The Ubiquitous Influence of Privilege and Oppression on One and All

Josephine M. Kim, Ph.D., LMHC, NCCH311 February 17, 2008

Implications of Privilege and Oppression

on Service Provision

Contents

Social Identity Development TheoryWhite Identity Development

Comprehensive framework of holistic CDE that fosters and promotes self-

awareness and self-exploration;

1

Theory of Oppression

2

Oppression’s Impact on Privileged Groups

3

Implications on Service Provision

43

Social Identity Development Theory (Hardiman & Jackson, 1997)

White Identity Theory (Helms, 1992)

Why Study Oppression Theory? (Torres, 2003)

• Privilege and oppression impacts identity development

• We must create a connection between how behavior is shaped by outside influences before we address issues related to the identity development of diverse populations and design practices to empower these groups

Why Study Oppression Theory? (Torres, 2003)

• Oppression theory reminds us that people are historical subjects; therefore, history impacts the way we think, act, and behave toward others.

• A group of people can work toward a common goal grounded in theory; without such a base, personal dominance may become the focal point.

Definition of Oppression (Torres, 2003)

“Oppression is overwhelming control; an act is oppressive when it prevents people from being more fully human. Oppressors see only themselves as human beings and other people as ‘things’.”

Freire, 1987

The oppressed develop a mental construct called “The wheels in the head” syndrome“The wheels in the head” syndrome – a thought process when their internalized ideas are not their own but rather are thoughts prescribed by others to subjugate them.

Education as Banking (Torres, 2003)

• The method most commonly used to dictate prescribed thoughts and minimizing creative power to oppressed groups

• Teachers dictate information to the learners that is from an oppressive historical ideology.

• The learners become passive as they receive, memorize, and repeat what has been dictated, thus creating systems where those in power deposit information and the oppressed are passive receivers of the information.

• “Oppression is not simply an ideology or set of beliefs that assert one group’s superiority over another, nor is it random acts of violence, harassment, or discrimination toward members of target groups. It is when one social group, consciously or subconsciously, denigrates another social group for its own gain.”

Hardiman & Jackson, 1997

Six Themes of Oppression (Bell, 1997)

The Social Oppression Matrix(Torres, 2003)

The Social Oppression Matrix(Torres, 2003)

How Oppression Impacts Privileged Groups

How Oppression Impacts Privileged Groups

Acute (Race) Oppression Reactions (Utsey, Bolden, & Brown, 2001)

Acute (Race) Oppression Reactions (Utsey, Bolden, & Brown, 2001)

Acute (Race) Oppression Reactions (Utsey, Bolden, & Brown, 2001)

Acute (Race) Oppression Reactions (Utsey, Bolden, & Brown, 2001)

Acute (Race) Oppression Reactions (Utsey, Bolden, & Brown, 2001)

Physiological Effects of Oppression (Harrell, 2000)

Food for Thought… (Werner & Smith, 2001)

• In spite of the well-documented relationship between oppression and psychopathology, the link is often not apparent.

• About half the people exposed to multiple or severe oppressive stressors do not develop serious disabilities or persistent mental health problems.

Why do some who are Why do some who are exposed to oppressive exposed to oppressive experiences develop experiences develop mental health mental health problems while others problems while others do not?do not?

What is Resilience?

“Requiring (1) exposure to significant risk,

(2) overcoming risk or adversity

and (3) success that is beyond predicted expectations”

(Richman & Fraser, as cited in Ungar, 2004, p. 18)

Factors Associated with Resilience

• Personal Protective Factors

26

Factors Associated with Resilience

Availability of Emotional & Cognitive Processing

29

Gender Differences (Thomas, 2008)

Religion & Spirituality (Thomas, 2008)

Familial Factors Familial Factors (Thomas, 2008)(Thomas, 2008)

Assessing Oppression (Thomas, 2008)

Assessing Resilience (Thomas, 2008)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMF_24cQqT0