Psychology of Oppression; Liberation Psychology

This study aims to explore the manifestation of internalized oppression (IO) among Palestinians residing in Jerusalem. IO refers to the phenomenon in which the oppressed come to understand themselves, their culture, their community, and their oppressors through the lens of the oppressing group (Williams, 2012). IO has been documented across multiple oppressed groups and has been linked to myriad negative emotions and psychological conditions, such as helplessness (Williams, 2012), mood and anxiety disorder (David, 2008), substance abuse (Swaim & Stanely, 2018), and domestic violence (Poupart, 2003). In 2012, Williams (2012) produced a thorough theoretical framework of the known facets of IO. Currently however, there are no known published studies exploring the manifestations and impact of IO within the Palestinian population.

Ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Jerusalemite Palestinian men and women in which various known facets of IO were explored. The interviews were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, resulting in the emergence of 21 themes across eight domains: 1) Self Knowledge, 2) Naming of Reality, 3) Oppressive Construction of the Self, 4) Horizontal Hostility, 5) Ambivalent Relationships, 6)Dissimulation, 7) Emotions, and 8) Mental Health.

The findings of the current study align with Williams’ (2012) framework and expand on several of his existing categories.Our results suggest that IO has a negative impact on participants’ perception of themselves, their history, and their relationships with each other and with the colonizer. Participants manifested a robust internalized perception of inferiority and negativity in relation to their Palestinian identity and conveyed a powerful perception of an internalized superiority of the Israeli colonizer thereby demonstrating the state of duality that dominates the lives of the oppressed Jerusalemite native. The findings of this study are presented in the context of existing literature stemming from various oppressed communities.Given the strong evidence of IO found in this preliminary exploration, we recommend that this phenomenon be further explored through a large-scope multi-researcher and Participatory Action Projects. Clinically, this study underscores the urgent need for the recruitment and training of Palestinian mental health professionals and the development of socio-politically informed therapeutic interventions that engage both the individual and the community.

Tod Sloan (1952-2018) achieved a lot in his life. His community-based activities in Latin America are especially well-known but his exchanges with psychologists in East Asia are generally less well-known. In this article I report my encounters with Tod Sloan’s work and what I learned from them from the perspective of a Japanese critical psychologist. I call his approach to critical psychological practices in communities a ‘micro critical psychology movement’ rooted in reflexivity in relation to the privileges of a white, US-American, middle-class, male, university professor. Those who know Tod Sloan, including the present author, are in mourning since his death. However, despite his death we can still learn from his micro critical psychology movement informed by deep reflexivity to develop context-specific critical psychologies, which contribute positively to people’s lives and to the advancement of progressive knowledge.