Power and privilege
In addition to the influence of our families of origin – and the degrees of adversity or good fortune we encounter in childhood – we are shaped by the wider social context into which we are born. Class, race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability and neurotype all play a part. Whether we grow up in a working-, middle-, or upper-class environment; whether our skin colour aligns with the majority or a minority; whether we are able-bodied or disabled, neurotypical or neurodivergent – these factors, among others, contribute to how we experience the world and how the world responds to us.
These overlapping aspects of identity form what is often described as intersectionality: a network of interconnected social positions that create differing experiences of privilege and disadvantage. They shape whether we are met with fairness or discrimination, inclusion or marginalisation, and whether we are more or less likely to encounter prejudice and oppression.¹
For therapists, an awareness of these dynamics is not optional – it is fundamental to ethical practice. It requires us to recognise the aspects of our own identity that may confer privilege, and to hold these in mind when working with clients whose lived experiences may differ significantly from our own. Without this awareness, there is a risk of misunderstanding, minimising or inadvertently reinforcing the inequalities that clients face.
To ignore our own position within systems of power and privilege is not neutral; it can be actively harmful. Our identities – and the advantages or disadvantages attached to them – exist within broader political and social structures. The ways in which power is distributed and exercised in society are inherently political, shaping the conditions in which people live their lives.
From this perspective, the idea that the personal can be separated from the political becomes difficult to sustain. Therapy does not take place in a vacuum. To attempt to detach it from the social and political realities that shape both therapist and client is to risk replicating, rather than addressing, the injustices that exist beyond the consulting room.
Politics, in this sense, is always present in therapy – sometimes implicitly, sometimes explicitly. It enters through conversations shaped by the climate crisis, global conflict, the rise of far-right ideologies, Brexit, and the experiences of displaced and marginalised communities. These external realities are not abstract; they affect individuals differently, depending on the degree of safety, stability and social advantage they already hold.
We also see, both within society and within ourselves, how conflict can be intensified through processes such as scapegoating and division. Political rhetoric can inflame these dynamics, directing blame toward already marginalised groups in the pursuit of power. Psychologically, this mirrors familiar defence mechanisms – splitting and projection – which, when left unexamined, can cause harm in our relationships with others.
This process is often referred to as ‘othering’: the tendency to define those who are different from us as separate, lesser or outside of our concern. It operates at multiple levels – within individuals, between people, and across entire societies.
Within this context, there is an opportunity, as well as a challenge. Our own vulnerabilities, limitations and blind spots – when brought into awareness and held with compassion – can become a foundation for growth. They offer a way of understanding ourselves more deeply, and of relating to others with greater care and responsibility. In doing so, we may begin to withdraw some of the projections that contribute to the marginalisation of others.
It would be reassuring to assume that this kind of awareness develops naturally through training and through the therapeutic role itself. Yet therapists are not immune to the same unconscious processes that affect everyone. We remain susceptible to bias, to defensiveness, and to the pull of ingrained assumptions.
For that reason, ongoing vigilance is essential. It requires a willingness to reflect on how we hold power and authority in our work, and to remain attentive to the prejudices – both conscious and unconscious – that we inevitably carry.
Reference
1. Taylor B. https://tinyurl.com/9stmvftf (accessed 31 July 2024).
This is an edited extract from an editorial first published in Private Practice, September 2024, published by BACP©