Standpoint Theory and the Psy Sciences: Can Marginalization and Critical Engagement Lead to an Epistemic Advantage?

Abstract

As participatory research practices are increasingly taken up in health research, claims related to experiential authority and expertise are frequently made. Here, in an exploration of what grounds such claims, we consider how feminist standpoint theory might apply to the psy sciences (psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and so on). Standpoint theory claims that experiences of marginalization and critical engagement can lead to a standpoint that offers an epistemic advantage within a domain of knowledge. We examine experiences of marginalization and critical engagement in the mental health system, as well as evidence for epistemic advantages resulting from these experiences. This evidence, found in the identification of problematic assumptions and the development of new tools and theories in the field, grounds our argument that standpoint theory is indeed relevant to the psy sciences and that many of those who have experienced marginalization and have engaged critically have an epistemic advantage when it comes to knowledge-production. The implications of this argument are significant: those who have attained a standpoint within the psy sciences ought to be included in research and given both tools and funding to develop research programs. However, we must be wary of the risks of tokenization, cooptation, and essentialization that are likely to accompany such a transformation.

Persons or data points? Ethics, artificial intelligence, and the participatory turn in mental health research.

“…The basic premises of standpoint theory are that (a) those who have been marginalized often have unique epistemic potential related to their marginalization and (b) this potential can be activated through critical reflection, particularly related to power and knowledge. Standpoint theory asserts that marginalized individuals who have engaged in critical reflection have an epistemic advantage when it comes to knowledge projects relevant to their marginalization (Friesen & Goldstein, 2022;Figueroa et al, 2003). 5 In mental health research, standpoint theory has been proposed as a justification for the importance of participatory research by several authors (Faulkner, 2017;Friesen & Goldstein, 2022;Rose, 2014Rose, , 2017.…”

“…Standpoint theory asserts that marginalized individuals who have engaged in critical reflection have an epistemic advantage when it comes to knowledge projects relevant to their marginalization (Friesen & Goldstein, 2022;Figueroa et al, 2003). 5 In mental health research, standpoint theory has been proposed as a justification for the importance of participatory research by several authors (Faulkner, 2017;Friesen & Goldstein, 2022;Rose, 2014Rose, , 2017. Their primary assertion is that lived experience of receiving a mental health diagnosis and/or engaging with the mental health system as a service user can provide one with an epistemic advantage, often involving the ability to identify problematic assumptions within a knowledge project, the ability to develop new hypotheses and theories or to operate with stronger objectivity in research 6 (Friesen & Goldstein, 2022;Figueroa et al, 2003).…”

Conceptual competence in psychiatric training: building a culture of conceptual inquiry

“…21 This has been driven in part by a neglect of philosophical frameworks, such as standpoint epistemology and social objectivity, that justify the inclusion of lived experience in science. 22,23 The conceptual impoverishment of psychiatric practice and training has taken place despite the existence of a rich and growing body of conceptual and philosophical work.…”

From Puzzle to Progress: How Engaging With Neurodiversity Can Improve Cognitive Science

“…The above points about ethics, justice, and science converge in the larger question—from Indigenous and feminist philosophy of science (Harding & Hintikka, 2003; Pownall et al., 2021; Smith, 2021)—of who gets to contribute to knowledge. A marginalized standpoint allows individuals to see what those in positions of privilege cannot, yielding unique epistemic advantages (Friesen & Goldstein, in press). Diversity is especially important for scientific discovery: identifying questions, framing problems, or uncovering insights (Sulik, Bahrami, & Deroy, 2021b).…”