Transcript Critical Health Psychology Needs Psychopolitical Validity

Psychopolitical Validity:
Working with Power to
Promote Justice and WellBeing
Isaac [email protected]
First International Conference on Community
Psychology: Puerto Rico
http://people.vanderbilt.edu/~isaac.prilleltensky
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“We cannot explain the development of
individuality or subjectivity apart from its
social context. But neither can we formulate a
social theory to explain the dynamics of
oppression without considering its psychic
dimension. We need a theory that operates
between the psyche and the social” (Oliver,
2004, The Colonization of Psychic Space).
Elements of a Social Theory of
Justice and Well-Being
1.
2.
3.
4.
Link between the political and the
psychological
Link between values and interests
Link between the epistemic and the ethical
domains
Power as a central component of links 1, 2,
and 3 above
Epistemic Dialectic
Epistemic dialectic
Political Forces
Power
Psychological Forces
Ethical Dialectic
Power
Values
Ethical dialectic
Interests
Power at the intersection of epistemic and ethical dialectics
Ethical dialectic
Values
Psychological Forces
Power
Epistemic dialectic
Interests
Political Forces
Elements of Well-Being and Justice
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Well-Being consists of the synergy of
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Personal
Relational
Collective domains
Justice consists of contextual considerations
of
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Needs
Merit
Equality
The Synergy of Well-being
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There cannot be well-being but in the
combined presence of personal, relational,
and collective well-being
Complementary Principles of
Justice
The Role of Context in Justice
The principle chosen depends on the
circumstances:
 If equality prevails, merit and effort are
rational choices.
 If inequality prevails, needs and equality take
precedence:
“Among citizens, certain needs matter from the
point of view of justice because if they are not
met, the equal status of some citizens is put at
risk” (Miller, 1999, p. 32).
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Justice Out of Context
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Societies aspiring to justice must seek
equilibrium among needs, merit, and equality.
When context of inequality calls for need and
equality, but culture favors merit, it’s because
privileged groups benefit.
As a result, group interests that influence the
choice of allocation pattern often disregard the
context-specific situation.
Well-Being  Justice
Selfdetermination
Justice is enhanced, and contributes to
well-being, by the power, capacity, and
opportunity to
Experience voice and choice, participate
in decision making
Caring and
compassion
Experience nurturing relationships free of
abuse
Equality and
freedom
Benefit from fair and equitable
distribution of resources and burdens
Well-Being is
enhanced by
Elements of a Theory of Power
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1. Power refers to the capacity and opportunity to
fulfil or obstruct personal, relational, or collective
needs.
2. Power has psychological and political sources,
manifestations and consequences.
3. We can distinguish among power to strive for
wellness, power to oppress, and power to resist
oppression and strive for liberation.
4. Power can be overt or covert, subtle or blatant,
hidden or exposed.
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5. The exercise of power can apply to self,
others, and collectives.
6. Power affords people multiple identities as
individuals seeking wellness, engaging in
oppression, or resisting domination.
7. Whereas people may be oppressed in one
context, at a particular time and place, they
may act as oppressors at another time and
place.
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8. Due to structural factors such as social class,
gender, ability, and race, people may enjoy
differential levels of power.
9. Degrees of power are also affected by personal and
social constructs such as beauty, intelligence, and
assertiveness; constructs that enjoy variable status
within different cultures.
10. The exercise of power can reflect varying degrees
of awareness with respect to the impact of one's
actions.
Elements of a Theory of
Psychopolitical Validity
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Psychopolitical validity derives from the
consideration of power dynamics in psychological
and political domains of wellness.
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The main objective of psychopolitical validity is to
infuse in community psychology an awareness of the
role of power in wellness, oppression, and liberation
at the personal, relational, and collective domains.
Psychopolitical validity
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In order to attain psychopolitical validity,
investigations and interventions would have to
meet certain criteria. These criteria have to do
with the extent to which research and action
incorporate lessons about psychological and
political power.
Psychopolitical Validity I: Epistemic
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This type of validity is achieved by the
systematic account of the role of power in
political and psychological dynamics affecting
phenomena of interest
Such account needs to consider the role of
power in the psychology and politics of
wellness, oppression and liberation, at the
personal, relational, and collective domains.
Table 1
Guidelines for Epistemic Psychopolitical Validity in Community Psychology
Concerns
Domains
Collective
Relational
Personal
Wellness
Accounts for role of political and
economic power in economic
prosperity and in creation of
institutions that promote equality
and public health
Studies the role of power in
creating and sustaining egalitarian
relationships, social cohesion,
social support, respect for diversity
and democratic participation in
communities, groups, and families
Studies role of
psychological and political
power in achieving selfdetermination,
empowerment, health,
personal growth, meaning
and spirituality
Oppression
Explores role of globalization,
colonization and exploitation in
illness and suffering of nations and
communities
Examines the role of political and
psychological power in exclusion
and discrimination based on class,
gender, age, race, education and
ability.
Studies conditions leading to lack
of support, horizontal violence and
fragmentation within oppressed
groups
Studies role of
powerlessness in learned
helplessness, hopelessness,
self-deprecation,
internalized oppression,
shame, physical and mental
health problems and
addictions
Liberation
Deconstructs ideological norms
that lead to acquiescence and
studies effective psychopolitical
factors in resistance to norms that
cause illness
Studies acts of solidarity and
compassion with others who suffer
from oppression and illness
Examines sources of
health, strength, resilience,
solidarity and development
of activism and leadership
Psychopolitical Validity II:
Transformational
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Transformational validity derives from the
potential of our actions to promote personal,
relational, and collective wellness by reducing
power inequalities and increasing political
action
Table 2
Guidelines for Transformational Psychopolitical Validity
Concerns
Domains
Collective
Relational
Personal
Well-being
Contributes to institutions that
support health, emancipation,
human development, peace,
protection of environment,
and social justice
Contributes to power
equalization in relationships
and communities. Enriches
awareness of subjective and
psychological forces
preventing solidarity. Builds
trust, connection and
participation in groups that
support social cohesion,
health and social justice
Supports personal
empowerment, health,
sociopolitical development,
leadership training and
solidarity. Contributes to
personal and social
responsibility and awareness of
subjective forces preventing
commitment to justice and
personal depowerment when in
position of privilege
Oppression
Opposes economic
colonialism and denial of
cultural rights. Decries and
resists role of own reference
group or nation in oppression
of others and deterioration of
health in other groups
Contributes to struggle
against in-group and outgroup domination and
discrimination, sexism and
norms of violence. Builds
awareness of own prejudice
and participation in
horizontal violence
Helps to prevent acting out of
own oppression on others.
Builds awareness of internalized
oppression and role of dominant
ideology in victim-blaming.
Contributes to personal
depowerment of people in
position of privilege
Liberation
Supports networks of
resistance and social change
movements that pursue health
and wellness. Contributes to
structural depowerment of
privileged people
Supports resistance against
objectification of others.
Develops processes of
mutual accountability
Helps to resists complacency
and collusion with exploitative
and illness producing system.
Contributes to struggle to
recover personal health and
political identity
Project I: New SPECs: Three-Year
Action Research Project
Island Youth Center
MLK Center
Healthy
City
John Snow
Foundation
Nazareth
Center
Building on Strengths
Focusing on Prevention
Working to Empower
Changing Community
Conditions
Project II: Vision Implementation Project
Three year research and action project with large
government department of human services
Vision
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Clarifying and moving the
vision forward
Implementation
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Implementing vision through
communities of practice
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Building the proper systems
for learning and growth
Project
How Power Operates in Health and
Human Services?
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Political power and psychological power interact in multiple
ways
Political and psychological power influence values and
interests of players in the health and human service arena
The more power equalization within the organization, the
higher the chances that the intervention will be transformative
Some aspects, like Strengths and Prevention, are easier to
implement and less threatening but less transformative than
Empowerment and Changing community conditions
Contradictory discourses about power abound in the discourse
of participants in both projects
Epistemic Dialectic
Epistemic dialectic
Political Forces
Power
Psychological Forces
Ethical Dialectic
Power
Values
Ethical dialectic
Interests
Power at the intersection of epistemic and ethical dialectics
Ethical dialectic
Values
Psychological Forces
Power
Epistemic dialectic
Interests
Political Forces
Stokols says….
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The healthfulness of a situation and the well-being of
its participants are assumed to be influenced by
multiple facets of both the physical environment (e.g.,
geography, architecture, and technology) and the
social environment (e.g., culture, economics, and
politics). Moreover, the health status of individuals
and groups is influenced not only by environmental
factors but also by a variety of personal attributes,
including genetic heritage, psychological
dispositions, and behavioral patterns.
Stokols continues…..
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Thus, efforts to promote human well-being
should be based on an understanding of the
dynamic interplay among diverse
environmental and personal factors rather than
on analyses that focus exclusively on
environmental, biological, or behavioral
factors. (Stokols, 2000, p. 27)
Seligman says……
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Seligman tells readers that, “even if you could
alter all of the external circumstances above, it
would not do much for you, since together
they probably account for no more than
between 8 and 15 percent of the variance in
happiness” (Authentic Happiness, 2002, p. 61).
Really?
Seligman Engages in
Context Minimization Error
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“Tendency to ignore the impact of enduring
neighborhood and community contexts on
human behavior. The error has adverse
consequences for understanding psychological
processes and efforts at social change” (Shinn
and Toohey, 2003, p. 428).
Context Minimization Error
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“Practitioners “should pay more attention to
the community contexts of human behavior.
Conditions in neighborhoods and community
settings are associated with residents' mental
and physical health, opportunities,
satisfactions, and commitments.” (Shinn and
Toohey, 2003, Annual Review of Psychology).
It’s like Venice…..
Venice’s Lesson
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“The psychotherapist, social worker or social
reformer, concerned only with his own clients
and their grievance against society, perhaps
takes a view comparable to the private citizen
of Venice who concerns himself only with the
safety of his own dwelling and his own ability
to get about the city. But if the entire republic
is slowly being submerged, individual citizens
cannot afford to ignore their collective fate,
because, in the end, they all drown together if
nothing is done” (Badcock, 1982)