The self-help industry can solve your problems, but at what cost? Melissa Kong '08 (Sunnyside, N.Y.), who has an Emerson grant to study the self-help revolution, is particularly interested in the gendered assumptions behind our lively self-help culture. Working with the Elihu Root Peace Fund Associate Professor of Women's Studies Vivyan Adair, Kong will research and report on the cultural phenomenon of self-help through the lens of feminist, racial, and cultural criticism.
"I've always been pretty intrigued by the concept of self-help," said Kong, who grew up surrounded by self-help books. Her steps to understanding the effect of self-help on society begin with generating a simple definition. "Nobody really understands what it is," she observed. She also hopes to determine what kind of harm self-help may be causing, especially to women.
Self-help, which is primarily marketed to women, may be seen as essentially anti-feminist. The logic of self-help implies that there is something wrong with the reader, while feminism has always tried to counter the societal assumption that women must change who and what they are in order to be acceptable. Kong is looking for proof of this contradiction, and argues that the genre itself may be potentially detrimental to women.
Kong originally planned to conduct her research by working with focus groups of women and by interviewing members of the industry. After conducting a field study during her spring quarter abroad in Fiji, however, she decided to concentrate on the interviews. She is in the process of scheduling appointments to interview a life coach and an author of self-help books. "My goal is not to say you should or you shouldn't," she said. "Just realize how self-help affects your life."
This is Kong's first summer of research, though she has previously worked as an intern at several Hamilton offices. She enjoys the different pace this summer, praising the motivation research requires and the fact that it asks the student to "think outside the box" and "really teaches you how to complete a task."
When she is not doing research, Kong is working at her internship with Time for Kids. "I guess I just like to pile it on," she said of her hectic summer. No surprise there; Kong is just as busy during the school year. A former intern with Hamilton's publications office, Kong will spend next year as an Admissions intern. She is also the travel editor of the Continental magazine, a member of Model U.N., a psychology tutor, and she sits on the Judicial Board. In her spare time, Kong does tai kwon do.
A rising senior pursuing a psychology major and anthropology minor, Kong hopes to use this summer's work as part of her senior thesis, which will deal with body image in the media. In the future, she hopes to mount a web site and possibly develop a print publication which promotes for young women healthy body-image and self-esteem.
Kong's research this summer is funded by the Emerson Foundation Grant Program, which provides students with significant opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty mentors, researching an area of mutual interest. Recipients typically undertake some combination of fieldwork, laboratory investigation, library research and the development of teaching materials. A public presentation of their findings is required of all Emerson Scholars during the academic year.
-- by Lisbeth Redfield
"I've always been pretty intrigued by the concept of self-help," said Kong, who grew up surrounded by self-help books. Her steps to understanding the effect of self-help on society begin with generating a simple definition. "Nobody really understands what it is," she observed. She also hopes to determine what kind of harm self-help may be causing, especially to women.
Self-help, which is primarily marketed to women, may be seen as essentially anti-feminist. The logic of self-help implies that there is something wrong with the reader, while feminism has always tried to counter the societal assumption that women must change who and what they are in order to be acceptable. Kong is looking for proof of this contradiction, and argues that the genre itself may be potentially detrimental to women.
Kong originally planned to conduct her research by working with focus groups of women and by interviewing members of the industry. After conducting a field study during her spring quarter abroad in Fiji, however, she decided to concentrate on the interviews. She is in the process of scheduling appointments to interview a life coach and an author of self-help books. "My goal is not to say you should or you shouldn't," she said. "Just realize how self-help affects your life."
This is Kong's first summer of research, though she has previously worked as an intern at several Hamilton offices. She enjoys the different pace this summer, praising the motivation research requires and the fact that it asks the student to "think outside the box" and "really teaches you how to complete a task."
When she is not doing research, Kong is working at her internship with Time for Kids. "I guess I just like to pile it on," she said of her hectic summer. No surprise there; Kong is just as busy during the school year. A former intern with Hamilton's publications office, Kong will spend next year as an Admissions intern. She is also the travel editor of the Continental magazine, a member of Model U.N., a psychology tutor, and she sits on the Judicial Board. In her spare time, Kong does tai kwon do.
A rising senior pursuing a psychology major and anthropology minor, Kong hopes to use this summer's work as part of her senior thesis, which will deal with body image in the media. In the future, she hopes to mount a web site and possibly develop a print publication which promotes for young women healthy body-image and self-esteem.
Kong's research this summer is funded by the Emerson Foundation Grant Program, which provides students with significant opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty mentors, researching an area of mutual interest. Recipients typically undertake some combination of fieldwork, laboratory investigation, library research and the development of teaching materials. A public presentation of their findings is required of all Emerson Scholars during the academic year.
-- by Lisbeth Redfield
