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With Power, Comes Responsibility

Acknowledging and Utilizing Your Privilege as a Psychologist for Good 

Written by Lauren Qualls and Dr. Erica Woodin, Posted September 3, 2023

When our group set out to make this website, we were overwhelmed with ideas. There are so many wonderful resources out there, we wondered we could add.

We decided we wanted to share with other psychologists (and future psychologists) our process of reflection as we sift through the many new resources and ideas. We thought starting with some terminology would be helpful, but it became very apparent that there were too many terms to fit into a short blog! Therefore, we decided to start a series on various terms and how they relate to psychology.  

Our first term is ‘privilege’. 

Many definitions of privilege relate to race, ethnicity, and gender. For example, here is one definition below: 

Privilege: Unearned social power afforded by the formal and informal institutions of society to ALL members of a dominant group (e.g., white privilege, male privilege, etc.). Privilege is usually invisible to those who have it because they are not taught to see it. Nevertheless, this social power puts all members of the privileged group at an advantage over those who are not members.

So, is the social power of a psychologist earned or unearned?

Perhaps it’s not as black and white. Here is another definition of privilege:

Privilege: Certain social advantages, benefits, or degrees of prestige and respect that an individual has by virtue of belonging to certain social identity groups. Within American and other Western societies, these privileged social identities—of people who have historically occupied positions of dominance over others—include Whites, males, heterosexuals, Christians, and the wealthy, among others. 

An even broader and more objective definition may instead look like this: 

Privilege: A special right or advantage that a particular person or group of people has.

No matter how you look at it, plain and simple, as a psychologist or future psychologist,  we have advantages over other people. 

Whether it is with general community members, your clients, your students, your colleagues, or even your family, psychologists are granted certain privileges over others. Thus, it is necessary to ask ourselves a few questions to reflect on our privilege and how we can leverage our privilege in a good way.  

Reflecting on our privilege as psychologists and future psychologists is a life-long process.

Here are five questions we continually use to reflect upon our privilege (and you can try answering them too!):

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1. How have you been treated differently by others because of your status as a psychologist or future psychologist? 

When we asked this question to ourselves, much of our discussion focused on how the public treats psychologists. We found that others in the community have treated us with more respect, more openly sought our advice, or have anticipated or assumed that we have certain knowledge or expertise. For example, many of us shared the experience of others being very open and sharing very personal information about themselves upon first meeting. Although some of us have experienced the complete opposite, where others become more private or closed off or even treat us with some suspicion that we have mind-reading abilities.

One member of our group shared that a parenting group had asked for their expertise to inform decision making that would impact their child and others’ schooling. This was an area outside of our member’s expertise, but they ended up doing additional research to provide an informed response.

Others among our group discussed the hierarchies and systems in which we work that can make genuine sharing challenging. For example, the privilege afforded to psychologists can make it difficult for others to feel comfortable voicing disagreement or challenging the psychologist’s opinion. There is a concern that others may not raise issues because of the status of a psychologist. Related to this concern, another member of our group shared how it was sometimes difficult to solicit lived experience from others when you carry the title of a psychologist. They noted how others frequently defer to the psychologist’s expertise. This can make it difficult to hear other ideas and perspectives when their opinion as a psychologist is valued the most among a group. In addition, when psychologists are presumed to be experts rather than contributors on equal footing as anyone else, the psychologists may feel unsure as to how they should approach the situation, given their title and perceived expertise.

Are there any ways that you have been treated differently by others (positively or negatively) because of your title?

2. What kinds of advantages have you had as a psychologist or future psychologist? 

We discussed the authority psychologists hold in some interdisciplinary settings and how a psychologist’s opinion is weighed amongst other professionals. This can have drastic ramifications in terms of accessibility of services for our clients. Our opinions are highly valued, and we often act as gatekeepers. How have you been privileged as a decision maker?

Our conversation shifted to how psychologists are often part of the decision-making process for waitlists for services. Psychologists have tough decisions to make about who can access services, when people can access them, and sometimes for what monetary cost. Usually, there are systems and protocols in place to help us to make fair and equitable decisions, but this is not always straight forward. Our group discussed how other factors sometimes mix into the process, such as professional courtesy, attempts to benefit underprivileged individuals, and sometimes self-interest. What other advantages do psychologists hold that often go unquestioned?

3. Have you ever received benefits or advantages as a psychologist or future psychologist that you probably should not have received or did not earn? 

This is an interesting and possibly uncomfortable question. It is something we should all be asking ourselves. If you think back on a particular situation, did you receive something for yourself or someone else that you would not have if you did not hold your position? When you reflect now, would you have done something differently? How would you approach situations like this in the future? Have you been in any ethical grey areas? 

4. What are your specific privileges? 

Reflect on the privileges that you hold as a psychologist or future psychologist and the specific context in which you work. As humans, we all exist at the intersection of many identities. Privilege may be nuanced by identities related to gender identity, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, religion, disability, and much more. Do you have advantages over others? Do others treat you differently (good or bad) because of your status? Do you treat others differently because of your status? 

5. How can you use your privilege for good? 

Thinking about the privilege that you have and the context in which you work, are there ways to utilize your privilege responsibly? Are there ways that you can be an ally to advocate for others who may not have the same advantages? Spoiler – this does not fit into a blog post!  

Our Group’s Vision

Our vision for the Social Justice and Human Rights in Clinical Psychology Council is to create a world where professional psychologists can provide safe, accessible, and equitable care to people of all identities.

Part of that process is for us is to continue to reflect on the various privileges we have as psychologists and future psychologists, how that privilege intersects with our work, and how to leverage that privilege for good. There is no easy answer, and we recognize that this is an ongoing learning process that will require continued work throughout our careers. We hope to continue to share our discussion and ideas with others.  

Check out these additional resources we found below that are related to social privilege and psychology.  

  • Ali, S. R., Liu, W. M., Mahmood, A., & Arguello, J. (2008). Social Justice and Applied Psychology: Practical Ideas for Training the Next Generation of Psychologists. Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 1(2), 1-13
  • Andrews, E. E, & Lund, E. M. (2015). Disability in psychology training: where are we?. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 9(3), 210-216. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tep000008
  • Atkins, S. L., Fitzpatrick, M. R., Poolokasingham, G., Lebeau, M., & Spanierman, L. B. (2017). Make it personal: A qualitative investigation of White counselors’ multicultural awareness development. The Counseling Psychologist, 45(5), 669-696. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000017719458
  • Barrett, J. G., & Olle, C. D. (2016). Social Justice Training in Action: A Counseling Psychologist’s Role in a Police-Mental Health Collaborative Serving Disadvantaged Youth. Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 8(2), 13-31. https://doi.org/10.33043/JSACP.8.2.13-31 
  • Bemak, F., Talleyrand, R. M., Jones, H., & Daquin, J. (2011). Implementing Multicultural Social Justice Strategies in Counselor Education Training Programs. Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 3(1), 29-43. https://doi.org/10.33043/JSACP.3.1.29-4
  • Black, L. R., & Stone, D. (2005). Expanding the definition of privilege: The concept of social privilege. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 33, 243-255.
  • Brinkman, B. G., & Hirsch, K. (2019). From Proposal to Action: Supporting Student Advocacy during Graduate Counseling Training. Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 11(1), 51-66. https://doi.org/10.33043/ JSACP.11.1.51-66
  • Branco, S.F., & Bayne, H.B. (2020). Carrying the burden: Counselors of Color’s experiences of microaggressions in counseling. Journal of Counseling and Development, 98, 272-282. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12322
  • DiAngelo, R. J. (2018). White fragility: Why it’s so hard for White people to talk about racism. Beacon Press.
  • Dovidio J. F., Gaertner, S. L., & Pearson, A. R. (2017). Aversive racism and contemporary bias. In F. K. Barlow & C. G. Sibley (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of the psychology of prejudice. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
  • Ferber, A.L., Herrera, A.O., & Samuels, D. R. (2007). The matrix of oppression and privilege: Theory and practice for the new millennium. American Behavioral Scientist, 51(4), 516- 531. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764207307740
  • Goodman, D. J. (2015). Oppression and privilege: Two sides of the same coin. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 18, 1-14.
  • Guiffrida, D., Tansey, M., & Miller, D. (2019). A constructive approach to help counselors work with clients who express discriminatory views. Journal of Counseling and Development, 97, 105-112.  https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12240
  • Hays, P. A. (2016). Addressing cultural complexities in practice: Assessment, diagnosis, and therapy (3rd ed.). American Psychological Association.
  • Hearn, M. C. (2012). Positionality, intersectionality, and power: Socially locating the higher education teacher in multicultural education. Multicultural Education Review, 4(2), 38–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/2005615X.2011.11102893
  • Helms, J. E. (1990). Black and White racial identity: Theory, research, and practice. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
  • Helms, J. E. (2017). The challenge of making Whiteness visible: Reactions to four Whiteness articles. The Counseling Psychologist, 45(5), 717-726. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/0011000017718943
  • Hof, D. D., Dinsmore, J. A., Barber, S., & Suhr, R. (2009). Advocacy: The T.R.A.I.N.E.R. Model. Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 2(1), 15-28. https://doi.org/10.33043/JSACP.2.1.15-28
  • Lewis, A. E. (2004). “What group?” studying whites and whiteness in the era of “color-blindness.” Sociological Theory, 22(4), 623–646. https://doi.org/10.1111/ J.0735-2751.2004.00237.x
  • Malott, K. M., & Knoper, T. (2012). Social Justice in Application: Counselor Training in a Legal Context. Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 4(2), 23-40. https://doi.org/10.33043/JSACP.4.2.23-40
  • Neville, H. A., Awad, G. H., Brooks, J. E., Flores, M. P., & Bluemel, J. (2013). Color-blind racial ideology: Theory, training, and measurement implications in psychology. American Psychologist, 68(6), 455-66. https://doi.org/1037/a0033282
  • Oishi, S., Koo, M., & Buttrick, N. R. (2018). The socioecological psychology of upward social mobility. American Psychologist.  Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1037/amp0000422
  • Olkin, R. (2001). Could you hold the door for me? Including disability in diversity. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 8(2), 130-137. https://doi.org/10.1037/ 1099-9809.8.2.130
  • Spanierman, L. B., Poteat, V. P., Beer, A. M., & Amrstrnog, P. I. (2006). Psychosocial costs of racism to Whites: Exploring patterns through cluster analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(2), 249-262.
  • Spanierman, L. B., & Smith, L. (2017). Roles and responsibilities of white allies: Implications for research, teaching, and practice. The Counseling Psychologist, 45(5), 606 617. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000017717712
  • Sue, D. W. (2017). The Challenges of becoming a White ally. Counseling Psychologist, 45(5), 706–716. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000017719323
  • Suzuki, L. A., O’Shaughnessy, T. A., Roysicar, G., Ponterotto, J. G., & Carter, R. T. (2019). Counseling psychology and the amelioration of oppression: translating our knowledge into action. The Counseling Psychologist, 47(6), 826-872
    Thank you for reading!