STRESS AND THE AMERICAN WOMAN

by Nora Scott Kinzer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 16, 1978

A breezy but frustratingly diffuse book that does little more than identify some components of the feminine stress problem and offer vague theories plus, now and again, a cautious nudge. Kinzer, a therapist and social-science generalist (Put Down and Ripped Off, 1977), flits from her research on women cadets at West Point to the role of career women in Argentina to recent management theory (which, curiously enough, supports a kind of androgynous leadership style) to the classic coping mechanisms: pills, alcohol, food, years of therapy, suicide. However, the insights into these and other issues are hampered by lack of conclusive evidence. Is all stress physically damaging? ""The jury is still out on this subject."" Does stress induce cancer? ""There seems to be some kind of link. . ."" Why is ""female plumbing"" so radically affected by stress? ""We really don't know."" Given these limitations, Kinzer is often reduced to merely quoting statistics--of some dubiety--on the prevalence of a particular problem (""Psychiatrists and psychotherapists report their patient census runs four to five women to every male patient""), as well as to citing case histories and wagging an admonitory finger: ""Beware doctors bearing chemical gifts."" Somehow the time required seems excessive for a volume whose main contribution, however honest, remains that ""The studies are contradictory.

Pub Date: Feb. 16, 1978

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Anchor/Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1978

Categories: NONFICTION