Abstract
This article reviews the literature on the conflicts and presenting problems of mid-life single women wishing to marry and addresses the clinical issues in their treatment. Methodology and findings of a research project conducted by the authors with 49 African-American and White women who married after the age of 35 are reported. There is a review of the sociological and historical context for African-American women, which accounts for the different findings for the two subgroups studied. The paper concludes with recommendations to the clinician working with this population.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bergman, M. (1985). The effect of role reversal on delayed marriage and maternity. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 40: 197–219
Billingsley A., (1968). Black families in white America. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall
Davis L. E., (1998). Black and single New York Ballantine
Franklin D. L., (2000). What’s love got to do with it? understanding and treating the rift between black men and women New York Simon and Schuster
Judt, T. (1999). Review of The First World War by J. Keegan. New York Times Book Review. June 27, 1999
Levy-Simon B., (1989). Never married women Philadelphia Temple University Press
Lewis K., Moon S., (1997). Always single and single again: A qualitative studyJournal of Marital and Family Therapy 23(2):115–134
Lieberman J. S., (1991). Issues in the psychoanalytic treatment of single females over thirty Psychoanalytic Review 78(2):177–198
Nadelson C., (1981). Issues in the analyses of single women in their thirties and forties in Oldham J., Liebert R., (eds) The middle years. New psychoanalytic perspectives New Haven Yale University Press 105–122
Nadelson C., Notman M., (1981). To marry or not to marry: A choice American Journal of Psychiatry 138(10):1352–1356
New York Times (2003). Social expectations pressuring women at Duke, Study Finds, Sept. 24, 2003
Patterson O., (1998). Rituals of blood New York Basic Civitas Books
Rutan S., Stone W., (1984) Psychodynamic group therapy New York MacMillan
Staples R., (1981). Race and marital status: an overview in McAdoo H., (Eds) Black families Beverly Hills, CA Sage Press 173–175
Wallerstein J., Blakeslee S., (1995). The good marriage New York Warner Books
Yalom I., (1985). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy New York Basic Books
Zimon-Tobin P., (1986). Childless women approaching mid-life: issues in psychoanalytic treatment in Bernay T., Cantor D., (Eds) The psychology of today’s woman: new psychoanalytic visions Hillsdale, NJ The Analytic Press 305–318
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Emery, P., White, J.C. CLINICAL ISSUES WITH AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND WHITE WOMEN WISHING TO MARRY IN MID-LIFE. Clin Soc Work J 34, 23–44 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-005-0004-6
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-005-0004-6