The Confident Woman
How to Take Charge and Recharge Your Life
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
How Confident Are You?
Marjorie Hansen Shaevitz has won national awards for her work in women's health and has enjoyed the success some people only dream of: a prosperous professional life; a long, happy marriage; two Stanford-educated children; and a bestselling book, The Superwoman Syndrome, which coined a term for a generation of women. Despite all of her accomplishments, however, she struggled with the issue of confidence. After conducting extensive research, she found that she was far from alone: Many women experience the paradox of enjoying success in their business and personal lives while lacking confidence in themselves.
The Confident Woman focuses on the issues that women face in growing up as girls in this society. Using a series of seven steps, complete with techniques and questions, Shaevitz presents an accessible and proven program that helps women regain their confidence. It is written for women of all ages, ending with an epilogue for mothers who want practical tips for raising confident daughters. In clear, concise prose -- filled with anecdotes and humor -- The Confident Woman focuses on what women say they want: practical advice that they can use now.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Unlike self-esteem, confidence can be cultivated by carefully defining one's identity, likes and dislikes; learning to focus and manage time; eliminating stress; learning to be assertive; and developing trust in one's instincts, according to Shaevitz. A therapist in Los Angeles associated with Stanford's Institute for Research on Women and Gender, she points to her own development as a case study. Her advice on developing confidence is thorough if unoriginal; in an effort to be entertaining, she also includes "Tea Breaks" at the end of each chapter, which contain a recipe, jokes or music suggestions. The appendixes on depression and abuse and her bibliography are quite solid. However well-researched and well-meaning the book may be, its somewhat staid view of women's concerns and its programmatic approach make it a cousin to an earlier generation of self-help books. Shaevitz studied--and draws from--psychological research and self-help literature from such highly respected sources as Martin Seligman, Herbert Benson, Harriet Lerner, Ken Pelletier and David Burns. The sections on improving time management and assertiveness and the variety of quizzes, how-to exercises and self-assessments aimed at clarifying identity are particularly well done. In its entirety, however, the book is behind the times and too long.
