

This book is an attempt to meet the need for suchtraining materials. It has been designed for usein a wide variety of training situations includingcommunity agencies, women's centers, academic pro-grams, mental health centers, college and univer-sity counseling centers and other special programsaddressing the particular needs of re-entry women,displaced homemakers and single women.

MEANING OF CRITICAL EVENTS

The cases presented here depict critical events orturning points in the lives of contemporary women.Although the work of Erik Erikson (1968) failed toconsider important sex differences in the identityformation process, nevertheless it provides a basefor current understandings of the meaning of cry=tical events.

In the life of every pel"$bn there are particularcritical events so powerful in nature, so pervasive

.

12

in scope, as to challenge existing assumptionsabout self, roles and relationships. Criticalevents provide the occasion for the redefinitionof identity. Erikson (1968) referred to suchevents as turning points or critical moments whenpreviously held notions about self are called intoquestion. Something happens; something powerfulenough to cause the person to ask, "who am I now?"There is the sense that "who I was before" is nolonger adequate to meet the demands of the new si-tuation.

Critical events disrupt the individual's sense ofidentity. It is precisely at these tines that sheis open to change, to new insights, awareness andself-understandings, to new experiences and ac-tions, and to previously unimagined dimensions ofself on the one hand, but equally vulnerable tofear, anxiety, depression, immobilization and rageon the other.

Critical events must produce some change in theoriginal identity. These events Can be maladapt-ive and lead to retreat or frustration, or theycan be growthful and inaugurate a new sense of ef-ficacy, a reaffirmation of self, and movement toward a higher level of personal integration anddifferentiation.

More often than not, women seeking counseling arein the midst of a critical life event. The clientis frequently suffering considerable emotionalpain, accompanied by confusion in the cognitivedomain. The old, familiar ways of thinking aboutself and the world have been disrupted, and theyno longer provide an adequate basis for decisionand action.

New competencies often require the development ofgreater degrees of independence and assertiveness,qualities which most women have been socialized to

reject, if not fear. The helping profession's ca-pacity to maximize the potential for the growthfulresolution of critical events in women's lives willbe enhanced by a greater understanding of the na-ture of those events.

14

CHAPTER TWO: DEVELOPMENT

15

The ten cases presented in this book were developedfrom interviews with 150 white, black and Hispanicwomen. The interviews were conducted as part oftwo studies of perceived critical events in the li-ves of adult women.

Using the Critical Events Interview (Avery, 1980),the participants were asked to identify and descri-be the important dimensions of the critical eventsin their lives. The findings from these studies,together with implications for counseling practice,may be found in Critical Events Shaping Women's-identity (Avery, 1980) and in Critical Events Sha-ping the Hispanic Wpmanls- Identity (Avery, inPressT7

The cases are designed to illustrate the range ofissues and events reported by the participants inthe critical events research. Although the casesare composites, the events described, the quota=tions used and other details are taken directlyfrom the interview material.

Prior to the writing of the cases, the interviewmaterial was categorized to determine the impor-tant events and issues. The cases are structuredto illustrate the more prominent events and issues,but also to include some very unique material. Thewomen in these cases are not prototypes but ratherexamples of real, living persons. Furthermore, thecases are constructed to suggest several dimensionsof the women's lives. The purpose here also is toapproximate the real counseling situation where thehelping professional encounters a total person, notsimply a career choice, a mastectomy or a divorce.

After the cases were drafted, they were reviewed bypractitioners in psychology and social work as wellas by persons outside the helping professions butwith wide knowledge of the dynamics of women's li-

ves today. This review procedure provided evalua-tions on issues such as clarity, believability,severity of presenting problem, amount of back-ground information, use of .quotations and level ofpractitioner skill required to facilitate the cli-ent's resolution of the problems and issues descri-bed in the cases. Further, reviewers were asked torate the degree of knowledge and sensitivity to fe=.male developmental processes and to cultural dif-ferences required.

Review results indicated that the ten cases repre-sent a variety of counseling situations calling fora range of skills from those of the trained para-professional to those of a seasoned and highlyskilled practitioner. Service settings fortunateenough to employ staff of varying backgrounds andlevels of training will find it interesting anduseful to discuss these cases together. Comparingperceptions of the cases may facilitate the.manage-ment of clients in situations where the woman maysee several staff members during the course of hercounseling experience.

Insofar as possible, the cases are written fromthe client's point of view, reflecting her view ofherself, of her life and of the world. This meansthat although some of the woman's own interpreta-tions, realizations and understandings are presen-ted, other interpretations are left to those usingthis book.

Not all issues, problems and conflicts are comple-t,,ly drawn out in the cases. Ambiguity is deliber-ately built in because it reflects the doubts anduncertainties of the client herself, and also be-cause it forces the user to make assumptions regar-ding the ambiguous material and information gapsjust as would happen in the early hours of counsel-ing. The women depicted in the cases are as com-plex as the real women upon whose lives they arebased.

17

CHAPTER THREE: CASE ANALYSIS

18

LEARNING FROM CASES

The case study method has been one of the majorlearning tools of the helping professions. It isboth powerful in impact and flexible in delivery.The learner is called upon to apply theory andtechnical knowledge to an individual situation.

Because the case is either real or designed to ap-proximate reality, the learner must consider theindividual in the larger social context in whichshe lives. Thus, the case study method is a par-ticularly effective learning tool when the goal istoward increasing understandings of persons whoselives are especially influenced by social expects-tions, values and policies as are the lives of wo-men and minorities.

One of the most important differences between tra=ditional counseling approaches and more recent mo-dels which speak directly to the needs of womenand minorities, involves viewing the client in alarger social context. For the most part, tradi-tional approachesview the person in isolation andattribute problems to intra-personal conflicts re-gardless of the larger social context in which theclient lives and has been reared.

Counseling approaches which will be most effectivewith women and minorities must transcend this cli-ent isolation and develop in the practitioner theability to see the client in her social context.It is precisely because the case study method isable to present the individual in life contextthat it is so powerful a tool for both attitudechange and skill development.

The case study brings together various areas ofknowledge and forces the learner to apply them to

13

a practical situation. It calls not only forbreadth of knowledge in the social and behavioralsciences, but also provides an indication of thelearner's ability to translate that knowledge intoaction. Synthesis and integration of past learn-ings are demonstrated through the analysis of ca-ses.

Further, the case study method allows the clientand her needs to be conceptualized through a va-riety of theoretical lenses thus expanoing thelearner's range of potential treatment alternati-ves. Like other laboratory experiences, it pro-vides a relatively safe opportunity for the lear-ner to explore various approaches without the con-sequences of actually intervening in another per-son's life.

As a learning and teaching tool, the case study isexpansionistic. It will lead to more questions,more wonderment, more puzzled looks, more furrowedbrows. It is a method which causes the learner topause, draw back and be awed by the complexitiesof the human condition.

On the other hand, a limitation of the case studymethod is the degree to which a case actually re-flects general issues or problems which the lear=ner will confront in the real work situation.Sometimes, the uniqueness of the client depictedin a case may be such that analysis of the casecontributes little to overall counseling effecti-veness and increased skills. These cases havebeen designed to avoid such limitat4ons by beingstructured to illustrate the broad range of eventsand issues described in the critical events re-search.

20

GROUP METHODS

Depending upon the goals of training and the na-ture of the client population served, persons us-ing this book may find it helpful to select,thosecases which illustrate issues particularly impor-tant to their women clients. The following listgroups the cases according to the major issuesillustrated:

1. Re-entry women: Dolores, Sara2. Minority women: Adele, Clarice,

Dolores, Juanita, Toni3. Marital and family problems: Adele,

Helen, Peggy4. Career issues: Clarice, Naomi, Sara,

Toni

5. Health concerns: Adele, Naomi, Peggy6. Older women: Adele, Juanita, Barbara7. Single women: Naomi, Sara, Toni

Although these cases may be studied by studentsand practitioners alone, they are probably mostprofitably used in a group setting such as a class,staff meeting or in-service training seminar.While many group leaders may have their own meth-ods of case analysis, other strategies for usingthe cases are suggested here. In addition, a dis-cussion guide is presented.

1. Brainstorming: Using the categories in the dis-cussion guide, the group quickly lists items tobe considered under each category. The groupthen prioritizes the items listed for each ca-tegory and discusses their reasons for assigningmore importance to one item over another.

21

2. Rol-e-playing: This may be done in several ways:

- One person playing the client and another thecounselor.

One person playing the client and rotating.

persons playing the counselor role.

- One person playing the counselor role and ro-tating persons playing the client role.

- In addition to the client herself, group mem-bers assume the roles of the various otherpersons in the woman's life as depicted inthe case.

3. Category analysis groups: The total group isdivided into sub-groups, each of which focusesupon one category from the discussion guide.The conclusions of the sub-groups are then com-pared and evaluated in total group discussion.

4. Theoretical perspective groups: The total grouPis divided into sub-groups, each analyzing thecase from a different theoretical perspectivesuch as client=centered, learning theory, psy-choanalytic, feminist therapy and'others.

DISCUSSION GUIDE

The following discussion guide and the categoriesit contains were.developed on the basis of the re=sponses of practicing counselors with extensiveexperience counseling women. When given cases fordiscussion without guidelines, these were the ca-tegories through which the practitioners consider-ed the case. Therefore, these categories may be

considered an indication of the ways in which_practicing counselors approach the analytiS of acase.

1. Issues to Attend to During Counseling

This category may be divided into immediate issues and long range issues. The issues mayrelate to the client's presenting problem, todevelopmental factors, to intrapersonal and,in-terpersonal conflicts, to role conceptions andexpectations, to the client's emotional state,lifestyle, support systems and her view of her-self.

2. Areas for Further Exploration

This category includes areas about which thecounselor needs additional information or cla-rification. Some of the areas for further ex-ploration may relate to issues listed above.In this category, it is important for the coun-selor to question his or her reasons for seek-ing additional information and to have somesense of the use of that information in the to-tal counseling process.

3. Counseling Approaches

This includes both immediate and long rangecounseling goals as well as theoretical approa-ches and the use of specific counseling tech-niques. Treatment and service alternativessuch as group counseling or marriage counselingare also considered here.

4. Outside Resources and Referral

The retolUtion of the client's present titua=tion may be facilitated through the use of ter-

vices outside the counseling relationship it-self. It is important to be specific about theways in which such referrals will be integratedinto the overall counseling plan for the client.

5. Cautions and Negative Interventions

This includes counselor behaviors, attitudes,approaches and strategies which should be av-oided with the particular client. These areasof caution may differ in the various stages ofthe counseling process.

RESOURCES

The learnings derived from the analysis of thesecases will be expanded by the use of additionalresource materials and resource persons. There isa growing body of materials on the counseling ofwomen and on the dynamics of women's lives today.Some resource materials are listed at the end ofthis book. Additional materials may be obtainedthrough the various professional associations.

In group training situations, the analysis of thecases will be enhanced by inviting resource per-sons to join the discussion. Persons with exten-sive experience in the counseling of women and/orwith particular knowledge of the problems andchoices faced by contemporary women will contri-bute new dimensions to the analysis of these cas-es.

Such resource persons may be found in colleges anduniversities in departments such as Women's Stu:-dies, Psychology and Sociology; and in centers forre-entry women, continuing education; counselingand career development. Other sources of resource

persons include mental health centers communitycounseling centers and YWCA's as well as localprograms and centers offering specific servicesto women.

25

PART II

THE CASES

26

ADELE

For some weeks Adele has been "suffering with ner-ves" and can't understand why she's "so jumpy."Tears come easily and she often feels anxiouswithout being able to pinpoint specific reasons.She fears her job may be in jeopardy. The grin=cipal of the school where she has taught for yearsmade comments recently about his concern that sheis unable to handle her students and hinted thathe may lower her excellent rating. In addition,Adele states that about a month ago, she definite-ly decided to divorce her husband of 31 years.She feels that sha is tired of "being the Provider/of services and entertainment for her family."However, she feels terribly guilty about this de-cision because it would mean "breaking a promisemade to Cod."

Adele is a 57 year old eleMentary school teacher.She is brown-skinned; not_ exceptionally dark; witha narrow nose and small lips. Adele's hair isshort and needs to be straightened approximatelyevery two weeks.

Adele reflects back to her youth when she "had aterrible inferiority complex. I felt that nobodyliked ne because I was dark." Adele and her fath=er were the darkest members of her family; her mo-ther was quite fair-skinned and it seemed to Adelethat her family was constantly pointing out "howpretty my sister was and how dark and ugly I was."Adele's sister was two years younger and "lookedlike mother and had the good hair in the family."It wasn't tmtil she began dating the man who laterbecame her husband that she conceded to herselfthat "maybe she really didn't look so bad."

Adele wanted most to please her father. However,he "wasn't around much and when he was there, he

27

paid more attention to my sister than to me. Iremember feeling very hurt and angry and left out."Adele always did well in school and felt this wasone way to gain recognition. Nevertheless she sta-tes, "My school grades didn't seem to matter tohim."

Adele describes her mother as being coldly unsym-pathetic And painfully recalls instances when shetried to "talk about -sonal things" and her mo-ther didn't seem interested. Adele's maternalgrandmother lived with them and was always point-ing out how "I wouldn't get _a husband because Blackmen only wanted to marry fair women. She said Ishould concentrate on my school work so that Iwould at least be assured of getting a job 4s ateacher." There were other early instances whenshe felt rejected and specifically cites one occa-sion during elementary school days when she won aprizefor spelling and no one could come to theawards assembly. Adele recalls that when such in-stances would occur, she would usually try to dosomething extra nice to get attention. For exampleshe would do all the house work. However, thingshad got to the point where everyone expected her todo most of the chores. When Adele could not find away to "please them," she would "retreat into myshell and day dream." Often she would remain inher room and refuse to talk - especially to hersister. She remembers once at the age of twelvewhen she didn't talk to anyone for about a week.In addition to her younger sister, Adele had twoolder brothers who did occasionally join in teasingher about being dark.

At sixteen Adele joined a church and "found reli-gion." For the first time in her life she becameimportant because she could always be relied uponto be there. She was very active in all the churchactivities, often spending her entire Sunday atchurch. Adele's pastor held her up to the otherteenagers as a "model child."

28

She_graduated second in her high school Class anddecided to go to a state teacher's college.- Herparents supported her in this decision but toldher she would have to work or get a scholarship tosupport hertelf.

During her first year Away from home at college,she met Don. He was rather quiet, thin and notreally good looking, but he seemed to find her at-tractive. In order to please Don, she engaged insexual relations with him and subsequently becamepregnant. When she told him, he said that "I hadbeen stupid and careless" and convinced her tohave an abortion, which she did. Afterwards, shefelt angry and resentful because she felt Don haqlet her down. There was no one to whom she couldturn. Her pastor would not have understood andher family certainly would not have offered sym-pathy. She felt very alone. Additionally, shehad already been feeling very guilty about goingto bed with Don and the abortion only increasedthose feelings.

After the experience with Don; Adele stopped da=ting altogether and began to concentrate all themore on her studies. Once again she became involved in church activities. She attended theBlack churcn in town and joined the choir. How-ever, Adele!srelations with her family remainedcold and distant. She saw them on vacation breaksbut no one ever seemed to have the time or incli-nation to visit her

During her senior year; Adele's sister met andmarried a good looking intern. That marriage"pleased my family very much and reaffirmed theirbelief that my sister had what it takes to get agood man, while I didn't."

When her college graduation neared, Adele calledand especially asked her father to attend the ce-remony. He told her that he couldn't take the

29

time off from his work. BUt she remembers that,"He did take time off to go to my oldest brother'sgraduation from dental school a few months later."

Adele taught for a few years and during that per-iod was introduced to Calvin by a fellow teacher.He was a deacon in his church and "rather right-eous." She felt comfortable with him because hedidn't place much emphasis on "worldly beauty."After 2 years of dating they decided the "sensiblething to do was to get married." She was 26 and"beginning to give up hope that I would ever getmarried." Adele's daughter was borh soon and ayear later, Sonny, who is now 22 years old. "Son-ny lives at home and can't seem to get out and get,a job." Now that Sonny is back home, he is -fol-lowing in his father's footsteps and Adele is ex-pected to continue to cook and clean for both ofthem.

From the beginning of their marriage, Adele triedto get Calvin to help her around the house. Herefused saying that was "woman's work." Betweenthe births of her two children, Adele taught as asubstitute and returned to full time teaching whenSonny was 4 years old. Calvin works as a sales-man, which requires that he attend a number of of-fice social functions. He expects Adele to accom-pany him to these events. However, whenever shehas activities scheduled at her school, he can'tseem to find the time to attend.

Although their sexual life over the years had beensatisfactory,last year Calvin ceased asking forsexual relations. Adele suspects that he "mayhave a girl friend;" but states eMphatically, "Ireally don't care because that part of my life hasfinished and he needs to get his satisfactionsomewhere." It was about then that Adele began tothink seriously about getting a divorce and to no-tice that she was "starting to get jumpy and de-pressed."

BARBARA

"Philip died a year ago. I think I'm beginning torecover from it now. I found it hard to get my-self moving in any direction. I was immobilized.There was more than enough money to keep me livingcomfortably. I finally figured out that with thisnew freedom I would have to plan for myself and I

was terrified. First my life was spent being de-pendent on my family, then on Philip. I can'ttrust my ability to make decisions for myself. Idon't know how."

Recalling the early years of her marriage, Barbarasays, "I taught for 3 years and even _I have to saythat at the end, I really knew what I was doing inthe classroom. Maybe it was because I liked mystudents and helping them to learn. I made somegood friends at school, friends I kept in touchwith for years after I left. You know though, nowthat I think about it, those friends never metPhilip. He was always so busy with studies andwork. We had so little time together and he saidwe had to make it count. So we spent most of ourtime with his clients or bosses."

Barbara is the oldest of two daughters, Her fa-ther owned a small business while her mother didvolunteer work for various charities and_maintain-ed the household. Barbara remembers that when shecame home from school, "Mom was always there, witha snack or something before I went out to play."

Barbara doesn't remember any difficult incidentsduring her growing years. Her mother and fathergot along well There were few, arguments. Herfather was the "boss" and her mother the "inter-preter." Barbara recalls, "Oh, maybe I was angryat my sister once in a while. However, I don'tremember anything serious happening. Both of usjust sort of drifted along our respective paths

31

in life. After elementary school came high schooland following high SchoOl there was college.Looking back I suppose I always took the safestroute."

Barbara remembers receiving some explicit messagesfrom parents and other adults, but particularlyfrom her mother. "Somehow I knew that when I fellin love, it should be with someone who was moreintelligent. I also knew that the 'right' thingto do was to go to college, marry a Joctor law-yer, and live happily ever after. I don't knowwho first gave me these hints, out I guess I 'gotthe message' because I went to college, met andfell in love with Philip, who was smarter than Iand a professional man. He was my 'dream man' andI surely tried to do everything I could so wewould live happily ever after."

Philip and Barbara married immediately aftertheir graduation. Barbara got a job teachingwhile Philip started law school and worked for anaccounting firm. He had his CPA and a well plan-ned set of career goals. After passing the barexam, Philip joined a Big Eight accounting firmand started moving up in management rapidly.

Philip was sent to a number of overseas locationsto obtain foreign financial training and Barbarasuit her teaching job to go with him. They re-mained on the road for some time Their first sonwas born in Beirut and their second in London onBarbara's 27th birthday. During the next 23years, the family moved every 3 or .4 years becauseof Philip's work. Philip continued to receivepromotions and important responsibilities withinthe firm.

By the time Barbara was fifty years old, the fa=mily had lived in eight cities on three continentt.They had a vast correspondence with friends all

over the world. Barbara and Philip moved back tothe United States just 2 years ago. Jeffrey,their oldest son, lives in California with hiswife and daughter. Michael is working in Houston.

Throughout the periods of constant moving, Barbarawanted very much to be a good wife and mother.She felt this was an appropriate goal for her."My mother encouraged me not to make waves. WhenI thought Philio should spend more time with me,my mother told me to work harder at helping himhave the time to spend." So Barbara supervisedevery move, arranged for all services, checked outschools and doctors for the boys and everythingPhilip told her to do plus anything she couldthink of to release him from some of the responsi=/bilities at home while he was busy building hiscareer. Barbara would repeat the cycle at eachnew location. However, Philip still didn't spendany more time with her or with the boys.

Every once in a while Barbara asked Philip tospend more time at home with her and with the boyswho were growing so fast that they might be out ontheir own before Philip really got to know them.She recalls, "He told me that he was earning agood living and I had to take care of myself andthe boys. They were my responsibility, not hisI always thought that when you married someone; heshould take care of the family - not just moneta-rily._ Besides, I could never do anything right,that is,not right enough for Philip to say I'ddone a good job." Once Barbara talked to her mo-ther about her feelings that "something's wrong,"although she could-'t be specific because shedidn't know exactly what was wrong. "My mothercalled me selfish. She didn't understand how Icould be unhappy when I had such nice things."

Barbara did have things - lovely homes, attractiveclothet, expensive cars and jewelry and money.

Her lifestyle included glamorous entertaining andshe knew many important people. However, as timewent on she also felt less and less sure of herown abilities. _She says, "I used to do a lot ofcharity work. The_corporation expected it of thewives. Once when I was in complete charge of abenefit Valentine Ball, I didn't think I'd done agood job, even though we netted over $50,000, un-til Philip said it was 'OK.' I don't know why,but I thought then that maybe I was too dependenton him."

Philip rose in his company until he became a partof the top management team. The boys were soonoff on their own. Barbara became more and moreaware of the gap between Philip's self-confidenceand her own. she says, "My husband was very suc-cessful in almost all areas of his iife. I foundthat I was resentful of his ease at success. Itmade me feel even more of a failure. I felt soinadequate."

One day Barbara read an article in the daily news-paper about "The Corporate Wife." "It was thefeeling = I was anonymous. It didn't seem pos-sible that I had come from a happy home life, hadbeen a successful teacher, a contented wife andmother and become anonymous. For perhaps thefirst time in ay life, I felt myself really gEt-ting very angry."

Philip died of a massive coronary with little war-ning while at the office. Barbara handled all thefuneral arrangements exhibiting little public emo-tion. The dust settled, her sons went back totheir separate homes. The family friends returnedto their home cities and countries. Occasionallya neighbor called or dropped in for a visit but,for the most part, she was alone.

Barbara continues, "Perhaps the most devastating

thing for_me to realize was that I felt guiltyabout Philip's death because it was an opportunityto live my own life. It was my chance to stopbeing 'the corporate wife.' I know it's not rightto look at Philip's death as being beneficial tome but in many ways it was. I still don't knowwhat to do with these mixed-up feelings.

"It's taken me almost a year to recognize the fearof planning for myself and the guilt over Philip'sdeath. Even now I'm not really sure I've made it-.However, I have made some new friends on my ownand I think that's a start but I feel so shaky in-side. Now I want to find a way to make life mean-ingful again for myself. I guess I must make someplans about what to do with the rest of my life.And I don't know how to do that yet."

CLARICE

Clarice is a 47 year old, attractive fair-skinnedblack woman. At first glance, she appears retir-ing and demure in her behavior. Yet, often as shetalks, her manner changes and she becomes veryverbal and assertive, particularly when she beginsto discuss her goals or what someone has done toher.

For the past year, Clarice has been an assistantto the Dean at a city college. Although her pri-mary responsibility is supervising personnel andcontracts for the Dean, she finds herself being /

the person on whom all the busy work gets dumped.The staff in the office includes another assistantin charge of the budgets, and an Associate Deanfor academic advisement and student records. Whenshe first started in this position she had differ-ent expectations. "I thought I would have moreresponsibility." However, in general; she enjoysher job because "it has given me a chance to learna lot."

For the last six months, Clarice has been exper-iencing some difficulty with her co-workers bothof whom are younger than she. "They make me feelstupid. Whenever I make suggestions, they criti-cize or ignore them. Yet, I know that they havetaken these same ideas to the Dean later and pre-sented them as their own. If I sit back, theyignore me; if I speak up, they resent it."

Last week, the other assistant to the Dean; awhite man, was given supervisory authority overher for budgetary matters. "He hasn't even fini-shed his M.B.A. yet. I feel misused and _I am be-ginning to wonder if the problem is really tne jobor me. Some days I even doubt my ability to cope- not only with them, but things in general and

36

that's an unusual feeling for me."

As far back as she can remember, Clarice has al=ways wanted to be in a position of power and res-pect. She describes herself as ambitious and up-wardly mobile, and states, "I don't apologize forwanting to be that way." She remembers her child-hood as a time of hardship mixed with good times.Clarice's father did odd jobs around the neighbor-hood and was often out of work. "I was ashamed ofhim because he did not seem to want to better hiscondition... However, I knew that one day I woulddo better."

Her mother was the dominant figure in the familyand Clarice respected her for being stern and de-manding. "When I was a teenager, I caught hellfor breaking curfew and this led me to believethat she did not trust me." On the other hand,she believes that both her mother and father feltthat she was a "smart girl and would go far. Ialways enjoyed learning and questioned everything."Her grades were good at the all-Black parochialschool she attended financed by an aunt. She wasawarded a scholarship to attend college and gra-duated in three years with a major in business ad-ministration.

Clarice is somewhat scornful of her father who"called me his little girl" and treated me like aqueen one day but forgot about me the next. "How-ever, I always knew that I was prettier than myyounger sister and if I really wanted something,I could sweet talk him into doing it for me." AsClarice became more aware of her attractivenessduring her teen years, she found herself "using mylooks to get by without having to try too hard.People seem to make it easier for pretty girls."

It was during her first year in college that shetried using her femininity on an attractive male

instructor. He gave her a good grade which shereally didn't deserve because, "I acted like a'dumb blonde' and he was convinced I needed spe-cial help." This approach didn't work with others and she was even embarassed about trying it inthe first place. "I decided to buckle down and dothe work which I knew I could do."

It was during this period that she first began torealize what the terms racism and sexism reallymeant, As she put it, "Some of my professors feltthat Blacks were stupid and females had no placein the business world." Until college, Clarice _

had never really encountered direct prejudice. Infact, even though her father emphasized that "Ihad to be better because I was Black, I felt that /basically people's problems were due to their owninternal faults and not related to their color orsex." Clarice recalls, "We were poor, but wedidn't have all of those negative experiences youkeep reading about and we always spoke standardEnglish."

Clarice describes her early experiences with menas exploitative and disillusioning. When she wasseventeen, she dated an older man of twenty-sevenwho expected her to cook for him and clean his ap-artment. "I felt I was being used." Her firstsexual experience occurred during her freshmanyear in college with Ted, a fraternity man. "Hegot me drunk one night and then seduced me." Sherelates another experience which further demon-strated to her that, "You really can't depend onmen." She has felt that way at times during hermarriage. At the birth of her second child, Cla-rice had to get to the hospital on her own. Her

husband was not at home when her labor pains be-gan and her own doctor was out of town. She sta-tes that she had strong feelings of resentmenttoward both men, although she "managed to do itby myself."

It was during her sophomore year in college thatshe met her husband, Stan. He was a senior andlived out of state. Clarice decided to speed upher studies and graduate early so that she couldget married and join him. Stan is now a highschool history teacher. They have two children,a daughter, age 23 and a son, age 12. AlthoughStan has been supportive of whatever she has wan-ted to do, including working, she "regrets neverreally experiencing being single."

Clarice has worked in business during most of hermarried life. Prior to her current job, she wasa supervisor at an insurance company, a positionshe held for 5 years. During that time, she com=pleted a master's degree in business. Severalreasons influenced her decision to resign from theinsurance company. First of all, she felt she waspaid less because she was a woman. Secondly,there were no women at the level of division mana-ger and, as she puts it, "I did the work of a man-ager but the men got all the credit." She decidedthat her ultimate goal was to be a university ad-ministrator so she "could be properly recognizedfor my ability and production capabilities." How-ever, she fears that her current feelings aboutherself and her job are reminiscent of those atthe insurance company.

39

DOLORES

Dolores is angry at the whole world. She states,"Life is unfair. You must accept injustice as away of life, but still try to maintain hope forfuture change. Why should I kill myself gettinga degree? Maybe I should stop caring about helpingmy people. What's the use? I don't understandwhat's happening to me."

Dolores is 35 and reports being filled with manyfeelings - anger, confusion, desperation, and fearsof failing and for her own emotional stability.

Dolores was born into a Mexican-American family,one of eight children._ Following the divorce ofher parents when she was ten, Dolores was sent tolive with an aunt in Texas. Her anger toward_herfather and mother was overwhelming, but she alsoremembers a terrible sense of sadness. "It wassuch a big world...so hard to reach across...so faraway."

Dolores subsequently channelled_her energy into herschool work. She remembers trying to grow_upquickly and wanting desperately to be a strong per-son who did not need anyone's assistance. She re-calls striving "to always do the very best I coulddo."

Four years later Dolores' older brother brought herto Chicago to live with her mother who had re=mar-ried. The reunion was a time of mixed feelings forDolores. "I thought _I would be so happy to see herbut, "my mother and I were like strangers. I justclung to my brother's side."

Dolores remembers being envious of her brothers'and her sisters' closeness to one another, theirshared experiences and their comparative affluence.

Dolores knew she could get little help or atten-tion from her mother, beyond some new clothes,since her stepfather made it clear that he be-lieved she was old enough to begin taking care ofherself. "I knew I had to do things for myself."

A few months later, while staying overnight at agirlfriend's house; Dolores was raped. She remem-bers a man coming into her room and knocking herout When she came to, she "felt different." Shewas very frightened and was afraid to tell anyone."My mother was not available to me." Later, afterbeing questioned by her brother, her teacher and adoctor, she realized she was pregnant. Bewilderedand confused, she told herself, "The world is rot-ten and unjust."

Because of the pregnancy, the principal of her el-ementary school kept her from attending graduationceremonies and her classmates and neighbors "...made me feel ugly. Even my brother blamed me forwhat happened." During the pregnancy, questionswent round and round in Dolores' head. "What wouldbecome of me? Who would take care of me?" How-ever, throughout the turmoil, Dolores clung to onedecision...that she would keep her baby. The babywould ensure that she would always have someone tolove and would always be loved by someone. Doloresdid keep her daughter but explains, "I gave up myyouth."

When Dolores was 17; she married a Puerto Rican manwhose family disapproved of her "American ways."They condemned her for being too verbal, rebelliousand independent. His family made remarks about herbeing too involved in parish activities.

As time passed, her husband_seemed to agree withhis family's opinions of Dolores. He critized hercl.othing, ideas and behavior. He hum41,ated herin front of his friends. He ridiculed her Spanish,

41_

rejected her daughter and discounted her dreamsof education and progress. About this time, Do-lores discovered she was pregnant again and hadan abortion. She remembers thinking, "No numbertwo child for me. The world was still rotten."

One day her husband left home and never returned.She soon discovered that she was glad that he wasgone. Eventually, she divorced him and concluded"...that the family thing does not exist. Thereis no such thing as a close family. Bravo forone who makes it and bravo for one who doesn't."

Through Dolores' volunteer work in parish affairs,she became_ involved in community activities. Muchto her surprise, she was offered a job in a Latirfocommunity program. Although she was insecure a-bout her lack of education and training, she threwherself into the work and tried to learn every-thing she could from her co-workers and supervi-sors. There were frustrations, but there was alsotremendous personal growth and the birth of her"Mexican pride."

This job marked the beginning of Dolores' intenseinvolvement with minority issues in education, em-ployment and health care services. During thistime she also became familiar with interracialanimosities. "Blacks and Latinos seemed to be inConstant rivalry for the white scraps."

Dolores was attacked as a "troublemaker," accusedof being narrow in her concerns as well as preju-diced against other groups. However, the attacksOnly made her more convinced that her cause wasjust and her role important. She felt a personal"resounding defeat" when an important bilingualeducation funding bill for which she had workedhard, was voted down. This defeat served to makeher even more determined to keep trying. "Chal-lenge...everyday, every breath is a challenge."

Dolores felt she had achieved real identificationwith her heritage and with the frustration, angerand demands of the struggling Latino community.She states, "We have no political representation.We have nothing to trade off. We are the trade=offs!"

Dolores met her second husband while working forthe passage of the bilingual education bill.They knew each other for a year before gettingmarried. She states, "I was more practical in mychoice of a husband this time." This marriagewas a turning point and Dolores began to live afull life. Her husband was kind and understandingwith her daughter and gentle with her. "I learnedthat love and marriage can be based on mutual respect, and that happiness and.sadness are naturalparts of life."

Dolores eventually mustered up enough courage to.

return to scnool and complete her GED. She alsogave birth to a baby boy, to everyone's delight.

Dolores was 32 when she enrolled in college. Herhusband had encouraged her to apply. At first,she didn't believe she would be accepted by acollege, but later she decided that more educa-tion would make a difference "...as to whetherpeople would listen to your viewpoints." Collegebecame an exciting experience and Dolores reali-zed "I was smart and things were no longer scary."

Dolores continued her involvement with Latino is-sues. She discovered a self-help center for preg-nant teenagers was being started in her.neighbor-hood. Dolores offered to help as a volunteer onthis important project. In light of her own back-ground, she felt her input could benefit the pro-gram. In addition, many of the people organizingthe center had worked with her on the bilingualeducation bill a few years before.

Although Dolores participated in several planningmeetings, she was rejected for a part-time posi-tion as a counselor in the center. "They're mov-ing too slowly on the project. Our people arenot ready to grow. They have no trust in theirown. I have so much to give, but what's the use?I feel like everything's coming apart."

44

HELEN

The tension in Helen's life seems to increase dai-ly. She feels overwhelmed and is fearful abouther ability to sort things out and keep her lifeintact. "I've been struggling to manage, but it'sall falling apart." When the principal of the lo-cal high school called to say that her son wasbeing suspended for smoking marijuana, she reali=zed that she and maybe the whole family needed help.Helen doesn't understand how the decisions she hasmade could have caused her life to fall apart insuch a short time.

Helen is the only child of middle class parents,both of whom are still living in the home in whiChHelen grew up, a home filled with pleasantchildhood memories. Her parents are healthy,quite active socially, participate in communityaffairs and love being grandparents.

Helen recalls, "While I was growing up, my parentsmade it clear that I was expected to do at leastone thing better than they did -_I was supposed togo to college. The only choice _I felt I had inthis matter was where I would attend - within rea-son,_of course. When I met Bill, I__had alreadycompleted my first year at State. Then, after mysecond year, when Bill and I decided to get mar-ried, you can't_imagine how my folks tried to talkme out of it. They said, 'You'll always havesomething to fall back on, if you have your college education.' Actually, I suspected they weredisappointed that I was marrying someone in thetrades and not a professional. I guess they fi-gured that if I had a college degree I could at-tract a 'better' type of man. Even at 20 I wassure Bill was my type and at 43, I'm still con-vinced he is."

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Helen and Bill were married and during the initialyears of marriage, Helen worked as h sales clerkto keep her occupied until she started her family.She enjoyed running a home, entartaining friends,her parents and Bill's mother 'iielen and Billdeveloped a comfortable relatIonship and werepleased when Helen became prQgnant. She quit herjob before Bill Jr.'s birth ipd was happy as _afull time mother and homemaker': "Nothing pleasedme more than being married and being a mother.It was probably the strongest message I can remem-ber. I probably had other abilities but it neveroccurred to me that they could be used to fill insome of my empty time I wanted to be a wife andhave babies."

Heleh's wishes were filled by the subsequentbirths of Dale 3 years later and then Alice. At28; Helen saw no reason to presume that life wouldnot continue to be good to her.

Helen was as surprised as anyone could be to findthat she was bored with homemaking once Alicestarted school. "I'd now spent 14 years beingconcerned with other people, my husband and mychildren. Now, they don't need me in quite thesame way and I think I'd like to do some thingsfor myself." Helen decided to go back to schooland complete her college degree.

"It was delicious to have time just for me. I wasneither wife nor mother while I was at school. I

remember thinking, 'I'm going to be talking toadults again,' and wondeting if I really remember-ed how. I didn't even know how much I had missedstimulating discussions. I didn't feel gu'tv atall about enjoying school. It was something thateveryone approved of - Bill, my parents and evenmy children." In fact, the kids helped Helen byquizzing her before tests and Alice sharpened herpencils. Helen went back to school part time and

46

so there was no real disruption of the home servi-ces she generally provided. She completed herB.A. in three years and everyone came to her gra-duation.

Helen felt that some tension developed in her mar-riage after her graduation. Friends kept asking,"What will youdo now that you have a degree?""What kind of acareer will you go into?" Billdemonstrated some discomfort with the idea ofpeople thinking that Helen "had to work." Shesays, "I don't think Bill liked the idea that hemight not be seen_as the primary provider in ourfamily. After all, that was his role in our mar-riage and he'd been doing a good job." In addi-tion; Helen found that she was not sure whethershe wanted a career. She recalls; "I'm not goingto take a chance on ruining our life together'bymaking a career or family choice." But, she hadbecome accustomed to being busy outside her homeand so she_returned to the type of work she didbefore Bill Jr..'s birth and took a part time jobas a retail sales clerk; She experienced no dif-ficulty in combining her job and her commitmentsto her marriage and family.

Helen soon missed the intellectualstimulation ofcollege, so she took a course in Real Estatethrough the local community college. She becamefascinated with real estate and decided to pursuea seller's license and then a broker's license,although she still continued her part time salesemployment.

Helen's 40th birthday was marked by sadness.Bill's widowed mother became prematurely senileand. Bill and Helen placed her in a nursing home.Several months after that decision it became ap-parent that the additional burden of paying forhis mother's care was draining the family's finan-cial reserves. Bill Jr. was in his first year of.

college and Dale had only two more years of highschool before he would begin college.

Helen decided to increase her part time sales po-sition to a full time one Sometimes she had towork on Saturdays and this meant she could notget the house ready for entertaining Saturdaynight, or could not attend all of Dale's footballgames. However, she still managed to get most ofher chores done, and the family was not terriblyupset by the few inconveniences.

However, as time went on and medical bills in-_creased, Helen decided that her fascination withthe real estate field might well be the solution.She contacted the largest agency in town and washired on the basis of her training, sales exper-ience and the fact that the real estate marketwas booming. Helen says, "Thank God I had mar-ketable skills and kept in touch with people inthe business."

Helen is now earning good commissions and enjoy-ing the challenge_and excitement of real estate.Helen feels she has chosen a career for herselfeven though the choice came as a result of a spe-cial financial need. "I love working in real es-tate even though it frequently means evenings andweekends."

"I try to hang on to those good feelings becauseit has upset some things at home. There was noway I could still be responsible for everythingat home. I couldn't keep up with it. The familywas frustrated. I felt I had no time for me. Iwas fulfilling everyone else's need the best wayI could and still no one was happy with me anymore. I feel pulled apart."

Dale and Alice argue a_loti particularly when sheis away from home. Bill is called upon to act as

48

the peacemaker because he can usually be reachedby telephone while Helen is often out on calls.In addition to smoking pot on school grounds, Daleis not doing well and may be on academic probationnext year Alice is 12 and starting to maturephysically. She doesn't want to ask her fatherabout "thos.e things." Bill is quieter than he hasever been. Instead of having a beer or two whilewatching a ball game on a Sunday afternoon, hedoes laundry or is angry at Dale and Alice becausethey are not doing chores. Even her parents seemto have chr.nged. They make remarks like, "Ifyou'd finished college when you started instead oflater, you might have married a professional manand you wouldn't have to be working so hard now."Helen says, "I can't believe it's all happening.How could so many reasonable decisions make mylife fall apart?"

49

JUANITA

Three months ago,_Juanita and her husband celebra-ted their 32nd wedding anniversary; One week la-ter, Manuel was dead. "It was Sunday; We went tochurch that morning. One moment_he was there, thenext he was gone: I couldn't believe it. Ifroze."

Juanita didn't show her grief. She tried not tofeel anything at firstbut now, "I am thawing outI keep looking for my husband. I want to screamall the time How can I go on?" Januita's strongreligious faith, which helped her before throughthe death of her son and her father, is not enoughto make up for the overwhelming sense of loss shefeels now

Juanita was born in Texas. Her father migratedwith the picking seasons but in the winter camehome to be with his family.for a few months. Herfamily, relatives, friends and neighbors spokeonly Spanish.

Juanita was 8 year old and_spoke almost no Ehg=lish when she entered_school; a schoolwith onlyEnglish-speaking teachers. She was_excited; ner-vous; yet confident, looking forward to this newopportunity.

The first time the teacher called on her, shecouldn't answer in English and the teacher saidshe was dumb. Juanita was hurt and angry but shewas also determined to prove the teacher wrong."Numbers are a universal languae," she remembersthinking. "I'll show her I'm smart. When theclass was given math problems, I solved them,checked them and usually was the first one fini-shed."

50

During the summer when Juanita was 10 years old,she says "My father took me cotton picking. Hewas a wise man and wanted to give us _a lesson inbeing an educated person and being an unskilledperson. I remember that I felt excited. I worejeans and a scarf for my head. But then therewas the hot sun, the bending down for hours, andthe snakes and the bugs."

There were other things that she remembers fromthat time. Her family lived in a barn, sleepingon the floor in the middle of it with a parent oneach end to protect the children. Her mother hadto cook outside. There was an outhouse for seven-teen families. "I felt ashamed. At home we werepoor, but clean. Here there wasn't even water tobe clean. I hated it I hated something else;I saw the different way the Anglos were treated =not like animals."

During another summer when Juanita was on herfirst trip to Mexico, back to the ancestral vil-lage, the family car was struck from the back bya truck driver without a license. The car was de-molished and one cousin was killed. The policewere hostile and said they had caused the accident.Juanita felt helpless and confused. "Only thepeople_who came from the hills carrying blanketsand bandages showed any kindness."

Juanita(s anger at injustice was reinforced by alater confrontation with her 8th grade teacher."What do you want to do in life and what do youplan to study in high school to obtaill your goal?"Each student was asked; and when her turn came,Juanita said "My uncle told me to take Algebra andGerman so I can go to college." The teacher insis-ted Juanita ought to train for an office job so shecould help support her family. Juanita refused tochange her answer and felt the teacher never for-gave her. This experience taught Juanita an im-

51

portant lesson about Anglos. "They don't encour-age,non=Anglos to live up to their potential, butrather to Settle for something safe."

During high school, Juanita met the woman who hadthe most influence on her future; her Home Econo-mics teacher. She explains, "This teacher encour-aged me to improve my.English, helped me move frombarely passing to being an 'A' student, and showedme that somewhere there is always someone who willhelp and care."

When she was 21 years old; Juanita married Manuel,her high school sweetheart. Her mother had. alwayssaid that marriage wasn't a one way street. Sheand Manuel learned to talk things out, to be con=siderate of each other and to be mutually suppor=tive. Their happiness was completed with thebirth of two sons and finally a daughter. As theyshared jobs, illnesses and crises, their love andrespect for each other grew.

Their strong relationship got them through thedeath of their eldest son when he was 8 years old.Juanita is stone-faced as she says she can't re-member much of that terrible time. "It's toopainful to recall." Only her strong religiousfaith and her husband's support kept her going.

WhenJuanita was 38 her father became ill withcancer. Her mother was not well either so Juanitacared for her father for 10 months until his death."He was my best friend. I went to church and pray-ed and my priest comforted me. Although I missedhis patience and kindness terribly, my father'sdeath matured me."

Juanita's two children were in high school whentheir grandfather died. Shortly thereafter, shebegan taking college courses on a part time basis.It was difficult at first since it had been some

52

time since she had done so much reading, but sheremembers, "I was learning and the world was aplace of challenge. It was like opening anotherpage. My children were doing fine. They likedme and I liked them. I tried not to put obstaclesin their path, the 'old Latino ways' I was raisedwith. I felt like a butterfly. I was opening mywings. It was my turn."

After obtaining an A.A. degree, Juanita found ajob as a teacher aide in the elementary school herchildren had attended. She continued workingthere for several years.

About three years ago, Juanita's daughter, Syivia,/set up a small office preparing tax returns._Sylvia had more business than she could handlealone and asked her mother to help cut during peakperiods. "It was such fun," Juanita says. "Iremembered how much I loved math when I was agirl - making everything come out right - and Ialways wanted to help people."

In the weeks since Manutl's funeral, one of hissisters has been staying with Juanita, but nowshe is preparing to return to Texas. "I've al-ways had faith and always worked hard to do theright thing, but Manuel was always there besideme. How could God let this happen?"

53

NAOMI

Naomi has just been released from the hospitalafter treatment for a stroke. She is divorcedand eager to return to work. However, she hasbeen told by the manager at the bank where sheworks that maybe she should find a job with lesspressure and responsibility. She is enraged withher boss and is_coming to doubt her ability toface the future.

In the past, Naomi felt that whatever she triedwould come out right. "I was sure of myself."Success in whatever she attempted was taken forgranted. Even as a child with her first lemonadestand, "I made more money than any other kid onthe block." Naomi makes it her business to beopen and friendly to most people. She is known asa good employee who can be trusted to work on herown.

Naomi and her older sister, Ruth, grew up in ahome with warmth and love, but not much money.There were disagreements and arguments, but some-how things usually came out equitably. Hers wasa family that tended to do things together, including going to church. Their parents encouragedboth girls to achieve in school so they stood abetter chance of getting a scholarship to college.At the same time, both girls also found jobs afterschool to provide themselves with spending money.

Naomi's first real job, after paper routes andbabysitting, was the result of some high schoolbookkeeping courses. Her instructor recommendedher to a small, local_business looking for a part-time bookkeeper. Since Ruth was already in college and there was little money to spare, Naomidecided to delay her college' education.

54

For the next year, Naomi stuck to earning ratherthan learning, but soon she began taking somenight classes at a local community college. "Iwanted to improve my life through education."Naomi's life was well-balanced between her parents,home, work, classes, and the several young men shesaw socially. Then, several things happened atonce.

Ruth graduated from college. Naomi felt she hadto decide whether to stop working.and start goingto college full time The company hired a newsalesman, Marvin, and in a very short time, thedecision was not college or work, but college orMarvin. At 22, Naomi decided to get married. "Ialways knew I'd get married and thought I'd be a'mother." Surprisingly enough, Ruth followed suit8months later, although she and her husband movedto another state after their marriage.

Naomi continued to work full time after marriage.She viewed this as a temporary arrangement untilshe started to have children.- After some monthswithout getting pregnant, Naomi decided to contin-ue her night school classes since Marvin was oftenaway from hcme on business: completed herA.A. degree, and, still not preona,:t, started ona bachelor's degree in business administration.During that time she was working, going to col-lege and trying to get pregnant. "I was reallyburning the candle at both ends."

Naomi's parents, relieved of the financial burdenof the education and care of their daughters, be-gan spending more time together and money on them-selves. During their first major vacation, whenNaomi was 26, they were both killed in a hotelfire.

A year later, Naomi began experiencing symptomsof hypertension. Her doctor suggested several

changes to alleviate the stress he believed was theprimary agent - one of which was that she avoidpregnancy since the risk of complications would begreat. He also insisted that sNe give up eitherwork or school.

Naomi had difficulty accepting the fact that shewas not in perfect health. "I denied it - foughtagainst the idea constantly. I was angry that ithappened to me." She realized however, that shehad no choice but to follow the doctor's suggestionand, as her husband was earning enough to supportthem comfortably, she decided to quit working andcomplete her B.A. degree as a full time student.

Naomi enjoyed the idea of going to school. "Thiswas the first time in 10 years that I didn't havethe responsibility of working. I couldn't wait tostart my classes...it had taken me ten years toget to this point. I'd have the freedom to studyand have intellectual discussions with other stu-dents. I'd have some of the fun that Ruth used towrite about when she was away at school."

The intellectual discussions Naomi looked forwardto didn't take place easily between 17 and 18 yearolds and someone with 10 years of experience in theworld of work. Naomi was midway between the tra-ditional age students and the women returning toschool after years as homemakers. However, she didmeet a few women in a group for re-entry womensponsored by the college. "At first,I wasn't sureI personally related to the group, but soon reali-zed I did. Women have a lot to gain from each oth-er. I knew fur the first time how important rela-tionships with women are. Also, there weren't manywomen students in business administration - mostwere Liberal Arts majors - and having the groupreally helped me feel at ease."

Marvin showed little interest in her acadeMit_Oro-!gress. His education beyond high school consisted

of a feW courses taken_while in tht Navy. Naomifound herself unable totalk to Marvin about herchanging ideas_and feelings about herself as -awoman. "I cOuldn't_get him to understand. I__couldn't find the right words to express myself."

Although she completed her degree, these yearswere disillusioning for Naomi. Her symptoms ofhypertension continued and Marvin began cominghome later and later, using her illness as an ex-cuse to go out more by himself.

At 29, Naomi discovered that Marvin had been hay=ing an affair with a woman in his office for thepast two years. The other woman was pregnant andMarvin asked for a divorce and said he wanted tobe the father of a legitimate child. She acceptedhis request and, almost before she could absorbwhat was happening -to her, Naomi found herselfsingle again, without a job or much money, livingin a small apartment, with her degree and hyper-tension.

Naomi's financial problems were the most pressing,so she began looking for a job. The only placewhere she was known was the company where her ex-husband and his new wife still worked. Ratherthan apply there, Naomi decided to settle forwhatever job she could get...a bank teller. "It'slike starting all over again, only this time, I'mso tired to begin with."

After some time at the bank she says, "I felt veryangry. I was angry at the ease with which my hus-band moved out of my life. I was scared about theworld and not sure how I fit in. I mourned a partof me that I valued. I was sad at dreams and pro-misses unfulfilled."

Naomi bUried her dreams_and concentrated on beinga good employee. Her contributiont to the bank

57

were recognized and she moved quickly into a moreresponsible position as supervisor of the loan de-partment. As soon as her financial concerns wereunder control, Naomi believed that her hyperten-sion would diminish. Instead, after "working mytail off," she suffered a small stroke and washospitalized.

58

PEGGY

Peggy recently had an affair with a widower; Don,transferred by his company into the community.She had been doing volunteer work for her churchproviding special welcoming services to potentialchurch members newly arrived in the community,because her doctor recommended that she add someoutside-the-home activities to her life as a wayof coping with the pain of her frequent headaches.At first she resented the doctor's prescriptionbecause, "I was doing busyness not business. Vol-unteers have no status."

However her feelings began to change when she had /

a somewhat upsetting conversation with Don."Somewhere in the middle of that first conversa-tion, I suddenly realized that Don wasn't justhearing me, he was really listening to me and li=king what he heard and saw and making me know thathe liked those things. I was absolutely struck byfeelings of being a woman, like by lightening,just because someone, a man, was paying attentionto me. I was excited, _I didn't know what to do,my hands began to sweat, I felt just like a little

Peggy saw Don several times after their initialmeeting, each time feeling more attracted to him."I began wishing I could have an affair but keptpushing the feelings back. I couldn't do that. I

had to do what society expected of me. What wouldthe consequences be?" Don wore down Peggy's fearsand they began an intimate, sexual relationship.She says, "Even though I was always afraid ofbeing found out...getting caught...I knew that I'dnever felt so good, so wanted, so completely femi-nine. I discovered my body and my feelings couldgo together. I could smell the flowers again.was happy. Yet every time I came back home I

59

cried inside...why couldn't I feel this way withGeorge...he was such a good person, he was my hus=band. I felt like _I was on a seesaw and couldn'tsee how I'd get off, except to get caught and havemy whole world break up around me. Sometimes I'dtry to bargain with God...if He'd only let me getaway without being found out, I'd be good again."

Peggy's fears of exposure took their toll. _Shelost weight, became very jumpy and felt guiltywhen she was with George; she snapped at the chil-dren and was too_exhausted to do anything withthem after school; she didn't want to visit withher parents any more Everyone around her was a-ware that she was going through something. Thequality of her life was going downhill rapidly.Peggy alternated between wondering why she feltso good with Don and why she felt so nasty withthe members of her family. She realized that shewould have to make a choice when Don was asked byhis company if he would accept a position in_ano-ther city. He asked Peggy to leave her family andgo with him. Peggy thought it over and said noShe found that the subterfuge was eroding the goodfeelings she had, and that she could not face adivorce, so Don left the area, alone.

In talking about her past, Peggy calls herself theproduct of a happy home, the only child of warm;protective parents. Her mother was a homemaker,but worked part time at a home for the elderly;her father was a civil service employee of the fe-deral government. There was a strong sense of fa-mily togetherness. They vacationed together, didsports_ together, laughed and cried together. "Itwas almost as if the family relationship was oneof three adult friends (who have a lot of fun to-gether) rather than parents and child."

Peggy was a good student in elementary and highSchool. She participated in a number of extra-

60

curricular activities, particularly the serviceoriented ones. She entered puberty somewhat laterthan most of her peers, as her mother had, and shefelt a bit left out of the boy/girl processes.However, this didn't bother Peggy much becausewhile many of her friends were beginning to date,she was still comfortable doing things with herparents. By her graduation from high school, itwas clear that Peggy was growing into an attrac-tive young woman.

Peggy's parents hoped she would go to collegesince they had saved for that. However, Peggysurprised them by deciding to get a job instead.She found a clerical position that was satisfyingto her, paid well and, best of all, she continuedto live at home. Her parents were pleased. Peggyremained at.the job, with some raises in pay, forfive years. She continued to be friendly with herhigh school classmates, palled around with a groupof young women who had also decided to work in-stead of going to college and was a bridesmaid forseveral who married. she dated a little, but noone in particular. Peggy remembers, "I wantedmarriage. I would imagine my wedding dress andthe ceremony and the smell of the flowers and can-dles. But there was never a face on the man Imarried...he was like one of those dolls on thetop of a wedding cake, sort of impersonal I guess."

At 23, Peggy net George, a new neighbor of one ofher married friends. George was a mechanic at alocal garage, one he had hoped to buy in a fewyears. Peggy and George began meeting each otheroften. Peggy's last single friend married andboth George and Peggy were members of the weddingparty. Soon George proposed and Peggy accepted."I was feeling sad that there wouldn't be anyoneelse for me to pal around with My folks weregreat, but they didn't always want to do thethings I did. It was nice those past years to be

61

a part of my own crowd. George was; like, savingme from being the lett One, the old maid. I nevereven considered saying no."

Peggy got pregnant almost at once. Because theywere saving her salary toward the purchase of thegarage, she worked until just before the baby wasborn. She was too busy and tired to do much plan-ning or thinking. "I was terrified about havingthe baby, a fear of having a baby that wasn't _right. It was so fast - the responsibilities. I

was afraid I wouldn't be able to fulfill them.And George was so helpful, it made me guilty...hewanted the baby so much, because lie was an orphanhe wanted to be 'a family' so much. I've alwaysbeen 'a family.'"

After Jeanine was born, Peggy felt depressed. "Itsuddenly hit me--I'm trapped! What have I done?I felt anxious and unhappy: angry that mylife had changed so. George could go off to work- nothing had changed for him except that he gotwhat he wanted. I was the one who was stuck! I

was afraid to say that I didn't really like Jean-ine. This was supposed to be a happy time. I

should enjoy it._ Something was wrong with me."Sixteen months later, Peggy was pregnant again.

A year or so after Brian's birth, Peggy deVelopedmoderately severe headaches. She says, "I playedout roles as a wife and mother, did everything Icould_to please George and be good to the kidS,because I was supposed to. But sometimes my headhurt so bad all I could do was lie down for awhile and knock myself out."

George finally bought the garage and began spend-ing more time there. Jeanine and Brian were grow-ing up uneventfully, their necessities cared forat home, their outside fun provided by Nana andGrandad. Even when they were in school all day,

62

Peggy didn't see her old friends very much anymore, although she was still close to her parents.During that time, her headaches got progressivelymore severe. When the headaches weren't botheringher, Peggy and her folks did things together ifGeorge was working. She says, "All during thoseyears, I just tried to do the right thing. I

don't think I ever really felt happy or good theway I had when I was a kid. I felt kind of isola-ted, that no one cared, that no one heard me."

Then Peggy_met Doh and her life began changing Soquickly that she no longer knew what to do.

6 3

SARA

At 25, Sara feels out of the mainstream of life.She is afraid of being alone and yet, at the sametime, finds it very difficult to make friends.She is depressed about being unable to establishor maintain a long term relationship; but she verymuch wants the traditional life of marriage andfamily. She is resentful of the total responsibi-lity she has for herself, yet sees being indepen-dent as very important to her.

Sara grew up as the younger of two children andthe only girl in a restrictive and non-demonstrative family. She coped by trying to do everything"right." This wasn't always easy because her fa-ther was the ",..typical distant; hard-workingprovider," while her mother was the "...typicalfussy, restless, consumer type concerned with tra-ditional feminine values. 'I didn't want to in-corporate that into my life; mother turned me offand I identified with father.'" Sara receivedlittle emotional support from either. Her fatherfelt that "being an emotional woman is bad," whileher mother used criticism rather than praise asthe way to train Sara.

The message that there wasa clear difference be-tween Sara and her brother was always evident.For instance, career plans were not made for her.She says, "I can remember discussions about mybrother's career. There was never this kind of.discussion or concern about me and my future. I

was expected to be good, to get good grades, todo the right tning. I was not as important sinceI was marking time until I married."

The marking time included going to college, whereshe completed a B.A. in psychology. No marriageprospects of a serious nature turned up during

college, but a recruiter for a large advertisingagency did. Sara's academic record plus her li-vely intelligence, high energy level; active cu-riosity and pleasing ways, got her an excellentjob offer which meant moving away from her hometown to a large metropolitan area. Sara was notunhappy about leaving home, particularly sincemarriage was not on the horizon. Her 21st birth-day and taking over financial responsibility forherself occurred within a few months of each other.

Sara made the geographic transition with minimumdifficulty. She found herself pleased to be onher own, away from the criticizing of her motherand the coldness of her father. "I wanted to besomebody," she says. "And here was this importantagency paying me a lot of money which made me feelimportant for maybe the first time in my life."Sara worked hard at what she did. That's what snegot paid to do. Her talents and skills were val-ued by the agency, although there was little rein-forcement for Sara's sense of self worth beyondsalary increases

Sara's transition in terms of relationships was abit more difficult. Fortunately, there were op-portunities to meet interesting people as her firmwas a large one and she often saw people outsidethe firm on business. She developed a few friend-ships with women and dated a few men until she metDavid, a computer programmer. They saw one ano-ther for several months and Sara found other peopleless and less attractive. She says, "I beiievedthat if David chose me, then I must be okay. Ihad him on a pedestal." Although David didn't of-fer marriage, he asked Sara to live with him andshe accepted.

David and Sara lived togther for a year and ahalf. Theirrelationship appeared to be a goodone. They assumed somewhat traditional roles,

with David as the hard working provider while Saraadded cooking and otherhousehold tasks to her workschedule. Sara invested much of her salary becauseDavid wished to be the primary source of support.In turn. she russed over him, always seeking newways to please him. They were arelatively stableunit in a community of mostly unmarried, upwardlymobile, career-oriented young people. Unfortunate-ly, the relationship did not last.

s:Aral3 attractive face hardens with emotion aF sheks about the end of her relationship with David.-s so naive. I really thought David and I wereper for good; that marriage was the goal we'resting out by living together. Whbn I got /

gnaot, I was scared, but I knew that everythingwould tarn out okay because; of cou' se, David andT would g.,t married instead of just living togeth=cr. David would take care of me. Well, that's notwhat happened. David didn't want the baby and, ifthat's what I wanted, then he didn't want me any-more. So I had an abortion. In the long run thatdidn't help either because David never stoppedbeing angry at me for getting pregnant and left meanyway. I guess he didn't really want me afterall."

Sara moved into a different apartment in the samearea of the city and tried to put her life backtogether. It became necessary to reestablish her-self as a single woman in the community where shewas still seen as part of a couple. She spentmuch time alone and filled what time she couldwith busy work to stave of loneliness. Sara feltshe was a failure as a woman.

The only real outlet for her energy was her job.Sara poured her efforts into it_and her supervi-sors were impressed. She was off-(.:red a promotionWhith_moved her out of the account representativearea into the research field. She accepted the

66

promotion even though she had little knowledge ofresearch, presuming that the company would providesome additional training.

Sara's presumption was inaccurate. The agency ex-pected her to handle her new responsibilities inthe research.area without additional training.Sara's defenses were her intelligence, curiosityand energy...all used to keep one step ahead ofher supervisor's expectations. She felt Afraidand anxious that her lack of competence would bediscovered. "I was not as competent as peoplearound me thought I was."

For several montht her work situation continuedthis way until Sara's fear of being found incom -'petent_became a realitY. She was fired when hersupe.,-visor discovered that a critical section of-a report she drafted was net_bated_Upon currentresearch data, but had been taken fret a similaragency report of the previous year_ At 24, Sarawas without a meaningful relationship in her life,Without a job; and with very few friendthipt. Sheagain felt that she was a failure.

For the past year Sara has done some part-timework in order to_keep herself occupied. The investments she made during the time she lived withDavid, plus unemployment, made itunnecessary forher_to seek permanent ethploythent immediately. In-stead;._she used her spare time to begin to consid-er other kinds of careers. Retently, she becameinterested in photography and took tdme_courses ata local community college. She says, "I feel_allat_loose ends - like I don't belong anywhere:" Norelationships with men have developed tinte_DaVid."Men making_me feel okay about myself is still abig issue with me...I don't seem to have any in mylife that do that."

67

TONI

Toni's mother, who adopted her when she was a baby,died a month ago of cancer. Toni had only disco-vered her mother's condition a few weeks earlier,but her death was a terrible shock. At her

,

mo-ther's funeral Toni became overwhelmed with sad-_

nest and a feeling that she never really belonged.Since then, she has been questioning who she ,reallyis and where she came from.

Toni is trying to figure out "what direction mylife is going to take." At 24, she's thinkingabout marriage and although Carl, her protpectivehusband, says he thinks that Black women should beeducated and independent, she's not sure if hereally means it For some time, she has been con-sidering entering social work which would mean re-turning to college and eventually going on to gra-duate school. As she says, "I have to figure outwho I am and what is the best thing for me to doat this point in my life."

Although she had beer working previously as a mo-del, since her mother's death Toni has been em4pioyed in a lounge because she is between modelingjobs. She has been feeling very depressed becausebeing _a barmaid "is not my bag at all I wantedto help people but not in this capacity." Carl,who is "ready to get married," is putting on thepressure, but Toni wants to do some planning. Shesays, "I am finally beginning to grow up. I'vemade some mistakes in the past but I've dealt withthem. I don't want to take a chance of jeopardi-zing a new marriage, but I do want to find a ca-reer that will allow me to be important to myselfand to others. I have to find something completelydifferent that will offer me a future."

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An only child, Toni views her family background asa rather protected one Her parents adopted herbecause they were "getting on in age and my motherhad been unable to have children." Neither parerthad much formal education but as far as they wereconcerned, "It was to be my key to success." Herfather had been a dining car chef but later deci-ded to start his own small restaurant which isstill doing fairly well. Her mother helped him inthe restaurant. Financially, their circumstanceswere modest but comfortable.

Toni describes her father as a very important andpositive force in her life. He didn't "treat meas a girl, that is, he never discouraged me from /

doing things I felt I could do. I felt special."As for her mother, Toni recalls that "she was agood woman but somehow I never as close toher as I did to my father. She wc,.) strict and de-manded that I act like a ladywhatever else. Mymother was herd working and capable and, in a way,I have qualities like her Bth of her parentstaught her that she was as good as anyone elseand "I believed them." She also remembers a womanfriend of her mother who was "glamorous" and Tonirelates that she always wanted to be like that wo-man.

When Toni was 16, she decided to escape the "co-coon" of her family. She had graduated early fromhigh school and she felt that her mother was be-coming too strict with her, "always wanting toknow where I was going,_what I was doing and withwhom." She had met Frank at a friend's house andthought he was "exciting and grownup." He was"in love" with her and wanted her to marry him.She thought Frank would be a "traditional, goodand loving husband." However, she knew that shewould feel stifled because he would want her tostay at home and have children immeolately. Tonifelt that this would cause her to lose her free-

dam too soon evci though the "idea of marriage wasproving to be kind of fun." Frank "allowed me tobe grown up and yet he was very restrictive"

During the summer after her high school graduation,Toni began to "chafe at the it She decided thats' : wanted to go to college feeling that "theremust be more to life than just being a housewife."She selected a small Black college in the Southbecause her parents had always wanted her to "beable to identify with my roots and to get a tasteof Southern life." Frank ac -eed to let her go butwasn't happy about it.

.,;e found college to be an easy and free life.For once; she didn't have to answer to anyone.She joined a sorority which placed much emphasison "looking and- acting right." Although she didn'tfeel that she fit their expectations exactly, shefound that she was "quite happy with my sororitysisters."

During her junior year in college, Frank was killedin an accident while driving down to se: he,-. Theshock was devastating, but in a way "a release forme. I felt guilty about feeling that way becauseI felt responsible for his death." Toni completedthe year, but did not graduate. That summer shelearned to drive, to become more self-reliant andto begin to do things Frank had never wanted to do,such as traveling, and she enjoyed it immensely.

Toni found it difficult "settling down" and findinga "real job." For a couple of years she alternatedbetween odd jobs which were not satisfying and notworking at all. When a sorority sister suggestedthat she might like to try modeling, she jumped atthe idea. T11 and with a slender build, Toni isnot a beauty but she carries herself well. She hasan air of chicness and as-she says, "I kind of likebeing in the limelight."

In the past year or SO, the glamour has begun towear off. "It's really herd work; the other mo7dels are very competitiVe and the men think thatyou are nothing but an empty=41-eaded doll." HerCommitment to modeling as A -career has drasticallydecreased. At one_point, she refu-sed to go toFrante for a special modeling job because "the guyI was dating didn't want me to." NoW she feelsthat that was a mistake, because "I decided forthe wrong reasons."

Toni has cultiVated friendships with a number ofwomen in a variety of professions. She describesthem as "strong personalities" and feels that sheis not "really like them because they are so mb=tivated and know axactly Where they are heading."She envies them their assurance. "Right now, I

don't know where I'm going, I have to decidesomething about Carl and about my life."

REFERENCES

Avery; D. Critical Events Shaping the Hispanickomal±s_Identity. Newton, Mass.: Educ-ationDevelopment Center; In Press

Avery, D. Critical Events__Shapingli's-1-dentity: A Handbook for the Helping_41=ortsions.NeWtphi_Mass.: Women's Educational Equity ActPublishing Center, Education Development Cen--!ter, 1980

Erikson, E. Identity: Youth s.nd Crisis. NewYork: W.W. Norton, 1968

72

RESOURCES

There are three issues of The Counseling Psycholo-logist devoted entirely to the counseling of women:

Counseling Women,Counseling Women

Vol. 4,II, Vol.

No

6,

1,

No19732, 1976

Counseling Women III, Vol. 8, No. 1, 1979

Women's-Live:,: New Theory,_ Research and Policyedited by Dorothy G. McGuigan, available fromthe Center for the Continuing Education of

_

Women; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mi-chigan, 1980.

Psychotherapy for Women edited by Tdna Rawlingsand Diabhd_Carter, available from Charles C.ThoMas Publishing Company, Springfild; Illi-noiS, 1977

Report of the President's Commission on MentalHealth. Material on women and minorities willbe found in "Task Panel Reports, Vol. 3, Ap-pendix." Available f) i the U.S. GovernmentPrinting Office, Washington, D.C., 1978