MSW 550) Module 3 At the Intersection of Power and Privilege

Module 3 At the Intersection of Power and Privilege

Discuss a way in which the population(s) ( disabled children and ADULTS, Elderly,) are oppressed, Marginalized, Alienated, or given Unequal Access to Opportunity or Power over their lives.

How do you relate to these concerns in terms of your own privileges or marginalization?

How would you Authentically discuss your Qwn Privilege or Marginalization with clients, colleagues, or your supervisor?

If you find it difficult to empathetically discuss one of your clients because of differences in privilege, power, or values, go back to the Thought Exercise in this week's module, then share how your responses have changed.

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NOTES

As we embark on these conversations in the context of real practice, it can be easy to put up our defenses. We all want to show how aware we are of oppression and cultural diversity. Yet the ethical duty to become culturally competent requires us to do the opposite: to expose our assumptions, to be willing to be shown our blind spots.

For example, let's say that you grew up in a neighborhood where jobs were scarce and small stores were owned mostly by a single minority. You were taught that members of this minority are different, that they are greedy, and that they are prejudiced against your group. It so happens that the agency where you are placed has similar dynamics and demographics. How then will you process your first reactions to a member of that minority who seeks your help? How will you respond if a client starts complaining about a store owner of that group, and you find yourself inwardly agreeing?

To share that you have prejudices - literally, judgment that precede experience - is a crucial step in addressing them. By creating the norm within our class that we all have prejudices and we won't judge each other for them, we can accelerate our journey toward greater levels of humility, sensitivity, and competence. In other words, let's not be prejudiced against each other for having prejudices.

This model is helpful to understand some of the possible issues of perception that can arise from both similarities and differences. Let's go back to our example. Imagine that in your childhood, you grew up in different economic segments from our client (blue collar versus small business owner) but similar income strata. By fostering hatred between underprivileged minorities, the political power structure made members of your in-group and the client's in-group suspect and dislike each other, attributing to each other stereotypes like greedy or lazy. Through education you have risen in socioeconomic status, and your client has not. Although your client remains in the merchant class, his group also has privilege through their close-knit network that can help get his daughter into a good college.

Let's say the presenting issue is that your client is fearful of his daughter dating a man outside of his ethnic group. He doesn't say so, but you surmise that her boyfriend comes from your own group. Here, all four quadrants apply, but the presenting problem aligns most with Quadrant III: Marginalized Social Worker-Privileged Client. However, it's also important to acknowledge that the client and his family do not have a secure standing in gaining privilege; in fact, this is the crux of the presenting problem. You can use this awareness to build a bridge of understanding to the client. The narrative growing up was that members of his minority gain wealth at your community's expense, but the reality is that each of your groups is oppressed in different ways. Your group is criminalized, and your client's group, at least in his generation, is barred through lack of access to higher education from socioeconomic ladders other than entrepreneurship.

Identity and Privilege in the Client-Social Worker Relationship

Much of the literature in the fields of social work, counseling and psychology assumes that the helping professional is from the dominant cultural and socioeconomic group. This was never necessarily true, and it is less and less true as these professions become increasingly diverse. Ratts, Singh, Butler, Nassar-McMillan, and McCullough (2016) addressed this issue by identifying four ways that privilege can intersect between counselor and client, noting that across different identities, one relationship could land in all four quadrants. We change the name of the profession here from counselor to social worker, but the paradigm remains just as applicable.

Quadrant I:	Quadrant II:
Privileged Social Worker–Marginalized Client	Privileged Social Worker–Privileged Client
Quadrant III:	Quadrant IV:
Marginalized Social Worker–Privileged Client	Marginalized Social Worker–Marginalized Client

Within each quadrant, the social worker moves among four domains. Again, we have changed the name of the profession from the original, which was focused on the counseling profession. How you would perceive each domain would depend on which quadrant you were focused on. For example, if you were looking at the ways in which both you and the client are marginalized, then self-awareness might entail recognizing that you feel drawn to seeing both of you as victims of an oppressive system. This might make it challenging to identify ways of empowering your client, or you might advocate for the client in ways that act out your own need to empower yourself. By understanding the client's worldview as it has been influenced by oppression, and being aware of how your own worldview is related yet distinct, you can develop a deeper relationship with your client that will help them deal with that oppression in more effective ways.

This model is helpful to understand some of the possible issues of perception that can arise from both similarities and differences. Let's go back to our example. Imagine that in your childhood, you grew up in different economic segments from our client (blue collar versus small business owner) but similar income strata. By fostering hatred between underprivileged minorities, the political power structure made members of your in-group and the client's in-group suspect and dislike each other, attributing to each other stereotypes like greedy or lazy. Through education you have risen in socioeconomic status, and your client has not. Although your client remains in the merchant class, his group also has privilege through their close-knit network that can help get his daughter into a good college.

Let's say the presenting issue is that your client is fearful of his daughter dating a man outside of his ethnic group. He doesn't say so, but you surmise that her boyfriend comes from your own group. Here, all four quadrants apply, but the presenting problem aligns most with Quadrant III: Marginalized Social Worker-Privileged Client. However, it's also important to acknowledge that the client and his family do not have a secure standing in gaining privilege; in fact, this is the crux of the presenting problem. You can use this awareness to build a bridge of understanding to the client. The narrative growing up was that members of his minority gain wealth at your community's expense, but the reality is that each of your groups is oppressed in different ways. Your group is criminalized, and your client's group, at least in his generation, is barred through lack of access to higher education from socioeconomic ladders other than entrepreneurship.