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What's wrong the empowerment
Abstract
Although it has stimulated useful and important research and theory in community psychology, the concept of empowerment is problematic. This article criticizes two assumptions and values underlying the conept of empowerment: (a) individualism, leading potentially to unmitigated competition and conflict among those who are empowered; and (b) a preference for traditionally masculine concepts of mastery, power, and control over traditionally feminine concerns of communion and cooperation.
... Specifically, the representations of dominance over employees seem to be ingrained in a technical ability-based social comparison process that reinforce SSRT users' self-esteem. Additionally, as employees are recipients for complaints as well as serviceable entities that can help solve problems, they reinforce consumer "power over" or "power to," as referred to by Riger (1993), in the context of SSRT use. Conversely, their absence may generate perceptions of voice agentic loss, as evidenced by this research. ...
... Specifically, contrary perceptions of empowerment and disempowerment might occur simultaneously within each cognitive dimension along the various entities that an SSRT user envisions through his or her quest for power. Conversely, when a customer enlists a particular entity to achieve power, mixed cognitions may emerge about the control over, from or to this entity, in the words ofRiger (1993). Additionally, structural paradoxes may emerge in which one self-construal is predominantly associated with customer disempowerment whereas one another is associated with evident empowerment. ...
Depuis la pandémie de la Covid19, le déploiement de dispositifs technologiques de self-service s’est accéléré. Dans la littérature francophone, Cova et al. (2013) ont conceptualisé ces dispositifs sous le terme de technologies d’auto-production « dirigée », insistant sur les transferts plus ou moins imposés de tâches opérés par les entreprises. Parmi les consommateurs, ces dispositifs technologiques d’auto-production font l’objet de représentations positives liées notamment à la possibilité de développer son autonomie, mais également de représentations négatives de déshumanisation ou de perte de contrôle sur sa vie privée lorsque ces technologies nécessitent le partage de données personnelles de consommation. Ces représentations ambivalentes du client invitent à investiguer leur impact sur l’utilisation de ces technologies. Le présent travail doctoral, positionné en prolongement de la littérature sur le self-service technologique, mobilise pour la première fois le concept d’empowerment psychologique pour traiter de la question de l’acceptation des ces technologies. Deux terrains sont investigués: les dispositifs de self-service en grande distribution (ex : self-scanning) qui délèguent une tâche équivalente à celle qui pourrait être réalisée par un employé, et les dispositifs de self-service avec feedback intelligent (ex : compteur électrique intelligent) qui permettent un enrichissement du service, bien que limité, par la transmission au client d’un feedback sur sa consommation. Une méthodologie mixte permet dans une première phase exploratoire de collecter des données qualitatives et quantitatives en vue d’enrichir la conceptualisation de l’empowerment par la prise d’aspects relationnels. Après une seconde phase de la recherche visant à mieux caractériser la catégorie des technologies de self-service reposant sur le suivi intelligent, une troisième phase de nature explicative introduit la notion de « chaîne de formation » de l’empowerment psychologique et capture ses effets sur l’acceptation de ces technologies. Les résultats font émerger une conceptualisation enrichie de l’empowerment psychologique autour des trois niveaux du concept de soi et soulignent le rôle des représentations sociales dans la construction de l’empowerment des consommateurs. Nous montrons que la prise en compte des facettes sociales de l’empowerment psychologique est pertinente pour rendre compte des représentations paradoxales des consommateurs vis-à-vis des technologies d’auto-production dirigée. Enfin, après avoir introduit une nouvelle catégorie de dispositifs technologiques d’auto-production dirigée reposant sur le suivi intelligent, nous montrons que l’intention d’utiliser ces dispositifs est largement expliquée par la chaîne générative des représentations d’empowerment psychologique.En mobilisant le concept d’empowerment psychologique, cette thèse se propose d’enrichir sa conceptualisation dans le champ du marketing et d’offrir un nouvel éclairage aux recherches existantes sur l’acceptation des technologies de self-service, et plus largement des objets « intelligents ». Elle s’adresse également aux managers désireux d’installer des dispositifs technologiques d’auto-production, en leur suggérant de prendre en compte l’empowerment psychologique lors de la conception de ces dispositifs, ainsi que dans la création de leurs campagnes de communication. Nous espérons également renouveler les méthodes traditionnellement utilisées dans la recherche en marketing en combinant des méthodes d’analyse des données moins utilisées telles que la lexicométrie, les représentations sociales et la revue de littérature interprétative.
... More than an outcome, empowerment is a process that involves both perception and action (Zimmerman, 2000). Yet empowerment as a key principle of community psychology has not been free of criticism as some scholars argue that empowerment is rooted in Western values of freedom, individual choice, and power (Riger, 1993). A decolonizing approach to empowerment involves deconstructing the dynamics of power, ensuring that empowerment interventions are developed from the grassroots by and for BIWoC, that CRT is valued, the history of racism experienced by BIWoC is acknowledged and recognized, their experiences are heard, and that BIWoC direct and take control of the empowerment intervention. ...
Historically, atrocities against Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color's (BIWoC) reproductive rights have been committed and continue to take place in contemporary society. The atrocities against BIWoC have been fueled by White supremacy ideology of the "desirable race" and colonial views toward controlling poverty and population growth, particularly that of "undesirable" races and ethnicities. Grounded in Critical Race Theory, this paper aims to provide a critical analysis of historical and contemporary violations of BIWoC reproductive rights; discuss interventions based on empowerment and advocacy principles designed to promote women's reproductive justice; and discuss implications for future research, action, and policy from the lenses of Critical Race Theory and Community Psychology. This paper contributes to the special issue by critically analyzing historical and contemporary racism and colonialism against BIWoC, discussing implications for future research and practice, and making policy recommendations.
... La revolución chavista buscó escarbar dentro de la psicología comunitaria (Riger, 1993) para generar dos centros de interés esenciales: el empoderamiento en sí y el sentimiento de comunidad política leal a los nuevos valores del sistema revolucionario a través del denominado poder popular. ...
El artículo ofrece un análisis del concepto de empoderamiento (empowerment) popular y de su acepción latinoamericana de potenciación popular. A partir de un análisis casuístico y discursivo de Hugo Chávez y el chavismo, se examinan los errores epistemológicos y empíricos en el uso de este concepto desde los albores de la revolución bolivariana o chavista, para comprender cómo la transición hacia un modelo de democracia participativa y, por ende, de empoderamiento popular resulta en gobernanzas criminales. Este resultado se deriva de la naturaleza clasista del discurso de Chávez, en el que se criminaliza la condición burguesa de sectores medios y altos de la sociedad venezolana.
... Furthermore, empowerment is diverse and should not be seen as a single idea (Muduli & Pandya, 2018). Riger (1993) described empowerment at the individual level as a process through which a person exerts influence over others and critically evaluates their surroundings. These conceptions of empowerment are intrinsically tied to (Teran 2005) conception of conscientization, as well as the procedures and psychological structures essential for its successful implementation, as well as his purpose of enabling individuals. ...
... The multi-dimensionality of the construct shows the different dimensions of empowerment that together form the construct or that are a manifestation of the construct, depending on whether empowerment is interpreted as a formative construct or an aggregate construct (Christens, 2012;Peterson, 2014). An old lament about empowerment research that still holds is that it is mainly limited to the individual level of empowerment (Riger, 1993). Rather, empowerment research should align with a more ecological theoretical approach based on the principle that the individual and the social structures are not considered as two entities to be studied separately (Speer & Hughey, 1995). ...
The value of empowerment as a central concept for social work implies the potential benefits of measurement to understand how this value is materialised in social work. The way in which instruments are developed and constructed impact their quality. With regard to the complexity of measuring empowerment, this article aims to provide insights in experts’ views on the theoretical requirements to measuring empowerment in social work. A Delphi study of 3 rounds was conducted to achieve consensus into the appropriate method of instrument development for empowerment. By retrieving, organising, exchanging and combining opinions and arguments from different experts, this study provides insights into their views on requirements when developing measuring instruments for empowerment. The results show elaborations on substantive requirements and considerations that should be taken into account when developing empowerment measures in social work and that have led to the development of new guidelines. These provide social work and its researchers the opportunity to construct instruments that align with methodological standards, theoretical requirements, and ethical principles.
Domestic violence shelters can provide services that are key to ending intimate partner violence. Yet, little is known about the process through which a stay in shelter increases women's ability to move toward the lives they want. The construct of empowerment has been used to gauge the effectiveness of intimate partner violence interventions and has been linked to a variety of positive outcomes. The present qualitative study analyzed nine in-depth interviews with women in domestic violence shelters to explore processes that occurred within the shelter stay that enhanced their sense of empowerment. A narrative methodology that situates personal stories within the broader social context was used. Four interrelated empowerment storylines were identified and involved self-reflection, gaining clarity, acquiring knowledge , and building community . Implications of these processes for shelter services are discussed.
Maternal health in the United States is an area of immediate concern. The compounded disadvantages and unique global positions of refugee women highlight the need for research that explores the experiences of refugee women during pregnancy and childbirth. The present study examines how contextual factors shape pregnancy and childbirth experiences for Syrian, Afghan, Congolese, and Karen women living in Clarkston, Georgia, US. Qualitative data were collected via focus groups facilitated by community interpreters. We used a reproductive justice framework to center women's desires, needs, and experiences, and to highlight the importance of structural factors in the findings and analysis of this study. Using codebook thematic analysis, three themes were developed: (1) isolation and alienated knowledge, (2) gendered disparities and structural inequities, and (3) community support and precarity. The findings reflect both the diversity and constancy of women's experiences and highlight how the context of the US impacts women's ability to exercise agency during pregnancy and childbirth. Systemic change is needed to improve women's access to tools that increase their capacity to exercise agency both during pregnancy and childbirth, and beyond.
Aim: The current research explored parents‟ experiences of accessing a child primary care psychology service for their children. A secondary aim was to investigate the application of Empowerment Theory to this emerging area of service delivery.
Method: 12 parents who had accessed the service for their children in the previous year took part in one, semi-structured individual interview. Template Analysis was utilised to extract themes.
Results: Five major themes emerged. One theme referred to parents‟ reflections on their child‟s difficulties. Three themes addressed service-specific experiences such as the importance of a familiar and local environment, linking in with community supports, accessibility and the importance of a timely intervention. Parents also noted recent changes in their engagement with services. These included their relationship with professionals, their own expectations, the sense of control they experienced, the sharing of information and the flexibility of services. The final master theme addressed parents experiences of and views about diagnosis.
Conclusions: Results have implications for service development and the future
establishment of primary care psychology services, and help to address the significant lack of parent involvement in primary care psychology research. The findings also have theoretical implications with regard to the suitability of Empowerment approaches in this area.
For Durkheim (1915), individuals’ survival and well-being rest on cultural resources and social belonging that must be revived periodically in collective assemblies. Durkheim’s concern was to clarify how these assemblies achieve this revitalization. An intensive examination of primitive religions led him to identify successive levels of engagement experienced by participants and to develop explanatory principles relevant to all types of collective gatherings. Durkheim’s conception is widely referred to nowadays. However, the question of its empirical status remains open. We extracted from his text his main statements and we translated them into research questions. We then examined each question in relation to current theories and findings. In particular, we relied on the plethora of recent cognitive and social psychology studies that document conditions of reduced self-other differentiation. Abundant data support that each successive moment of collective assemblies contributes to blurring this differentiation. Ample support also exists that as shared emotions are increasingly amplified in collective context, they can fuel high-intensity experiences. Moreover, recent studies of self-transcendent emotions can account for the self-transformative effects described by Durkheim at the climax of collective assemblies. In conclusion, this century-old model is remarkably supported by recent results, mostly collected in experimental settings.
In this paper, we present a descriptive review of the foundational components of transformation-the starting places and gaps-in a move toward synthesizing current works into a Community Psychology Transformative Praxis. This review focuses on published work identified in North American Community Psychology journals (namely two United States based journals)-a review from the belly of the neoliberal and imperial beast. We reviewed and categorized seven foundational dimensions for beginning and sustaining transformative praxis and which represent how Community Psychology (CP), in the United States publishing context, is engaging in transformative efforts. In Part 1, we present three dimensions of transformative process, focused on early and iterative practices that develop and enact shared (1) values, (2) visions of a just world, and (3) critical problem frames. In part 2 we present four additional dimensions of transformative action; the considerations that inform action in a given transformative process or intervention including (4) planning for the long-term nature of transformation, (5) targeting multiple levels of analysis, (6) engaging in solidarity with those most impacted by injustice, and (7) identifying and resisting power holders and/or power structures that prevent transformation and maintain the status quo. In Part 3, we review the relationship between process and action, where processes can be understood as driving, directing, and bounding the types of actions or interventions taken or imagined in a particular transformative intervention. We close the paper with critical reflections and calls to action to further develop the transformative potential of CP praxis and name the tendency of settling for ameliorative solutions to problems needing transformative solutions.
The trend in research on power and leadership in organizations toward greater interest in the role of followers is examined. The historical development of this trend is reviewed, along with current applications aimed at greater follower involvement in organizations. Problems and prospects of empowering subordinates are discussed, along with challenges to be met. Although power and leadership research has made notable progress in addressing questions of relevance to organizations, suggestions are offered for additional work to be done.
