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The Psychology Of Menstruation, Natalie J. Martin

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

The menstrual cycle is not only a physiological experience, it is also a psychological, social, and cultural one. However, the majority of the research on menstruation views the experience of menstruation via the medical model. Through this lens, menstruation is not a natural, healthy part of a woman's experience, but a pathology requiring diagnosis and treatment. This study focuses on whether cultural and social expectations affect women's psychological evaluations of the menstrual experience, and particularly, whether identification with feminism affects attitudes toward menstruation and the physical and emotional symptoms experienced. Subjects were 87 college women who completed 30 days of …