Brief Introduction to Intersectional Psychology

This is a brief introduction to what inspires Intersectional Psychology and what you can expect from this podcast. 

Transcript of this episode (Download)

References

Crenshaw, K. (1991). 'Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Colour', Stanford Law Review, 43(6), pp. 1241-1299 [online]. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1229039 (Accessed 10 July 2024)

hooks, b. (2004). The will to change: men, masculinity, and love (1st ed.). New York: Atria Books.

King, M.L. (1967). The role of the behavioral scientist in the civil rights movement. Journal of Social Issues, 24(1) [online]. Available at: https://www.apa.org/topics/equity-diversity-inclusion/martin-luther-king-jr-challenge (Accessed 23 March 2025)

Episode Transcript

(00:16):
0Hello, my name is Aurora 2 00:00:18,1000 --> 00:00:21,920 Brown. I'm a registered counselor
in Cape Town, South Africa and host
of the new podcast Intersectional
Psychology. I believe
0that everyone deserves to live with 7 00:00:32,1000 --> 00:00:35,960 their optimal mental health. So
caring for mental health means

(00:38):
caring about the factors impacting our
mental health. The result?
Lasting change and resilience,
both in the counseling room and in the
world. For
example, working in under
resourced communities, it often seems
that the mental health challenges my

(01:00):
clients face are caused,
or at the very least
exacerbated by factors
beyond their control
like poverty, racism,
sexism, classism,
homophobia. Transphobia,
stigma, unemployment, lack of

(01:21):
housing, lack of infrastructure, lack of
access to healthcare. The list
goes on, but. You get
the idea.
The conventional wisdom for councillors
has been to teach clients
coping strategies and to build
their capacity to manage and live

(01:43):
with these inequities and
discrimination. But
is that really enough?
If we are caring for their mental health,
shouldn't we be addressing the
intersecting systems of oppression that
impact their mental health?

(02:03):
Social justice is an essential
dimension of cultural competence
and ethical practice, which are
critical for us all to remain
effective and competitive in
our changing multicultural societies.
And for those of you in private practice
who work predominantly with high income

(02:25):
clients, it's not only traditionally
marginalized groups that suffer from
social injustice.
Women are still paid less for the same
work as men, and women still
bear the brunt of housework and
child care. Older adults
are all impacted by ageism.

(02:48):
And men. Well, as Belle
Hooks wrote in her 2004 book The
World to Change, the
first act of violence that patriarchy
demands of males is not violence
towards women. Instead,
patriarchy demands of all males that
they engage in acts of psychic self

(03:10):
mutilation, that they kill off
the emotional parts of themselves.
If an individual is not successful in
emotionally crippling himself. He
can count on patriarchal men to
enact rituals of power that will
assault his self esteem.

(03:32):
And thus men are facing a
crisis of mental health.
A crisis that is caused by centuries
of capitalist and patriarchal
structures that value
competition over collaboration.
That value comparison over camaraderie.

(03:52):
Let's say men don't cry.
These systems of oppression have taught
all of us to measure success
by whether we are ahead or
behind of our peers.
Capitalism and patriarchy are even
built into social media algorithms.

(04:14):
These algorithms taunt us with the best
lives our contacts are
living, convincing us that
success is a 0 sum game,
that only one person can be the
winner. And that if
others have more than us, then we are
failing or falling short.

(04:37):
And we all buy into that.
We all perpetuate these systems.
But it doesn't have to be that way.
To truly improve the quality of life for
ourselves, our friends and
family, and our clients,
we have to dismantle the structures that

(04:59):
place quantifiable value on
human lives, saying this person
is worth more than that person.
Even in private practice,
understanding the broader social systems
affecting your clients can help you
provide more effective therapy
and deepen your connection with a lived

(05:21):
experiences.
Being aware of social justice could
enable you to help clients overcome
societal pressures contributing to
anxiety and depression.
Recognize privileged dynamics in
therapeutic relationships.
And improve your cultural competence and

(05:43):
broaden your client bases.
And for those of you. This
idea of confronting systemic
issues is not new.
In fact, Doctor Martin Luther King
Junior addressed it powerfully in
a 1967 speechto the
American Psychological Association

(06:06):
just seven months before his
assassination. His call
to action is as powerful and
relevant today as it was back
then. Now, I
obviously cannot fully embody the
weight of Doctor King's experiences
or the voices of the black leaders who

(06:27):
have fought so hard for justice and
equity here in South Africa, the
US, and around the world,
But I do want to honor them.
The following excerpt resonates deeply
with a person with a purpose of this
podcast to challenge systems of

(06:48):
oppression and work towards
justice in every area of life.
With that in mind, here are Doctor
King's words.
I am sure that we will recognize that
there are some things in our society,
some things in our world, to which we

(07:10):
should never be adjusted.
There are some things concerning which we
must always be maladjusted
if we are to be people of goodwill.
We must never adjust ourselves to
racial discrimination and racial
segregation. We must

(07:31):
never adjust ourselves to religious
bigotry. We must
never adjust ourselves to economic
conditions that take necessities from the
many to give luxuries to the few.
We must never adjust ourselves to the
madness of militarism and the

(07:53):
self defeating effects of physical
violence. Thus, it
may well be that our world is in
dire need of a new organization.
The International Association for the
advancement of creative
maladjustment.

(08:14):
Doctor King declared that through such
creative maladjustment to systems of
oppression, we may be able to
emerge from the bleak and desolate
midnight of man's inhumanity to
man into the bright and
glittering Daybreak of Freedom
and Justice.

(08:37):
Doctor King's call for creative
maladjustment is the spirit that
guides this podcast.
By questioning systems of oppression and
striving for justice, we
aim to improve mental health outcomes for
everyone. This
podcast will also highlight how

(08:59):
frameworks like Intersectionality
can help us uncover hidden biases
and better support our clients.
We'll cover topics like navigating
cultural competence, decolonizing
counselling in practice, applying an
intersectional lens to common

(09:21):
presenting complaints. And
supporting marginalized clients
alongside interviews with experts
and people with lived experience at the
juncture of psychology and social
justice.
And none of this would be possible
without the work of people like black

(09:43):
feminist and legal scholar Kimberly
Crenshaw. While Crenshaw
named interfectionality in
1989, black feminists
had been championing this idea for
centuries, from Maria W
Stewart and Sojourner Truth in the 19th
century to the ANC Women's

(10:03):
League, the Kombahi River Collective
bell hooks and our very own
Puma de Naoga Krolla in more recent
times. As a
counselor, I've seen how overlapping
systems of oppression like racism,
sexism, and classism affect mental
health. For mental health professionals,

(10:26):
this podcast offers practical tools
and insights to improve your practice
and strengthen connections with diverse
clients. You'll also be able to
earn CPD points from some episodes of the
podcast. I'll let you know whenever an
accredited episode is coming up.

(10:47):
You will be able to complete a
questionnaire or attend live sessions to
get these points. So you can grow
professionally while helping to create a
fairer world. But I
also have something extra for anyone who
is not a healthcare professional who is
just looking to make a difference in

(11:07):
their own mental health or their
community. Now
let me just say that there will never be
any third party ads on intersectional
psychology, which is great because
it means that you can be sure all the
mental health information shared here is
free from corporate influence and bias.

(11:29):
However, it also means that this
podcast is only made possible by
you, the listener. So
if you enjoy this podcast or find value
in it, please consider joining my
Patreon for as little as three U.S.
dollars per month. Your
contributions will be used to improve the

(11:50):
production and cover the costs to
research, write, record
and edit each episode of this podcast,
and to host our guests.
In return, you'll get exclusive Patreon
benefits, including bonus
episodes, additional guided
mindfulness recordings, group

(12:11):
discussions, and more.
So if you're a mental health professional
who cares about social justice?
Or someone looking to make meaningful
changes in your mental health and
community. Join me on intersectional
psychology. In
challenging times like these, as

(12:32):
injustice persists globally,
Doctor King's words offer guidance and
hope. Let's create
a fairer, healthier world together
because everyone deserves good mental
health.