Chapter 2, Theoretical Issues - For Your Own Good Summary and Analysis

In this chapter, the reader meets fifteen-year-old Cayenne. As a young girl, Cayenne is enthusiastic and feisty. She enjoys sports and gets along well with people of all ages. Ambitious and bright, Cayenne is a good student with a great imagination. When she reaches puberty, however, Cayenne begins to struggle. Her classmates tease her, and she becomes very self-conscious about her appearance. She withdraws from her family, and her grades fall. By the time that she begins treatment with Dr. Pipher, she is already sexually active and knows that she has herpes.

Dr. Pipher reveals her own frustration in trying to help girls like Cayenne. She recalls that psychology professors are mostly men who do not study girls. She finds that some common themes, including preoccupation with...