The Power of Women
Harness Your Unique Strengths at Home, at Work, and in Your Community
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From the bestselling author of Women Who Think Too Much, a groundbreaking self-improvement program that empowers women
Women are extraordinarily hard on themselves. They scrutinize their flaws, asking "Am I a good lover? A good mother? Successful in my career?" They get preoccupied with ways they do not measure up, twisting themselves into knots to fix problems no one else can see. The Power of Women from award-winning and bestselling psychologist Susan Nolen- Hoeksema shows women how to break this cycle-by discovering and utilizing their unique psychological strengths.
Drawing on original research and the instructive stories of real people, Nolen-Hoeksema identifies the skill sets that women, based on their biology and social roles, bring to challenges:
- Mental strengths, such as the instinct to manage scarce resources
- Identity strengths, which maintain strong values under pressure emotional strengths, such as anticipating the effects of decisions relational strengths, with an emphasis on win-win solutions
Combined, these strengths give women a powerful ability to lead during transformational times. She then provides hands-on assessments for pinpointing strengths with the most relevance to a problem, exercises for building strengths, and inspiring examples of women's inventiveness, resilience, and sheer determination.
This revolutionary book of self-improvement gives women the tools to hone their skills as entrepreneurs and managers, mothers and wives, mentors and community leaders-and as individuals pursuing their talents and dreams.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
According to Yale psychology professor Nolen-Hoeksema (Women Who Think Too Much), women have unique mental strengths. Neither conformist nor rigid, women find many pathways to their goals and work toward getting a job done rather than getting their way. Women, the author says, utilize their strengths to lead children, partners, neighbors, and colleagues to better lives; believing that every woman has the capacity to be strong no matter how beaten down she feels. Nolen-Hoeksema offers numerous case studies as well as tools and exercises (e.g., a "Breaking Down Obstacles Worksheet" motivates readers to take small steps to tackle obstacles to their important goals; an exercise shows readers how to make contracts with themselves and give themselves a reward when they achieve a difficult task). Although these tools are useful and Nolen-Hoeksema's advice lucid, if familiar, it's questionable whether stressed-out women will adopt the time-finding worksheet or other time-consuming exercises. Moreover, the book's gender emphasis feels dated and biased: it's not clear why the advice applies particularly to women.
