Reframing Internalized Racial Oppression and Charting a way Forward

Abstract

Experiences of racism, a form of oppressionApproximately 2.7 million Black Americans are at risk for negative outcomes related to racism-related stressors (APA, 2016). However, we would argue that this figure may be an underestimate, given that most studies fail to measure racism-related stress due to what has been historically called internalized racial

Internalized Racism: A Systematic Review of the Psychological Literature on Racism's Most Insidious Consequence

“…Most recently, and the last conceptual development we want to highlight, some intriguing and promising efforts have challenged the term “internalized” itself along with the potentially problematic connotations attached to it. Indeed, some scholars (Banks & Stephens, ; Campon & Carter, ; Tappan, ) have argued that internalized racial oppression is better termed and conceptualized as “appropriated racial oppression.” They contend that the term “internalized” perpetuates the psychological field's tendency to overemphasize internal factors and, consequently, blame individuals for oppression instead of focusing on the reality that oppression is systemic. Also, proponents of “appropriated racial oppression” argue that this is a less restrictive conceptualization than “internalized racial oppression,” because the former is not limited to accepting the negative messages about one's racial group but also includes the adoption, mastery, and use of the various “tools of oppression”—some of which may appear adaptive or positive at face value (e.g., assimilation, “looking professional” or “respectable”).…”

“…Also, proponents of “appropriated racial oppression” argue that this is a less restrictive conceptualization than “internalized racial oppression,” because the former is not limited to accepting the negative messages about one's racial group but also includes the adoption, mastery, and use of the various “tools of oppression”—some of which may appear adaptive or positive at face value (e.g., assimilation, “looking professional” or “respectable”). Even further, they argue that a shift in conceptualization toward “appropriated racial oppression” allows for a more nuanced and complete understanding of how Peoples of Color “inherently have a relationship with oppression and the extent to which they believe they deserve the oppression, it is natural, or it is inevitable” (Banks & Stephens, , p. 94).…”

Psychological and political liberation: Strategies to promote power, wellness, and liberation among anti‐racist activists

“…Alternatively, the development literature posits that through a focused process of critical reflection and action, activists and other social actors may gain the critical awareness and political efficacy to move into psychological wellness and liberation (Freire, ; Grant, Finkelstein, & Lyons, ; Moane, ; Prilleltensky, ; Varas‐Díaz & Serrano‐García, ; Watts & Flanagan, ; Watts & Serrano‐García, ; Watts et al, ). Research on internalized racial oppression shows that people of color may gain the power to obstruct this psychologically oppressive process by developing a critical consciousness practice (Banks & Stephens, ). Trieu and Lee (), for example, found that Asian Americans can shift out of internalized racially oppressive perceptions by formulating a critical consciousness process that develops an awareness of historic racial oppression, engages with ethnic organizations, and promotes social ties with people from similar racial backgrounds.…”

“…Personal psychological liberation includes developing a critical awareness of oppressive systems and reframing those dehumanizing narratives into humanizing ones. Banks and Stephens () provide a framework for personal psychological liberation that underscores this point. They posit that to pursue personal‐psychological liberation, social actors should gain an awareness of oppressive systems, understand how those systems affect the self, separate the self from oppressive systems, reflect on the contradictions between the self and systems, and promote “a sense of self that is humanizing rather than dehumanizing” (p. 104).…”

“…To pursue personal‐psychological liberation, social actors should understand, analyze, and critique oppressive social systems and how those systems affect individuals in them. Related, to pursue personal political liberation social actors should engage in social movement activities that are aimed at dismantling systems of oppression (Banks & Stephens, ; Diemer & Li, ; Freire, ; Watts et al, ). This interaction between self and society corresponds with liberatory behaviors.…”