Privilege

7 Key excerpts on "Privilege"

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  eBook - ePub

  The Psychology of Inequity

  Motivation and Beliefs

  • Jean Lau Chin, Yolanda E. Garcia, Arthur W. Blume, Jean Lau Chin, Yolanda E. Garcia, Arthur W. Blume(Authors)
  • 2022(Publication Date)
  • Praeger

    (Publisher)

  If oppression is one side of a weighted coin, Privilege is the other, weighted side; Privilege dictates which side lands up (Goodman, 2015; Johnson, 2018). This intrinsic tying of Privilege to oppression can make Privilege seem at first like an interpersonal insult. As such, Privilege is neither an easy nor a natural topic of conversation. Self-identification with Privilege and discussion of its benefits to those who have it could be seen as deliberate risking of that Privilege and its associated benefits (Helms, 2017).

  Resistance to becoming aware of social Privilege is highest among people who identify strongly with a Privileged social identity because there is more to lose. Stewart and Branscombe (2015) describe the defensiveness that results from being confronted with the prospect of social Privilege as a barrier to awareness of Privilege. From birth, many individuals with Privilege are socialized to avoid shame. Antibias education insists educators should avoid making young children feel guilty or ashamed of their identity. However, collective guilt is actually a “critical ingredient” for reducing intergroup bias through social Privilege awareness (Stewart & Branscombe, 2015, p. 138).

  WHERE THE RUBBER HITS THE ROAD: FROM THEORY TO APPLICATION

  With the knowledge of what social Privilege is—what it looks like, where to find it, how to describe it—psychologists can begin to understand how social Privilege operates. How does the invisible force of Privilege perpetuate oppression? How can psychologists then self-examine and self-reflect on Privilege to apply the brakes to inequity? Alan Johnson (2018) highlighted the phenomenon that individuals often compare themselves to groups in society that are afforded more of anything that gives those groups greater power and usually neglect to consider groups in society with less. This sort of confirmation bias bolsters the invisibility of social Privilege. Seeing the machinations of social Privilege takes effort. Slowing them down for long enough to intervene takes humility and courage.

  THE MECHANICS OF SOCIAL Privilege

  In order for psychologists to intervene in the dynamics of social Privilege, it is necessary to identify the social categories that prescribe these dynamics. Pamela Hays (2001) first conceptualized the ADDRESSING model, an acronym for each social identity domain that influences the dynamics of psychologists’ work. ADDRESSING stands for age, disability, religion and spiritual orientation, ethnic and racial identity, SES, sexual orientation, Indigenous heritage, national origin, and gender identity and sex assigned at birth. Hays recognized the need to explicitly identify each social identity domain and discuss how they are related to either dominant or minority groups.

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  eBook - ePub

  Handbook of Multicultural Counseling Competencies

  • Jennifer A. Erickson Cornish, Barry A. Schreier, Lavita I. Nadkarni, Lynett Henderson Metzger, Emil R. Rodolfa, Jennifer A. Erickson Cornish, Barry A. Schreier, Lavita I. Nadkarni, Lynett Henderson Metzger, Emil R. Rodolfa(Authors)
  • 2010(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  This can be a very difficult area for educators, trainers, or supervisors to tackle in class or other training arenas and key issues that make this true will be reviewed in detail. Vignettes will be provided for discussion purposes. Definitions of Privilege and White Privilege Privilege can be defined as “a right, immunity, or benefit granted as a particular benefit, advantage, or favor” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Wildman and Davis (2002) identify two key elements of Privilege. First, the characteristics and attributes of the Privileged group are the societal norm and benefit members of the Privileged group. Second, Privileged group members can rely on their Privilege to avoid speaking out against oppression. Cullinan (1999) articulates three presumptions about a dominant cultural group that perpetuate Privilege for that group: innocence, worthiness, and competence. Innocence means that dominant-culture members are generally considered to be without blame, whereas others are viewed suspiciously. The presumption of worthiness means that those in the dominant culture are believed to deserve attention, service, and respect. Competence refers to dominant-culture individuals being treated as competent and given autonomy and encouragement. White Privilege, specifically, is an institutional set of unearned benefits granted to White people (Kendall, 2001, 2006; McIntosh, 1989; Sue, 2003). Sue (2003) defines White Privilege as “unearned advantages and benefits” given to White individuals based on a system that was “normed on the experiences, values, and perceptions” of White individuals (p. 7). McIntosh (1989) characterizes White Privilege as “an invisible package of unearned assets which I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was ‘meant’ to remain oblivious” (p. 10). She likens it to “an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks” (p. 10)

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  Selves as Solutions to Social Inequalities

  Why Engaging the Full Complexity of Social Identities is Critical to Addressing Disparities

  • Tiffany N. Brannon, Peter H. Fisher, Abigail J. Greydanus(Authors)
  • 2020(Publication Date)
  • Cambridge University Press

    (Publisher)

  dominant groups to view themselves as individuals, whereas social groups that are forced to contend with the burden of discrimination and stereotyping are not granted the same freedom to be individuals and instead are seen through the imposed lens of their gender or racial/ethnic group membership. Only within the past forty years have researchers begun to study Privilege as a psychological phenomenon; however, a growing body of research has mapped out some important ways that Privilege shapes behavior. For example, an issue of the Journal of Social Issues from 2012 on systems of Privilege contains several articles in which researchers examined the effects of raising awareness of Privilege (Stewart et al., 2012), used intersectional approaches to explore how Privileged group members reinforce the status quo (Ferber, 2012), and investigated interventions to increase allyship behavior (Case et al., 2012). One underexamined domain in research on Privilege that several of these articles note as a future direction is the everyday, in-group social interactions that dominant group members have with one another that reinforce and perpetuate the stigmatization of outgroups (see also Phillips & Lowery, 2018). This section will highlight the potential of using a stigma and strengths approach to study dominant groups and develop interventions that increase awareness of Privilege and motivate members of dominant groups to reduce social inequities. 5.2 Examining Whiteness and Masculinity as Case Studies in Privileged, Complex Identities Social identity theory explains how race and gender are fundamental identities and inform a wide range of attitudes and behaviors (Tajfel & Turner, 1986). While race and gender are perhaps the most salient social identities, research on intersectionality has shown that multiple identities can become salient in a given context in complex ways that shape behavior (Crenshaw, 1991).

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  Race Relations in America

  Examining the Facts

  • Nikki Khanna, Noriko Matsumoto(Authors)
  • 2021(Publication Date)
  • ABC-CLIO

    (Publisher)

  There are many social statuses that people pos- sess that intersect with their white Privilege to determine how they move through and experience the world (such as those based on gender, sex- uality, social class, age, nationality, religion, weight, and even physical attractiveness). Thus, a white, wealthy, heterosexual man may experience life very differently than a white, poor, lesbian woman. Crosley-Corcoran continues, “I, maybe more than most people, can completely understand why broke white folks get p—d when the word ‘Privilege’ is thrown around. As a child, I was constantly discriminated against because of my poverty. . . . But luckily my college education introduced me to a more nuanced concept of Privilege; the term Intersectionality. The concept of Intersectionality recognizes that people can be Privileged in some ways and definitely not Privileged in others.” Psychologist and racism expert Beverly Tatum similarly describes the concept of intersectionality and the importance of understanding the ways 40 Race Relations in America in which individuals can simultaneously experience Privilege and lack thereof: It is important to acknowledge that while all Whites benefit from rac- ism, they do not all benefit equally. Other factors, such as socioeco- nomic status, gender, age, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, and mental and physical ability, also play a role. . . . It is also true that not all people of color are equally targeted by racism. We all have multiple identities that shape our experiences. I can describe myself as a light- skinned, well-educated, heterosexual, able-bodied, Christian African American woman raised in a two-parent middle-class family. . . . I am systematically disadvantaged by race and by gender, but I systemati- cally receive benefits in the other categories.

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  Positive Ethics for Mental Health Professionals

  A Proactive Approach

  • Sharon K. Anderson, Mitchell M. Handelsman(Authors)
  • 2021(Publication Date)
  • Wiley-Blackwell

    (Publisher)

  Although White people might not have heard their family of origin make overt derog-atory remarks about people whose lives are different from theirs, the subtext might have been one of White superiority or “fear of ‘the other’” (Zetzer, 2018, p. 9). White Privilege is just one point of Privilege. Other points include gender privi-lege, able-bodied Privilege, economic Privilege, Christian Privilege, and hetero-sexual Privilege. Because we all have multiple identities, we may experience Privilege in some areas (where we are part of a dominant group) while we experi-ence discrimination or oppression in others (Lo, 2011). We can experience a type of “mental whiplash, alternating … between disadvantaged and Privileged group memberships” (Liddle, 2011, p. 251). We might even have both experiences at the same time in the same place. Food for Thought: Your Own Invisible Knapsack of Privilege Sometimes it is uncomfortable to think of ourselves as having advantages in life or as living with unearned assets that provide us opportunities that others do not have. We’d like to give you an opportunity to explore what might be in your own “knap-sack of Privilege” by assessing how your experience matches the statements below. The more you respond in the affirmative, the more likely you are to have one or more points of Privilege (gender Privilege, able-bodied Privilege, economic privi-lege, heterosexual Privilege, religious Privilege, White Privilege, etc.). Privilege, Discrimination, Oppression, and Social Justice 33 ● ● In meetings or gatherings, my ideas or comments are recognized. ● ● I can expect to earn my pay based on the work I do—equivalent to what my colleagues earn. ● ● I can go out to a place of business, a restaurant, or an event and not worry about accessibility. ● ● I can go to restaurant or movie and not need someone to read the menu or list of showings. ● ● I can plan regular trips to the grocery store without concerns of how I will pay the bill.

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  Managing Diversity

  (Re)Visioning Equity on College Campuses

  • T. Elon Dancy II(Author)
  • 2011(Publication Date)
  • Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers

    (Publisher)

  McIntosh defines Privilege as a type of entitlement that is unearned and steeped in inequitable power rela-tions. Operationalizing White Privilege, McIntosh posits: I think Whites are carefully taught not to recognize White Privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male Privilege. So I have begun in an untutored way to ask what it is like to have White Privilege. I have come to see White Privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cash-ing in each day, but about which I was meant to remain oblivious. White Privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks. The timeliness of McIntosh’s research on race and gender within the rapidly changing political/social landscape of the late 20 th century sparked a plethora of studies that scrutinized other unearned privi-leges associated with sexual orientation, class, cultural and/or faith community membership. However, the ways in which Privilege Mitchell & Edwards 46 shapes teaching and learning between faculty and students are large-ly understudied in the literature. College faculty participate in systemic inequities that masquerade as natural components of teaching and learning. First, faculty assume duly needed leadership positions within their classrooms. Second, faculty are charged with engaging aspects of the educative process that afford the creation and nurturing of knowledge between them-selves and students. They are often Privileged in classrooms based on an expertise or mastery of a subject matter that is laboriously earned, potentially positioning students as receivers, filers and keepers of education (Freire, 1970). Thus, teaching and learning in collegiate classrooms precipitate a type of Privilege considered teacher Privilege . In the following sections, we discuss the ways that systems of op-pression coalesce to Privilege and disadvantage individuals and groups within society.

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  Decoding Privilege

  Exploring White College Students' Views on Social Inequality

  • D. Scott Tharp(Author)
  • 2021(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  Central to their ideas is an understanding of Privilege in general, and racial Privilege in particular, as a structural and systemic phenomenon. A core idea involves Privilege being associated with social power that is distributed through structures and systems based on social group memberships. Related to their view of Privilege as structural and systemic, they understand Privilege as pervasive across time and space. Therefore, they are able to connect what participants in the Whiteness Discourse would claim are isolated events and situations as interconnected. For example, the idea that Privilege is pervasive across time and space supports an understanding of racial Privilege as a common thread that supported Black chattel slavery, Jim Crow policies and practices, and the modern-day prison industrial complex across the United States. 18 A more specific idea about Privilege being pervasive across time and space also involves an understanding of Privilege as rooted in colonization and imperialism as a pervasive institution that enables Privileged social groups to steal land and natural resources from other social groups. Overall, participants in the Antiracism Discourse understand Privilege as a very real phenomenon that can be witnessed through individuals’ stories and experiences yet are grounded in structures and systems that have persisted from the past into the present. Individuals who participate in the Antiracism Discourse are grounded in a race critical ideology that is reminiscent of critical race theory. A central belief among participants in the Antiracism Discourse is that race is a social construction that has been used to create structural racial inequalities. Therefore, it follows that Privilege not only exists but also was purposefully and intentionally manifested, cultivated, and perpetuated in order to create and sustain social power for White people at the expense of people of color

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