CWRU Faculty & Staff Authors

Though anxiety has risen among young people overall, studies confirm that it has skyrocketed in girls. Research finds that the number of girls who said that they often felt nervous, worried, or fearful jumped 55% from 2009 to 2014 while the comparable number for adolescent boys has remained unchanged. As a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with girls, Lisa Damour, Ph.D., has witnessed this rising tide of stress and anxiety in her own research, private practice, and in the all-girls' school where she consults, and knew this had to be the topic of her new book. In the same engaging, anecdotal style and reassuring tone that won over thousands of readers of her first book, Untangled, Damour starts by addressing the facts about psychological pressure. Surprisingly, she explains the underappreciated value of stress and anxiety--that stress can helpfully stretch us beyond our comfort zones and anxiety can play a key role in keeping girls safe. When we emphasize the benefits of stress and anxiety we can help our daughters take them in stride. But no one wants their girl to suffer from emotional overload, so Damour then turns to the many facets of their lives where tension takes hold: their interactions at home, pressures at school, social anxiety among other girls and among boys, and on social media. As readers move through the layers of girls' lives, they'll learn about the critical steps that adults can take to shield their daughters from the toxic pressures to which our culture--including we, as parents--subjects girls. Readers who know Damour from Untangled or the New York Times or from her regular appearances on CBS News will be drawn to this important new contribution to understanding and supporting today's girls.

Dr. Damour draws on decades of experience and the latest research to reveal the seven distinct -- and absolutely normal -- developmental transitions that turn girls into grown-ups, including Parting with Childhood, Contending with Adult Authority, Entering the Romantic World, and Caring for Herself. Providing realistic scenarios and advice on how to engage daughters in smart, constructive ways, Untangled gives parents a broad framework for understanding their daughters while addressing their most common questions, including: My thirteen-year-old rolls her eyes when I try to talk to her, and only does it more when I get angry with her about it. How should I respond? -- Do I tell my teen daughter that I'm checking her phone? -- My daughter suffers from test anxiety. What can I do to help her? -- Where's the line between healthy eating and having an eating disorder? -- My teenage daughter wants to know why I'm against pot when it's legal in some states. What should I say? -- My daughter's friend is cutting herself. Do I call the girl's mother to let her know? Untangled helps mothers and fathers understand, connect, and grow with their daughters. When parents know what makes their daughter tick, they can embrace and enjoy the challenge of raising a healthy, happy young woman.

Hansell & Damour's Abnormal Psychology, 2e will empower your students with the critical thinking skills to better detail, classify, explain and ultimately better understand abnormal behavior. Written by practicing clinicians and featuring a streamlined table of contents, Abnormal Psychology, 2e offers a new, innovative approach that encourages the critical thinking skills which will help students see the "forest for the trees." By placing the DSM-IV in a larger context using a wide variety of examples, situations and applications, students better understand and contextualize the numerous mental illnesses discussed in the course. This includes a new series of critical thinking questions tied to the "core concepts" framework of the text. Additionally there are 15 new "visual essays" that highlight the most important biological principals, each is designed to help students make the connection between biology and mental illness.