Why Girls Talk--and What They're Really Saying

by Susan Morris Shaffer, Linda Perlman Gordon

Helps parents cut through the drama of teenage daughters and maintain positive emotional connections Because adolescent girls tend to talk so much, parents often assume that girls are easier to communicate with than boys. In reality, much of what teenage girls say is the opposite of a healthy expression of emotion--often taking the form of fighting, brooding hostility, or, at times, overinvolvement. While recent bestsellers such as Queen Bees and Odd Girl Out explore the social and psychological pressures that inform teenage girls' behavior, they provide little or no guidance on how to manage the communication problems that develop between parents and their daughters. Why Girls Talk--and What They're Really Saying does that and much more. Based on the authors' years of clinical and research experience,

256 pages, Paperback

First published December 9, 2004

Reviews

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cartea e scrisa de autori americani, prin urmare multe din problemele pe care le dezbat din vietile adolescentilor sunt specifice adolescentilor americani (despre probleme de rasa, grupuri etnice minoritare, etc.). Stilul de scris nu e foarte cursiv, probabil suna mai bine in engleza si autorii nu sunt neaparat scriitori de meserie. Unele parti sunt foarte vagi (incurajare la comportament sexual responsabil, avort - sunt teme mai mult mentionate statistic, si raman intr-o rama de gandire liberala mai degraba). In rest, temele abordate sunt mai degraba de cultura generala, nu pot sa zic ca m-a surprins sau m-a frapat vreo informatie in mod special (poate si din cauza studiilor mele, unele aspecte sociologice imi erau foarte familiare).

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only skimmed this book but I think I got everything I wanted out of it. Namely, girls are socialised to be accepted as part of a group, and if they start acting out it's usually because they're frightened of losing their place in the group. Eg. If a girl chucks a tantrum over not getting new jeans, it's probably not the jeans themselves she cares about, it's the fact that she thinks the girls in her friendship group will disown her or she's afraid of losing popularity/losing face/being picked on. Or maybe she just wants the jeans/CDs/whatever as a way of connecting with others in a group and becomes upset if she feels she has no way or less ways of making and strengthening bonds and friendships with other girls.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Co-Author

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't work for me, with my Stepdaughter who is at the isolating from everyone and everything stage. I skimmed it but didn't finish.