1st Edition

Treating Women's Fear of Failure From Worry to Enlightenment

By Ellen Cole, Esther D Rothblum Copyright 1988

    This new book looks at an important issue--the emotional impact of success upon women--at a time when opportunities are more available to them than ever before. Using research, clinical experience, and personal anecdotes, the contributors examine the timely issues of women and worry, women's sense of their own entitlement, fear of success and fear of failure, and women's impostor feelings. The dilemma that feminist therapists frequently experience of encouraging women clients, often superbly qualified in their fields, to take a risk that might involve rejection or failure, is highlighted here. Therapists will recognize the often expressed fears of academic and intellectual failure, as well as the fears of various interpersonal failures that result from a combination of women's opportunities in society as well as socialization.

    Contents Editorial
    • Women and Entitlement
    • Fear of Failure in Women
    • “I Know This Is Stupid, but . . .” Or, Some Thoughts on Why Female Students Fear Failure and Not Success
    • The Imposter Phenomenon: An Internal Barrier to Empowerment and Achievement
    • Career Aspiration in Black College Women: An Examination of Performance and Social Self-Esteem
    • The Phenomenon of Worry: Theory, Research, Treatment and Its Implications for Women
    • Achievement Related Fears: Gender Roles and Individual Dynamics

    Biography

    Ellen Cole, Esther D Rothblum