II. Personal Reflections on the Impact of Jean Baker Miller's Work

Abstract

On a variety of occasions throughout the second edition of Toward a New Psychology of Women (1986), Jean Baker Miller refers to women who spoke or wrote to her following the publication of the first edition (1976). They had contacted her to let her know how the book had impacted on their lives, altering the way they understood the world and themselves, even when they didn't agree with all aspects of her analysis. In this article, we present reflections from two such individuals, whose personal and professional perspectives were deeply affected by the ideas presented in a book only 150 pages in length. The fact that the authors come from two different countries demonstrates that, even early on, Miller's ideas were having an international impact.