Feminist Theory and Human Behavior: Analyzing the Case of Vicky

This case study analyzes Vicky, a 55-year-old divorced woman with paranoid schizophrenia, through the lens of feminist theory. The analysis explores the physiological, psychological, and social aspects influencing Vicky's behavior. The physiological aspect examines the conflict between her mind and body, reflecting power struggles. The psychological aspect critiques gender and social structures influencing her decisions. The social paradigm focuses on power dynamics and subjugation within society. The study highlights how these aspects explain Vicky's choices, such as refusing medication, and emphasizes the importance of considering these components in understanding human behavior and providing effective counseling. The paper references key theorists in feminist therapy, offering insights into Vicky's challenges and the application of feminist theory in mental health contexts.

Running head: FEMINIST THEORY AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR
FEMINIST THEORY AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1FEMINIST THEORY AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR
As stated by Schwarz (2017), the prominence that counseling holds within the domain of
the mental health services or the human behavior becomes apparent from the fact that over the
years numerous theories or approaches to counseling have been developed depending on the
needs of the individuals. Thacker and Gibbons (2019) are of the viewpoint that the feminist
theory of counseling or the feminist therapy is an important one which focuses on the societal,
political and the causes of the issues faced by the individuals to facilitate their recovery. This
particular theory of counseling owes a significant debt to the works of Judith Worell, Jamie
Kohanyi, Sandra Bem, Laura Brown, Jean Baker Miller and others (Conlin, 2017). Furthermore,
this approach to counseling becomes especially important in the particular context of the female
patients and is generally being used for overcoming the limitations or the shortcomings of the
other modalities of counseling. The purpose of this paper is to undertake an analysis of the case
of Vicky through the usage of the feminist theory.
The case study of Vicky reveals the fact that she is a fifty-five year old divorced woman
who lives alone although she has a few friends with whom she maintains regular contact. More
importantly, she suffers from paranoid schizophrenia had been receiving regular support for the
past three years for the completion of her daily tasks, for emotional as well as mental support.
However, at the same time it is seen that she frequently suffers from periods of unrest and during
this particular time she finds it very difficult to trust her support providers despite the fact that
during her normal condition she shares a very trusting as well as a cordial relationship with her
support providers. This condition of Vicky can be adequately explained through the usage of the
physiological aspect of the feminist theory. In this relation, it needs to be said that this
particular aspect of the feminist theory focuses on the conflict between the mind and the body of
the individuals which in turn becomes representative of the power struggle or for that matter the

2FEMINIST THEORY AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR
conflict between the male and the female individuals since the traditional time (Sommers-
Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2018). In the particular context of Vicky it is seen that she is the
kind of individual who always listens to her inner voices and also acts upon the same regardless
of the damage that it causes to her body. Thus, it can be said that as per the physiological aspect
of the feminist theory, the refusal of Vicky to take medication or for that matter to go to the
hospital is the manifestation of the conflict between her body and mind or more broadly the
power struggle that she had to face being a woman in a male-dominated world.
An analysis of the case study under discussion here through the usage of the
psychological aspect of the feminist theory is likely to yield insightful information regarding
Vicky and the decision that she had made. Arczynski and Morrow (2017) are of the viewpoint
that the focus of this particular aspect of the feminist theory is on the manner in which gender
and social structures have been formed over the years. Adding to this, Otting and Prosek (2016)
have noted that this particular aspect of the feminist theory not only seeks to critique the
historical psychological researchers which have been conducted over the years from the male
perspective but also focuses on the principles or the values held by the females as well. In the
particular context of the case study under discussion here it is seen that the decision of Vicky to
not take medication or for that matter to go to the hospital can be seen as a protest on her part
against the gender or the social structures that she had to follow all her life in the male dominated
society. More importantly, this particular decision of Vicky also indicates the fact that she is
willing to follow the principle or the value of independence and also follow her own voices
regardless of the damage that it causes to her health and wellbeing.
Capuzzi and Stauffer (2016) are of the viewpoint that the social paradigm of the feminist
theory focuses on the power conflict or the power struggle between the two genders and also the

3FEMINIST THEORY AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR
manner in which the women had to face subjugation within the societal framework over the
years. Adding to this, Grzanka, Santos and Moradi (2017) have noted that this particular
paradigm of the feminist theory focuses both on the reflexivity within the societal structures and
also the individual face-to-face interactions which are being undertaken by the individuals. Thus,
in the particular context of Vicky it can be said that her decision not to take the medication or to
go to the hospital is a protest against the societal structural or the manner in which gender
defines the power balance within the society. For instance, her protest is directed at gaining the
required power not only from the society but also from the support providers who had been
taking care of her for the past three years. More importantly, for the attainment of this particular
end she trusts her inner voices rather than the advice offered by the support providers who have
adequate idea about her health condition.
To conclude, the feminist theory over the years had become an important one which is
being used for understanding the human behavior and also for offering the required counseling or
other similar services to the individuals. Furthermore, the professionals using this particular
theory are required to take into account its three important components, namely, the social,
psychological and physiological aspects for understanding the behavior displayed by the patients.
This in turn helps the professionals to understand the motivations or the factors for the behavior
displayed by the patients and thereby offer them the required interventions on the basis of the
same. These aspects of the feminist theory become apparent from the above discussion of the
same in the particular context of Vicky and her actions.

4FEMINIST THEORY AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR
References
Arczynski, A. V., & Morrow, S. L. (2017). The complexities of power in feminist multicultural
psychotherapy supervision. Journal of Counseling psychology, 64(2), 192.
Capuzzi, D., & Stauffer, M. D. (2016). Counseling and psychotherapy: Theories and
interventions. John Wiley & Sons.
Conlin, S. E. (2017, May). Feminist therapy: A brief integrative review of theory, empirical
support, and call for new directions. In Women's Studies International Forum (Vol. 62,
pp. 78-82). Pergamon.
Grzanka, P. R., Santos, C. E., & Moradi, B. (2017). Intersectionality research in counseling
psychology. Journal of counseling psychology, 64(5), 453.
Otting, T. L., & Prosek, E. A. (2016). Integrating feminist therapy and expressive arts with
adolescent clients. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 11(1), 78-89.
Schwarz, J. E. (2017). Counseling women and girls: Introduction to empowerment feminist
therapy. Counseling women across the life span: Empowerment, advocacy, and
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Sommers-Flanagan, J., & Sommers-Flanagan, R. (2018). Counseling and psychotherapy theories
in context and practice: Skills, strategies, and techniques. John Wiley & Sons.
Thacker, N. E., & Gibbons, M. M. (2019). Complicated Grief in Rural Appalachia: Using
Feminist Theory to Reconcile Grief. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 41(4).