Intersectionality Series: Whole self vs authentic self vs work self

In this episode, Patti welcomes friend and colleague Dr. Rochelle Johnson Benning to not just the podcast but also the PersuasionPoint team. Dr. Johnson Benning shares about herself, her career journey and paths, and the overarching connections between intersectionality and mental health. 

She and Patti gear up for the next episode, where they’ll talk about just how all of these connections are influenced and affected by the pandemic and our workplaces, especially for working mothers.

Concepts & Definitions

• Intersectionality: The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.
• The Looking-Glass Self: The process wherein individuals base their sense of self on how they believe others view them.
• Affinity Bias: The unconscious tendency to get along with others who are like us. It is easy to socialize and spend time with others who are not different. It requires more effort to bridge differences when diversity is present.
• Double Bind: A dilemma in communication in which an individual (or group) receives two or more conflicting messages, with one negating the other.

Books & Other Resources

• Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? By Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD
• Lean In - Women in the Workplace 2020 Report