W3- Confronting the truths of Psychology's power dynamics Flashcards
cultural biases built into psych
founded on punishment
used to torture, gaslight, and over-medicate people
used similarly to prison system to hold power over marginalised people- punish, pathologise and diminish collective power and rebellion
power
person’s ability to exert influence and control
having access to resources
ability to influence others
access to decison makers
ability to define reality
power dynamics
describes how power affects a relationship between two or more people
privilege
special advantage enjoyed by individual or group not available to everyone
privilege and power relationship
those with privilege hold more power
power and privilege in medical profession
job positions demand high salary, high level of knowledge from advanced education, and medical professional has control over patient/client
certain level of privilege needed to gain these positions
which groups of people might not have access to mental health care?
vulnerable, traumatised, experiencing emotional distress, lower SES, ethnic minorities, disabled and neurodiverse
psych power dynamic
the dynamic is by design
client transfers power to therapist by being emotionally vulnerable- therapist uses this to assist client
societal power dynamics
despite intentional patient-practitioner power dynamic, societal power dynamics are still at play
race, SES, sexual orientation, ability/disability, gender, class/caste, religion
why is it important for therapists to acknowledge and explore power dynamics in client-therapist relationship?
learning about their own cultural identity and that of their client helps them be aware of and accepting of the client’s beliefs and perspectives
the power imbalance becomes exploitative when dismissing the client’s perspective
also important to acknowledge systems of oppression which add context to the therapist and client’s lives
coercive power
ability to offer punishment to deter certain actions
reward power
ability to give out rewards for desired behaviour
formal power
power comes from having an official position, often legal
legitimate or titular power
connection power
ability to offer access to certain people or resources
referent power
influence comes from being liked by others
popularity, charisma
informational power
influence that comes from knowledge and information
expert power
influence comes from having exceptional skills
what kind of power do psychologists have?
formal- power to detain clients
informational- psych knows more about client than client knows about psych
oppression
when one group used unfair acts fo power to control another group
even when not causing physical harm, limits a person’s freedom to move through world, pursue goals, and obtain power
overt oppression
openly practised
clear visible actions and outcomes that discriminate against and oppress a group of people
covert oppression
more insidious
indirect, hidden mechanism
perpetuate inequalities and inequities
create exclusions
implicit bias
microaggressions
societal norms and practices
oppression and intersectionality
individual can belong to advantage and disadvantaged groups at same time or multiple disadvantaged groups
factors which impact power dynamics
dominant ideologies/systems
education/access to knowledge
money
attachment styles
privilege/marginalisation
boundaries
resources
trauma histories
communication
style
positions of authority
colonialism
“control by one power over a dependent area or people”
subjugation of one population by another, conquering, exploiting, and forcing language and cultural values upon its people
non-indigenous people hold colonial power
imperialism
policy or ethos of using power and influence to control another nation or people
underlies colonialism
systemic racism
when laws, policies and practices across agencies work together to produce discriminatory outcomes for racial or cultural groups
may appear neutral but result in uneven or unfair outcomes
dynamics of power structures
power operates within social, political and organisational contexts
dynamics occur within these structrues, relfect how power in negotiated, contested, and exercised
rarely static- flows, shifts and morphs according to context, relationships and other factors
institutional power
when organisations determine control over people and their behaviours through rules, norms and resources, without considering equity and their power dynamic
examples of institutional power
education- women, low SES, Indigenous Australian
law and justice- overrepresentation of brown and black people- racial profiling
government policy and institutions- removal of children through legislation
media- media influences discourse
institutional power in health
segregated wards, different treatment for AIDS patients…
these power dynamics which have forced compliance and created fear over generations result in current distrust in institutions
closing the gap- areas that still need to be greatly improved
incarceration, out of home care, suicide
need for social and emotional wellbeing and mental health
how to create more cultural awareness/acceptance/education?
more standards set by gov and orgs
Indigenous-led frameworks
APAC, APS, AHPRA- included cultural responsiveness to set of standards of teaching and accreditation for psychologists
closing the gap
launched in 2008 and still no significant progress
focused on life expectancy, child mortality, early childhood education, literacy, secondary education, employment, school attendance
negative stereotypes about Indigenous Australians
substance abuse- dehumanisation
misinformation about prevalence of sexual offenders in Aboriginal communities
don’t like to work- take gov handouts
“real” Aboriginals live in desert/remote communities
holistic vs reductionist
Indigenous conceptualisation more holistic- understand problem and how it exists within the whole
Western reductionist perspective- understand problem and its role specifically, and how to remove or live with it
disclosure
Western model prioritises privacy- confidentiality, informed consent, disclosure
collectivist societies- benefit of multiple specialists/practitioners working together
tactics to reduce power imbalance in psych
reduce use of jargon
resolving misunderstandings- should not blame client, reword statement, apologising for mistakes
adjusting atmosphere- should be culturally safe, feel comfortable, fidget toys
avoiding personal relationships
practicing self-reflexivity
integrating cultural responsiveness- actively listen and validate cultural experiences, incorporate cultural knowledge, continuous education
how to redistribute power
shared decision making
Indigenous self-determination
challenging standard practices
client-led approaches
empowerment- need to be careful- can be in context of one person/group empowering another- done from position of greater power- should involve dismantling hierachial structures and fostering environments where empowerment is shared and collaborative
