Oppression: A Concept Analysis and Implications for Nurses and Nursing

Abstract

Oppression requires a set of norms that are determined by a dominant group and a belief of the inferiority of those outside the dominant group. The attributes of oppression are unjust treatment, the denial of rights, and the dehumanizing of individuals. Nurses and the nursing profession both work with oppressed groups and are themselves an oppressed group. By helping their oppressed and vulnerable patients resist the status quo, nurses will begin resisting their own oppressed environment, which will eventually lead to freedom for their patients and themselves.

Exploring social‐based discrimination among nursing home certified nursing assistants

“…Viewed as responsible for supporting medicine in much the same way as women are expected to support men, nurses' experiences of disenfranchisement have led to feelings of low self-esteem and low job satisfaction among this profession. Attempts to address these issues around nursing oppression and elevating the profession have been implemented over a number of decades and include initiatives such as moving nursing education from hospital-based programs into academic institutions, building a scholarly body of literature to underpin nursing practice, promoting advanced practice, and more recently efforts such as the Magnet Program, the Future of Nursing's pivotal report, and the ongoing practice of self-reflection among nurses to interrogate and overcome historically based oppressions through dialogue and self-awareness (Dong & Temple, 2011;Hickson, 2013;Roberts et al, 2009;Schwartz, Spencer, Wilson, & Wood, 2011;Shalala et al, 2011). The cyclical nature of nursing's failure to unite as a profession has additionally made it difficult for nurses to define their identity and clarify what the profession does beyond its stereotypical portrayal (Hoeve, Jansen, & Roodbol, 2014;Meleis & Trangenstein, 1994).…”

Historical Perspectives of the Causation of Lung Cancer

“…Fully understanding oppression can lead nurses out of it and focus on the mission of improving the lives of oppressed patients (Dong & Temple, 2011; Dubrosky, 2013). Unfortunately, cancer patients continue to smoke at the same rate as non-cancer patients with denial of causation noted in one third of patients (Lehto, 2007; Sanders, Campbell, Donovan, & Sharp, 2007).…”

Culture Bound

“…During my first trip to South Africa, I was the only African American female, and had observed what one might describe as an oppressed group mentality. In their concept analysis, Dong and Temple () explored this mentality through the works of Paulo Freire and others. Oppression theory states that two groups exist, one dominant and the other inferior.…”