“If we observe women’s lives carefully, without attempting to force our observations into preexisting patterns, we discover that an inner sense of connection to others is the central organizing feature of women’s development. By listening to the stories women tell about their lives and examining these stories seriously, we have found that, quite contrary to what one would expect based on the governing models of development emphasizing separation, women’s sense of self and of worth is most often grounded in the ability to make and maintain relationships. As Jean (Baker Miller) wrote in her book Toward a New Psychology of Women (1976), “Women stay with, build on, and develop in a context of connections with others.”

Excerpt from: The Healing Connection: How Women Form Relationships in Therapy and in Life by Jean Baker Miller and Irene Pierce Stiver