PSYCHOLOGY, POWER, AND
WELL-BEING:
Discussion points for APA session
Isaac Prilleltensky
University of Miami
isaac@miami.edu
www.education.miami.edu/isaac
Ecological Model of Well-Being
Sites of Well-Being
Individual
Relational
Organizational
Communal
Environmental
Objective signs
health
networks
resources
social
capital
low emissions
Subjective
Signs
efficacy
voice
support
belonging
safety
Values as source
and strategy
autonomy
caring
participation
diversity
protection of
resources
Justice as
source and
strategy
My
due/Our
due
Your
due/Our
due
Its due/Our
due
Their
due/Our
due
Nature’s
due/Our due
Ecological Model of Well-Being:
Some positive and negative factors
Sites of Well-Being
Individual
Relational
Organizational
Communal
Environmental
Objective signs
+health
- illness
+networks
-isolation
+resources
- lack of resources
-social capital
-lack of trust
+clean air
-pollution
Subjective
signs
+efficacy
-lack of control
+voice
-repression
+support
-isolation
+belonging
-rejection
+safety
-fear
Values as
source and
strategy
+autonomy
-lack of power
+caring
-neglect
+participation
-marginality
+diversity
-discrimination
+protection of
resources
-depletion of
resources
Justice as
source and
strategy
My due/Our
due
Your due/Our
due
Its due/Our due
Their due/Our
due
Nature’s due/Our
due
PERSONAL
WELLNESS
RELATIONAL
WELLNESS
COLLECTIVE
WELLNESS
Health
Respect for
diversity
Social justice
Self
determination
Collaboration and Support for
democratic
social structures
participation
Meaning and
Spirituality
Caring and
compassion
Liberation from Liberation from
intrapsychic
interpersonal
oppressive forces oppression
Support for
the
environment
Liberation from
societal
oppressive forces
POWER FOR WHAT?
TO PROMOTE WELLNESS AND EMANCIPATION
TO OPPRESS SELF AND OTHERS
TO RESIST OPPRESSION
POWER DEFINED

We can distinguish among power to strive for
wellness, power to oppress, and power to resist
oppression and strive for liberation.

In each instance, the exercise of power can
apply to self, others, and collectives; and can
reflect varying degrees of awareness with
respect to the impact of one's actions.
POWER DEFINED

Whereas people may be oppressed in one
context, they may act as oppressors in others.
Power affords people multiple identities as
individuals seeking wellness, engaging in
oppression, or resisting domination.
POWER DEFINED

Within a particular context, such as the family
or work, individuals may exercise power to
facilitate the wellness of some people but not of
others. Across contexts, actors may engage in
contradictory actions that promote personal or
collective wellness in one place but that
perpetuate oppressive practices in other
settings.
POWER DEFINED

The exercise of power varies not only across
contexts, but also across time. Within a
particular setting or relationship, people may
occupy different roles at different times, making
the exercise of power a very dynamic process.
How Do We Address Power
Imbalance in Psychology?

Psychopolitical validity
– Epistemic
– Transformational
Psychopolitical Validity

Psychopolitical validity derives from the
consideration of power dynamics in
psychological and political domains of health
and well-being

The main objective of psychopolitical validity is
to infuse in helping professions an awareness of
the role of power in justice and well-being.
Psychopolitical Validity

In order to attain psychopolitical validity,
investigations and interventions would have to
meet certain criteria. These criteria have to do
with the extent to which research and action
incorporate lessons about psychological and
political power.
Psychopolitical Validity I: Epistemic


This type of validity is achieved by the
systematic account of the role of power in
political and psychological dynamics affecting
phenomena of interest.
Such account needs to consider the role of
power in the psychology and politics of wellbeing, oppression and liberation, at the
personal, relational, and collective domains.
Psychopolitical Validity II:
Transformational

Transformational validity derives from the
potential of our actions to promote personal,
relational, and collective wellness by reducing
power inequalities and increasing political
action
Table 1
Guidelines for Epistemic Psychopolitical Validity
Concerns
Domains
Collective
Relational
Personal
Wellness
Accounts for role of political and
economic power in economic
prosperity and in creation of
institutions that promote equality and
public health
Studies the role of power in creating
and sustaining egalitarian relationships,
social cohesion, social support, respect
for diversity and democratic
participation in communities, groups,
and families
Studies role of psychological
and political power in
achieving self-determination,
empowerment, health,
personal growth, meaning and
spirituality
Oppression
Explores role of globalization,
colonization and exploitation in illness
and suffering of nations and
communities
Examines the role of political and
psychological power in exclusion and
discrimination based on class, gender,
age, race, education and ability.
Studies conditions leading to lack of
support, horizontal violence and
fragmentation within oppressed groups
Studies role of powerlessness
in learned helplessness,
hopelessness, selfdeprecation, internalized
oppression, shame, physical
and mental health problems
and addictions
Liberation
Deconstructs ideological norms that
lead to acquiescence and studies
effective psychopolitical factors in
resistance to norms that cause illness
Studies acts of solidarity and
compassion with others who suffer
from oppression and illness
Examines sources of health,
strength, resilience, solidarity
and development of activism
and leadership
Table 2
Guidelines for Transformational Psychopolitical Validity
Concerns
Domains
Collective
Relational
Personal
Well-being
Contributes to institutions that
support health, emancipation, human
development, peace, protection of
environment, and social justice
Contributes to power equalization
in relationships and communities.
Enriches awareness of subjective
and psychological forces preventing
solidarity. Builds trust, connection
and participation in groups that
support social cohesion, health and
social justice
Supports personal empowerment,
health, sociopolitical development,
leadership training and solidarity.
Contributes to personal and social
responsibility and awareness of
subjective forces preventing
commitment to justice and personal
depowerment when in position of
privilege
Oppression
Opposes economic colonialism and
denial of cultural rights. Decries and
resists role of own reference group
or nation in oppression of others and
deterioration of health in other
groups
Contributes to struggle against ingroup and out-group domination
and discrimination, sexism and
norms of violence. Builds
awareness of own prejudice and
participation in horizontal violence
Helps to prevent acting out of own
oppression on others. Builds awareness
of internalized oppression and role of
dominant ideology in victim-blaming.
Contributes to personal depowerment of
people in position of privilege
Liberation
Supports networks of resistance and
social change movements that
pursue health and wellness.
Contributes to structural
depowerment of privileged people
Supports resistance against
objectification of others. Develops
processes of mutual accountability
Helps to resists complacency and
collusion with exploitative and illness
producing system. Contributes to
struggle to recover personal health and
political identity

Before you reply with enthusiasm to our plea
for help, you should consider whether you are
not merely engaged as magicians to avoid the
crisis in the center of the ring. In considering
our motives for offering you a role, I think you
would do well to consider how much less
expensive it is to hire a thousand psychologists
than to make even a miniscule change in the
social and economic structure ( Judge Bazelon,
in the 60s, addressing a group of forensic
psychologists).