Speaking from the Heart: Gender and the Social Meaning of Emotion

by Stephanie A. Shields

Book Overview

Who is called emotional? And what does it mean? How do we know that a person is speaking from the heart? The prevailing stereotype is that she is emotional, while he is not. In Speaking From the Heart, Stephanie Shields uses examples from everyday life, contemporary culture and the latest research to illustrate how culturally shared beliefs about emotion are used to shape our identities as women and men and she exposes the historically shifting and...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521802970
• ISBN13: 9780521802970
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 230 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

More than just a pretty cover.....

If you have the desire to learn what the professionals know about the complex topic of emotions, then you will find this to be a valuable book. Stephanie Shields shows how our Western culture influences how we 'do' emotion to the extent that it qualifies what is appropriate or inappropriate behavior for boys/men or girls/women. Shields did incredible leg work to research numerous studies and does a great job of interrelating previously learned information with her own findings and beliefs. Because Shields goes to great length to explain the technical jargon associated with research and psychology, this book can be enjoyed by both professionals and general readers. Undoubtedly, you will gain information about gender and emotions within the context of the Western culture, but ultimately learn something about yourself in the process. I highly recommend this book--it's a "good read".

Wonderful review of a little examined topic

Women are overwhelmingly stereotyped to be the "emotional sex" while men are thought to be "emotionally repressed". Do these stereotypes have any truth to them, and how do they effect our everyday lives? Shields has a wonderful writing style that makes this book accessible despite being packed dense with empirical findings. It's must reading for anybody interested in how Western culture uses emotion to define what's male and what's female. Both men and women should find it eye-opening. Highly recommended!