Defines the Female System as an emerging reality--a system in which women are valued, first-class citizens. Now with a new foreword by Carol S. Pearson. ""Women's Reality "is one of the few books that is supportive of women's changing roles without putting men down. It allows men and women to see each other as friends rather than enemies."--Jed Diamond, author of "Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places""A brilliant dissection of the psycho-sexual differences between male and female experience. It should be required reading in every women's studies course."--Rosemary Ruether, author of "Women-Church""Superb....The power of naming is an awesome one. It has been held almost exclusively by men. In our time, women are increasingly reclaiming this power in order to name their own truths. For this very fundamental task, "Women's Reality" is a superb tool. It is conceptually clear, insightful throughout--and kind. Men need this as much as women do."--Bonnie Kreps, author of "Subversive Thoughts, Authentic Passions" Defines the Female System as an emerging reality--a system in which women are valued, first-class citizens. Now with a new foreword by Carol S. Pearson. Anne Wilson Schaef, Ph.D., is the bestselling author of Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much , Women's Reality , and Co-Dependence , among others. Schaef specializes in work with women's issues and addictions and has developed her own approach to healing which she calls Living in Process. Her focus now is helping people, societies, and the planet make a paradigm shift. Chapter One Fitting in: The White Male System and Other Systems in Our Culture The White Male System and the Way the World Isn't When working with clients, therapists have traditionally taken one of two approaches: the intrapsychic or the interpersonal . In the former, the therapist focuses on what goes on inside the person, emphasizing the importance of dreams, fantasies, defense mechanisms, fixations, and the like. Of special significance are the first five years of a client's life; these are seen as having shaped the person and determined what she or he would be and become in the fixture. Many practitioners now feel that the intrapsychic approach is sorely lacking. The information gained by that methodology may be useful, but it is just not enough. True, a therapist can work with an individual's insides and make great strides, but it is also necessary to work with her or his outsides --specifically, to become aware of and/or involved with the significant others in the client's life. After all, no one lives in a vacuum! The interpersonal approach, then, focuses on the system in which the client lives and on the system which is the client herself or himself. As a practicing psychotherapist, I myself have used both approaches--the intrapsychic and the interpersonal--with my clients, depending on their needs and my perceptions. Both have worked at different times; both have helped people to become living, loving, capable individuals. Still, I have never been entirely satisfied with either approach or the combination of the two. Something is missing from each one--something which I have grown to feel is essential not only to the therapeutic process but also to getting along in the world on a day-to-day basis. What is missing is an understanding and awareness of what I have chosen to call the White Male System. It is crucial to be able to define this system and deal with it simply because it surrounds us and permeates our lives. Its myths, beliefs, rituals, procedures, and outcomes affect everything we think, feel, and do. Let me explain what I mean by the White Male System. It is the system in which we live, and in it, the power and influence are held by white males. This system did not happen overnight, nor was it the result of the machinations of only a few individuals; we all not only let it occur but participated in its development. Nevertheless, the White Male System is just that: a system. We all live in it, but it is not reality. It is not the way the world is. Unfortunately, some of us do not recognize that it is a system and think it is reality or the way the world is. The White Male System--and it is important to keep in mind that I am referring to a system here and not pointing a finger at specific individuals within it--controls almost every aspect of our culture. It makes our laws, runs our economy, sets our salaries, and decides when and if we will go to war or remain at home. It decides what is knowledge and how it is to be taught. Like any other system, it has both positive and negative qualities. But because it is only a system, it can be clarified, examined, and changed, both from within and without. There are other systems within our culture. The Black System, the Chicano System, the Asian American System, and the Native American System are completely enveloped in and frequently overshadowed by the White Male System. As, of course, is the Female System,