Skip to main content
  • 804 Accesses

Abstract

Kimberlé Crenshaw first wrote about intersectionality to theorize about how race, class, and gender interact and affect the ways that women of color experience oppression. Power is always present in relationships. It is important to recognize the power that therapists represent in the therapeutic relationship, in the context of their profession, agency, and community. Empowerment is to capitalize on the power that a client possesses to strengthen, expand, and apply it.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review,84(2), 191–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beetham, D. (2013). The legitimation of power. Basingstoke: Macmillan International Higher Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blake, J. P. (2008). Psychological distress, masculinity ideology, and self-threat: A model of men’s attitudes toward help seeking. New York: Fordham University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carastathis, A. (2016). Intersectionality: Origins, contestations, horizons. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Choo, H. Y., & Ferree, M. M. (2010). Practicing intersectionality in sociological research: A critical analysis of inclusions, interactions, and institutions in the study of inequalities. Sociological Theory,28(2), 129–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cole, E. R. (2009). Intersectionality and research in psychology. American Psychologist,64(3), 170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins, P. H. (2019). The difference that power makes: Intersectionality and participatory democracy. In O. Hankivsky & J. S. Jordan-Zachery (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of intersectionality in public policy (pp. 167–192). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crenshaw, K. W. (1988). Race, reform, and retrenchment: Transformation and legitimation in antidiscrimination law. Harvard Law Review,101, 1331–1387.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crocetti, E., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2018). The multifaceted nature of identity toward integrative perspectives on processes, pathways, and contexts. European Psychologist,23(4), 273–277.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cross, W. E. (1985). Black identity: Rediscovering the distinction between personal identity and reference group orientation. In M. B. Spencer, G. K. Brookins, & W. R. Allen (Eds.), Beginnings: The social and affective development of Black children (pp. 155–171). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Decharms, R. (1972). Personal causation training in the schools. Journal of Applied Social Psychology,2(2), 95–113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feeney, B. C., & Collins, N. L. (2015). A new look at social support: A theoretical perspective on thriving through relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Review,19(2), 113–147.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed (M. B. Ramos, Trans.). New York: Continuum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galinsky, A. D., Magee, J. C., Gruenfeld, D. H., Whitson, J. A., & Liljenquist, K. A. (2008). Power reduces the press of the situation: Implications for creativity, conformity, and dissonance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,95(6), 1450.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galinsky, A. D., Wang, C. S., Whitson, J. A., Anicich, E. M., Hugenberg, K., & Bodenhausen, G. V. (2013). The reappropriation of stigmatizing labels: The reciprocal relationship between power and self-labeling. Psychological Science,24(10), 2020–2029.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallagher, L. P., & Truglio-Londrigan, M. (2004). Using the “Seven A’s” assessment tool for developing competency in case management. The Journal of the New York State Nurses’Association,35(1), 26–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guilfoyle, M. (2003). Dialogue and power: A critical analysis of power in dialogical therapy. Family Process,42(3), 331–343.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heider, F. (2013). The psychology of interpersonal relations. London: Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helms, J. E. (1990). Black and white racial identity: Theory, research, and practice. New York: Greenwood Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernández, P., & McDowell, T. (2010). Intersectionality, power, and relational safety in context: Key concepts in clinical supervision. Training and Education in Professional Psychology,4(1), 29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Homan, M. S. (2010). Promoting community change: Making it happen in the real world. Toronto: Nelson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoover, K. (Ed.). (2004). The future of identity: Centennial reflections on the legacy of Erik Erikson. Lanham: Lexington Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richman, L. S., & Lattanner, M. R. (2014). Self-regulatory processes underlying structural stigma and health. Social Science and Medicine, 103, 94–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keltner, D. (2003). Expression and the course of life. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences,1000(1), 222–243.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keltner, D., Gruenfeld, D. H., & Anderson, C. (2003). Power, approach, and inhibition. Psychological Review,110(2), 265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leary, M. R., & Tangney, J. P. (Eds.). (2011). Handbook of self and identity. London: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levine-Rasky, C. (2011). Intersectionality theory applied to whiteness and middle-classness. Social Identities,17(2), 239–253.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maier, S. F., & Seligman, M. E. (1976). Learned helplessness: theory and evidence. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General,105(1), 3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marcia, J. E. (1993). The ego identity status approach to ego identity. In J. E. Marcia, A. S. Waterman, D. R. Matteson, S. L. Archer, & J. L. Orlofsky (Eds.), Ego identity (pp. 3–21). New York, NY: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • McLeod, S. A. (2013). Erik Erikson. Retrieved March 9, 2017.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meeus, W. (2018). The identity status continuum revisited. European Psychologist,23, 289–299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Messer, S. B. (2009). Common factors in psychotherapy: Three perspectives. Applied and Preventive Psychology,13(1–4), 22–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nash, J. C. (2008). Re-thinking intersectionality. Feminist Review,89(1), 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pierro, A., Raven, B. H., Amato, C., & BĂ©langer, J. J. (2013). Bases of social power, leadership styles, and organizational commitment. International Journal of Psychology,48(6), 1122–1134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poston, W. C. (1990). The biracial identity development model: A needed addition. Journal of Counseling & Development,69(2), 152–155.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, Robert W. (1959). Motivation reconsidered: The concept of competence. Psychological Review,66(5), 297–333.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rotter, J. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied,80(1), 1–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist,55, 68–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Samuels, G. M., & Ross-Sheriff, F. (2008). Identity, oppression, and power: Feminisms and intersectionality theory. AFFILIA: The Journal of Women and Social Work, 23, 5–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shin, R. Q. (2015). The application of critical consciousness and intersectionality as tools for decolonizing racial/ethnic identity development models in the fields of counseling and psychology. In R. D. Goodman & P. C. Gorski (Eds.), Decolonizing “multicultural” counseling through social justice (pp. 11–22). New York, NY: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steiner, C. M. (2017). The seven sources of power: An alternative to authority. Transactional Analysis Journal,17(3), 102–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stryker, S., & Burke, P. J. (2000). The past, present, and future of an identity theory. Social Psychology Quarterly,63, 284–297.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H. (1981). Human groups and social categories: Studies in social psychology. Cambridge: CUP Archive.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1988). Illusion and well-being: A social psychological perspective on mental health. Psychological Bulletin,103(2), 193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thibaut, J. W., & Kelley, H. H. (1959). Power and dependence. The Social Psychology of Groups,7, 100–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • University of Victoria. (2019). Cultural safety. Retrieved July 31, from https://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/courses/csafety/mod2/glossary.htm#Q.

  • Vogel, D. L., Wester, S. R., & Larson, L. M. (2007). Avoidance of counseling: Psychological factors that inhibit seeking help. Journal of Counseling & Development,85(4), 410–422.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watkins, T. A. (2017). “We Don’t Talk about That”: Mental health promotion by parents in African American communities (Doctoral diss.).

    Google Scholar 

  • Zur, O. (2019). Power in psychotherapy and counseling. Retrieved from https://www.zurinstitute.com/power-in-therapy/.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jason D. Brown .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Brown, J.D. (2019). Intersections and Power. In: Reflective Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy in a Diverse Society. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24505-4_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics