The Personal Level: Building Strengths

Abstract

Liberation as the personal level will involve counteracting the damaging psychological effects of oppression and building psychological strengths. Oppression was seen in Chapter 3 to undermine self-worth, create negative and confusing emotions, distort sexuality, and block the development of creativity and spirituality. Obviously any one of these patterns, however experienced at individual or group level, would create psychological difficulties. Liberating practices identified in Chapter 4 involved working individually, in groups and in communities to address these difficulties. Analysis plays a vital role because oppressive systems often mystify the nature of oppression, and attempt to convince the oppressed that their oppression is natural or inevitable, and may even be good for them. This combination of mystification and psychological damage creates a self-perpetuating system, as without a clear analysis it is difficult to identify the source of psychological difficulties, and difficult to identify practices which could aid in counteracting or transforming these difficulties.