Jo-Ann Krestan: Too Good for Her Own Good

Abstract

The social revolution introduced by the women's movement has led women and men into a struggle to more equally define gender roles. Yet, many who have responded to the call for liberation find themselves burdened by a more overwhelming sense of responsibility than they experienced before answering the freedom call. While people have been freed to assume more privileges and responsibilities, many have not been free to let go of the role their gender has traditionally assumed. Women and men find themselves working harder than ever to prove that they are good enough and find themselves wondering "just how much is good enough?" In their recent book, Too Good for Her Own Good: Searching for Self and Intimacy in Important Relationships, Claudia Bepko and Jo-Ann Krestan address the struggle for goodness in a historical context. They suggest that women's struggle to be good is a compensation for historical messages which tell women that they are inferior and deficient in comparison with men. In their work as family therapists, Ms Bepko and Ms Krestan have formulated these rules into a "Code of Goodness." They discuss ways in which the code is a problem and suggest alternatives for women to create more balanced lives. The vital nature of a mutually sup-portive network of relationships is explored. Their systemic perspective leads to their belief that a balanced life includes caring for others, as well as for one's self.