Awards

• Winner of <p>Winner of a 2018 Women in Psychology Distinguished Publication Award</p> 2018

Overview

Journeys of Embodiment at the Intersection of Body and Culture: The Developmental Theory of Embodiment describes an innovative developmental and feminist theory—understanding embodiment—to provide a new perspective on the interactions between the social environment of girls and young women of different social locations and their embodied experience of engagement with the world around them. The book proposes that the multitude of social experiences described by girls and women shape their body experiences via three core pathways: experiences in the physical domain, experiences in the mental domain and experiences related directly to social power. The book is structured around each developmental stage in the body journey of girls and young women, as influenced by their experience of embodiment. The theory builds on the emergent constructs of ‘embodiment’ and ‘body journey,’ and the key social experiences which shape embodiment throughout development and adolescence—from agency, functionality and passion during early childhood to restriction, shame and varied expressions of self-harm during and following puberty. By addressing not only adverse experiences at the intersection of gender, social class, ethnocultural grouping, resilience and facilitative social factors, the theory outlines constructive pathways toward transformation. It contends that both protective and risk factors are organized along these three pathways, with the positive and negative aspects conceptualized as Physical Freedom (vs. Corseting), Mental Freedom (vs. Corseting), and Social Power (vs. Disempowerment and Disconnection).

Full Product Details

9780128054109

Table of Contents

Reviews

Dr. Niva Piran's book, Journeys of Embodiment at the Intersection of Body and Culture: The Developmental Theory of Embodiment has been well worth the wait! Dr. Piran is the leading expert on the topic of embodiment in young women and this book pulls together her life's work on research, theory development, and application. I picked up the book and could barely put it down. While rich in theory, the text reads very easily due to the inclusion of various stories of body journeys of girls and women who have been interviewed by Dr. Piran over many years. Dr. Piran writes so beautifully about the Theory of Embodiment, which she has developed. The book includes the developmental aspects of embodiment over the lifecourse, the different components of embodiment, and ideas for utilizing the theory to improve the experience of embodiment. I found myself being captured by her writings from various aspects of myself - as a long-time researcher on body image in adolescents and young adults, a mother and teacher of young women, a yoga practitioner and teacher, and an adult woman with my own body journey. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning about, and improving, the lives of girls and women. -- Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD, Professor and Division Head, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA In this remarkable and engaging book, Piran allows us to see into the worlds of girls and women across the lifespan and to hear their often confronting and poignant body journey narratives. Anchored in these narratives, she has described a new multidimensional theory of the development of embodied experiences - the Developmental Theory of Embodiment, which will certainly guide future practice and research in the field. In recognising the disruption to embodiment that so frequently results from sexually unsafe, violent and challenging environments, especially in tween and teenage years, this book is also an inspiring call to action to create environments in which girls and women can recapture embodied experiences of agency, functionality and passion. --Susan J Paxton PhD, Professor, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

Dr. Niva Piran's book, Journeys of Embodiment at the Intersection of Body and Culture: The Developmental Theory of Embodiment has been well worth the wait! Dr. Piran is the leading expert on the topic of embodiment in young women and this book pulls together her life's work on research, theory development, and application. I picked up the book and could barely put it down. While rich in theory, the text reads very easily due to the inclusion of various stories of body journeys of girls and women who have been interviewed by Dr. Piran over many years. Dr. Piran writes so beautifully about the Theory of Embodiment, which she has developed. The book includes the developmental aspects of embodiment over the lifecourse, the different components of embodiment, and ideas for utilizing the theory to improve the experience of embodiment. I found myself being captured by her writings from various aspects of myself - as a long-time researcher on body image in adolescents and young adults, a mother and teacher of young women, a yoga practitioner and teacher, and an adult woman with my own body journey. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning about, and improving, the lives of girls and women. -- Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, MPH, RD, Professor and Division Head, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Author Information

Dr. Niva Piran is an award-winning author, researcher, teacher, and mentor. She is Professor Emerita at the University of Toronto, a clinical psychologist, and a school consultant. A Fellow of the American and Canadian Psychological Associations and the Academy of Eating Disorders, Dr. Piran developed and implemented the first day hospital program for eating disorders (in 1984) and spearheaded eating disorder prevention. She is a prolific scholar, an author and co-editor of 5 books, and a frequent international speaker on embodiment, body image, and eating disorder prevention and treatment. Her book, Journeys of Embodiment at the Intersection of Body and Culture: The Developmental Theory of Embodiment (2017) won a 2018 Association for Women in Psychology Distinguished Publication Award.

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