Prilleltensky

1
Prilleltensky Fox Critical psychology an
introduction

• Mainstream psychology theories practices that
  maintain an unjust and unsatisfying status quo.
• Mainstream psychology Psychology portrayed as
  a science, with objective researchers and
  practitioners who uncover the truth about human
  behaviour and help individuals adjust to the
  demands of modern life (p. 4).
• Critical psychology Mainstream psychology
  reinforces Western societys unacceptable status
  quo, even when psychologists propose tinkering
  with social institutions. Indeed psychology
  itself is a mainstream social institution with
  negative consequences of its own (p. 4).
• E.g. Capitalism career psychology reinforce
  misguided efforts to obtain fulfillment while
  maintaining inequality oppression (p. 4).
• Values, assumptions and norms of mainstream
  psychology contribute to social injustice does
  not contribute to human welfare!

2

• Critical psychology diverse field common
  underlying assumption or central focus altering
  the status quo in fundamental ways.
• Uncomfortable for those wishing to be
  psychologists do we throw out mainstream
  psychology!
• Critical concerns with mainstream psychology
• Individualism Western Capitalism encourages
  people to seek meaning through individual
  pursuits such as advancing careers provide
  economic benefits to owners and privileged
  groups.
• Interaction, communication and care?
• Political economic elites make decisions for
  the rest of us.
• Outcomes?
• Oppression inequality what seems normal
  traditional is in fact oppression inequality.
• Oppressors do not believe they are oppressors
  as individual psychologists do not believe they
  reinforce oppressive institutions.
• Skills status help elite segments of society
  retain control reinforcing status quo.

3

• Its norms typically reflect the values and
  assumptions and interests of middle upper class
  professionals.
• Good intentions are not enough!
• Does a traditional stance mislead people into
  identifying problems as purely individual?
• Vision for critical psychology
• May help us resolve certain issues but often
  raises equally difficult issues.
• Different values and assumptions.
• Values
• Social justice, self-determination
  participation, caring compassion, health
  human diversity.
• We need to advance values in a balance way
• Values are determined in a particular
  socio-political context.
• Some values have more potential for social
  transformation than others.

4

• Assumptions
• Problem definition and solutions
• Mainstream psychology individual unity of focus
• Critical concerns problems are defined in terms
  of intrapersonal interpersonal deficits, power
  arrangements in society overlooked, interventions
  address individual neglect social systems,
  blame individual.
• Critical Psychology Problems are defined
  holistically in terms of disempowering
  oppressive circumstances (ecological model),
  interventions address social dimensions, try to
  equalise power, strive for social justice in
  access to resources.
• The good society
• Mainstream society good life is based on
  individualism accumulation of wealth and
  material resources (Engen!)
• Critical Psychology good life based on
  reciprocal self-determination people promote
  own interests in consideration of others needs.

5

• Research knowledge
• Mainstream psychology Knowledge viewed as
  accumulation of objective fact devoid of personal
  political dimensions value free science can
  solve problems.
• Critical psychology Knowledge viewed as infused
  with power and political uses (e.g. culture and
  community), subjective. Research used at the
  service of moral values to help oppressed
  populations.

6
Prilleltensky Nelson Doing psychology
critically

• Power pivotal in attaining well being opposing
  injustice.
• Break silence on power critical psychologists try
  to understand how systems of social regulation
  shape human experience.
• Outcome of power based on interaction of agency
  (ability and activity) and structure (contextual
  dynamics).
• Adverse conditions make opportunities available
  to some and block opportunities for others.
• Internalize social prescriptions accept them as
  normal natural.
• Human actions therefore embedded not in
  personal, innate desires but rather embedded in
  political norms and regulations.
• Psychologists want to bring about well-being by
  treating the individual without challenging or
  changing social oppression.
• Well-Being achieved by simultaneous balanced
  satisfaction of personal, relational and
  collective needs.
• Ecological hierarchical structure of
  well-being.

7

• we cannot accept definitions of well-being that
  are based exclusively on intra-psychic factors.
  These definitions tend to be psycho-centric
  because they concentrate on the cognitive and
  emotional sources and consequences of suffering
  and well-being, to the exclusion of the social,
  material, and political roots and effects of lack
  of power (p. 11).
• Oppression state of asymmetric power relations
  characterized by domination, subordination and
  resistance. Domination is exerted by restricting
  access to material resources and imparting in
  people self-deprecating views about themselves.
• Liberation critical psychology needs to engage
  with the political and the psychological at the
  same time. Personal, relational and collective
  well-being (ecological).

8

• Critical psychology
• Crossing boundaries different sources of
  knowledge (sociology, anthropology, history,
  politics) different levels of analyses not
  just the mind and intra-psychic processes
  broaden to other ecological levels
  comprehensive view of how family, community,
  political shape the life experiences of people.
• Communication of meanings close collaboration
  with people whose formal education may be
  different to ours language.
• Practice in context exploring our unique
  cultural heritage, taking time to listen to
  concerns and world views of others and dialogue.
• Community Psychology Critical Psychology
• CP (prescribed text) focus on ecological
  analyses, problems framed in terms of social
  context and cultural diversity, emancipatory etc.
• Critical community psychology?