Critical Social Psychology Research Articles

From Apocalypse to Empowerment: Reframing Climate Action

Abstract This article proposes empowerment as a new frame for analyzing, communicating, and practicing climate action. I first discuss the role of collective action frames in social movements and the limitations of the predominant apocalyptic climate narratives. I then elaborate the concept of empowerment, which has received little attention from political scientists, who have emphasized “power-over” rather than “power-to.” Empowerment has long been a focus of attention within critical social work, feminist theory, community psychology, and social movement theory. Drawing on these literatures and others, I identify three dimensions of empowerment—critical awareness, resources and opportunities, and autonomy—and consider practical steps that climate leaders can take to empower others to simultaneously pursue personal development and social transformation.

Spiritual capital and spiritual entrepreneurship: The new spiritualities and the processes of subjectivation

AbstractThis paper critically examines the constructs of spiritual capital and spiritual entrepreneurship/entrepreneur. These concepts have recently become widespread in the social sciences and the psychology of the New Age, or the new spiritualities, and they are also increasingly present in business literature, organizational management, and personal improvement in managerial terms. From a critical social psychology position, the paper will consider the usefulness of these concepts in revealing how the field of spirituality currently seems to be a favoured space of governmentality and subjectivation for neoliberalism.

Social Group Membership, Social Identities, and Mental Health Experiences in Urban Poor Communities in Ghana: A Critical Social Psychology Inquiry.

Social groups and identities significantly influence mental health outcomes, yet their impact in resource-poor communities remains understudied. We explored the role of social group memberships and identities in shaping mental health experiences in two urban poor communities in Ghana. Data from 77 participants were analyzed thematically, revealing widespread engagement in social groups that provide access to both material and symbolic resources. However, these groups also serve as sources of tension and contribute to the stigmatization and marginalization of vulnerable members. Those affected include individuals with severe mental disorders, men experiencing depression, young men involved in substance abuse, family caregivers, migrant and tenant households, and otherwise healthy individuals with recurring psychosocial challenges. The groups exacerbate mental health challenges and restrict access to care among marginalized populations. The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions aimed at enhancing mental health support and reducing stigma in resource-poor settings.

Critical social psychology, qualitative research and on being a research butterfly/magpie: ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’

Hannah Frith is a critical social psychologist and is Associate Professor in Psychology and Research Director for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Surrey. Her work draws on interdisciplinary theory and research to examine the intersections of sexuality, gender and embodiment, using creative qualitative research methods. Hannah has published numerous research articles and texts, illustrating a wide range of topics and research methods, including her latest book A Feminist Companion to Research Methods in Psychology’, with Rose Capdevila. The interview was conducted by one of our editors (Deborah Bailey-Rodriguez) together with a Psychology PhD student (Tilbe Nur Aslan) and centred on Hannah’s journey and work as a critical social psychologist, using qualitative and creative qualitative research methods, as well as pointers on how to branch out both in research topic and method. The interview was a thoroughly enjoyable, lively and vibrant experience!

The Use of Turning Points in Understanding Homelessness Transitions: A Critical Social Psychological Perspective

ABSTRACT We argue for use of the narrative concept of the “turning point” in homelessness research from a critical social psychology perspective. BackgroundTurning points are often understood as rifts in the life course followed by significant change in direction. However, within narrative theory they are not events but subjectively significant features of the person’s life-story. The turning point as narrative toolThe analysis identified how turning points were deployed by participants in a study of homelessness experiences. Participants used the turning point in constructing themselves as agentic, reformed individuals who had gained insight. However, this did not necessarily bring positive life changes. Data extracts are used to illustrate the power of adopting a constructivist, narrative theoretical orientation in understanding turning points in accounts of homelessness. Implications for practiceViewing turning points in this way may help us understand how best to provide support for people without housing.

Mindfulness research and applications in the context of neoliberalism: A narrative and critical review

AbstractThis narrative and critical review outlines the implications of scientific production on Mindfulness and the widespread diffusion of the practice under neoliberal capitalism. This scientific, therapeutic and economic high‐value object is a fruitful research field in medical and social sciences. Since exiting the confines of mental and somatic health it has also flourished as a self‐care and self‐improvement technique. Drawing on a psychosocial perspective where Mindfulness is considered both a psychological and a social phenomenon, we explore the reasons why institutions and corporations have regularly considered Mindfulness as the universal panacea to address mental health, social and environmental problems, and how this contributed to transferring the consequences of structural and systemic issues from the State to the realms of individual management and responsibilization, and fostering social inequalities. We expose the role of Buddhist Modernism, psychology and social psychology into the consolidation of Mindfulness as a product of knowledge and a form of governmentality. The effects on Mindfulness users and researchers of a mainstream neoliberal psychological science, including social psychology, are discussed. Avenues for mindful resistance, such as theoretical and methodological perspectives for a critical social psychology of Mindfulness, are developed.

Which energy citizenship in positive energy districts? A governmentality social psychological analysis of participatory governance

ABSTRACT Towards low carbon energy transitions, the EU is developing Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) which produce more renewable energy than they consume. This implies more participatory governance which decentralises and democratises energy decisions to citizens, as captured in the emergent concept of ‘energy citizenship’. However, it has been argued that these governmental strategies and the energy citizens they create have been co-opted by a neoliberal governmentality. This may limit citizens’ rights and responsibilities as only consumers/prosumers in the private sphere. However, the neoliberal form of energy citizenship as well as potential alternative forms have seldom been empirically examined, so the main aim of this paper is to analyse which representations of energy citizenship are fostered in PED policies at EU, national, and local levels in a case study of Torres Vedras, Portugal. The analysis, which combines a governmentality approach with the critical social psychology of citizenship, unveils neoliberal energy citizenship as the hegemonic representation in these policies, and identifies emancipated representations of energy citizenship based on entrepreneurial energy activism and energy localism.

Integration and urban citizenship: A social‐psychological approach to refugee integration through active constructions of place attachment to the city

AbstractThe current research explores refugee integration through the analysis of active constructions of everyday life in Greek cities. It draws from critical social and political psychology literature that explores spatial aspects of intergroup relations and developments in citizenship and migration studies. For the purposes of the study, 25 walking interviews with refugees from Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Pakistan, Palestine, Somalia, and Syria were conducted in the cities of Athens and Thessaloniki. Interviews were analyzed with tools and concepts of critical discursive social psychology. Analysis indicated three main repertoires related to corresponding space nuclei: “city squares and surrounding areas as minorities' spatial nuclei,” “political spaces as urban enclaves of belonging,” and “neighborhoods as un/familiar places.” Each of these broader compounds represented different people–place dynamics and presupposed different citizenship constructions and claims. These constructions entailed different ways of positioning oneself and others and constituted the ground for redefining integration based on local experiences and multilevel connections with urban networks. Drawing on these findings, the article proposes to reconsider integration through the concept of urban citizenship to explore everyday politics of intergroup relations in contexts of migration.

‘How the other half lives’?: Taking a critical approach to the social psychology of economic inequality and extreme wealth

AbstractThe negative impact of economic inequality on social issues and wellbeing is of importance to social psychology that historically has an interest in social justice. Social Identity Theory is explored as an approach that acknowledges the wider context of social issues. The use of experiments encounters challenges in categorizing wealth and how individuals account for extreme wealth. Mainstream research agendas in psychology are not neutral and draw upon current ideology (such as neoliberalism) that can often maintain inequality. These difficulties are addressed by Critical Social Psychology driven by a social justice agenda that challenges the acceptance of neoliberal values. The application of Critical Social Psychology to wealth inequality is demonstrated with research using UK media data. Critical feminist psychology is discussed to explore the role of class and how to challenge the stigmatization of working‐class people. Finally, this paper outlines how Discursive Psychology addresses how extreme wealth and the practices of the super‐rich are warranted. A discursive approach questions the acceptance of wealth inequality as an everyday assumption and demonstrates how dominant discourse draws upon individualism. Furthermore, Discursive Psychology has examined how accountability for problematic practices, such as tax avoidance that maintain inequality, are managed in media broadcasts.

Islam as Critical Practice: Young Muslims Discuss their Religious Development

In modern Russia, religion is seen as a conservative social force aimed at consolidating society on the basis of common values. At the same time, as human history shows, religions often acted as a powerful political force, leading to great social transformations. Such a dual approach to religion was embodied in the views of the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory (M. Horkheimer and others), as well as a number of Islamic intellectuals of the "left" wing, such as G. Jemal and F. Isak. These thinkers emphasized that religion in certain historical periods could be a liberating force acting in the interests of the most oppressed members of society, while in others, on the contrary, it could promote oppression and support the interests of power elites. The paper presents the results of studies of young Russian Muslims based on the methodology of critical social psychology, which develops the views of the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory. The results show that a person's religious conversion is preceded by a critical rethinking of his own way of life, which was also noted in earlier studies conducted among representatives of Christianity and Judaism. At the same time, it was found that the critical attitude does not disappear with the adoption of Islam. The antagonism between the former “secular” and the current Islamic way of life is only strengthened by the opposition of the social position of Muslims and the “majority”. Initial dissatisfaction with the conditions of one's own life is transformed into a larger social criticism.

Bringing critical social psychology to the study of political polarization

AbstractThe study of political polarization, in both its ideological and its affective expressions, has garnered significantly more interest over the last years. But despite recent research on the conceptualization, measurement, causes, and consequences of this socio‐political phenomenon, and some tentative interventions to mitigate it, relevant new avenues remain surprisingly underdeveloped. Indeed, scholarship in the field of political polarization, mainly in the case of affective polarization, frequently uses cognitivist approaches to make sense of the growing antipathy between different social and political groups. However, the bulk of this work seems to overlook valuable insights into the psychology of intergroup conflict, stereotyping, prejudice reduction, and discourse studies. The aim of this paper is to underline the main gaps in the political polarization literature, to subsequently argue how knowledge linked to the tradition of critical social psychology can help in filling them. Ultimately, the article aims to contribute to the psychosocial study of political polarization and to the design, if necessary, of interventions to counter its detrimental consequences.

The emotional management of death and absence by forensic anthropologists in Colombia and Peru*

This article analyzes the experiences of seven forensic anthropologists working on exhumations in cases related to political violence and armed conflict in Colombia and Peru. From a critical social psychology perspective, we investigate the ways in which these professionals manage their emotions in the face of situations of violence, including murder, massacres, and enforced disappearances. We analyze both the emotional impact of confronting mass violence and the coping mechanisms developed by these professionals in order to continue doing their work. The experiences recounted by the forensic anthropologists interviewed for this study oscillate between a marked professional commitment and the need for distance to safeguard their own emotional well-being.

Linking environmental psychology and critical social psychology: Theoretical considerations toward a comprehensive research agenda.

In order to foster pro-environmental behavior in the midst of a global ecological crisis, current research in environmental psychology is often limited to individual-related factors and theories about conscious processing. However, in recent years, we observe a certain discontentment with the limitations of this approach within the community as well as increasing efforts toward broadening the scope (e.g., promotions of collective and social identity processes). In our work, we aim for a closer investigation of the relations between individuals, societal factors, and pro-environmental actions while considering the role of the unconscious. We hereby draw on the work of critical social psychology (CSP). From a life course perspective, we emphasize the important role of socialization, institutional and cultural contexts for mindsets and related perceptions, decisions and actions. This link between the individual and the society enables us to understand biographical trajectories and related ideologies dominant within a society. We seek to show that the approach of CSP is helpful for understanding why efforts of establishing pro-environmental actions on a large scale are still failing. In this article, we discuss the theoretical links between environmental psychology and CSP as well as possible implications, paving the way for a comprehensive future research agenda.

Music Workshops as Social Aesthetic Contributions to Cultivating Community Sensibilities

Abstract. Human connection and mutual exploration through engagements in the arts, in general, and music, more specifically, have been core features of community life in many settings for millennia. The importance of such modes of collective engagement has also gained renewed interest among psychologists. This article explores the use of arts-based practice in Brazilian organizational settings. Embracing the theoretical perspective of the bricoleur, we adopt a social aesthetic perspective as a basis for considering the cultivation of a sense of community and togetherness through music workshops. Our focus is on shifts in the social sensibilities of participants as they engage with each other through music. This article contributes to qualitative research in community and critical social psychology, where a turn to community arts is gaining increasing traction.

Critical Social Psychology of Class

Critical Social Psychology of Class

The Wake at the Root: Understanding Racial Identity Refinement through Genetic Ancestry Testing and Theater Performance

The racial identity literature has operationalized identity formation as progressive stage models, usually triggered by the experience of a negative race-based event. With the advent of new genealogical technology, it is imperative to include experiences that participants elect to experience (i.e., self-initiated or agentic encounter events). By using this perspective, identity processes become fluid and more expansive. In the context of this study, genetic ancestry tests are operationalized as a self-initiated encounter event. Participants (n = 8) were enrolled in an arts-in-education program that uses theater to explore Black Americans’ identities and family histories. This study used theater performance and modified life narrative interviews to understand how participation informed understandings of the self and others. Subsequent interviews highlighted how participants internalized the genetic test results and their participation within the group. Results indicated that, while participants were deeply invested in learning more about their ancestral roots, there were concerns related to the test results and their meaning for individuals. This study highlights that for the Black diaspora, identity is informed by ancestry and family history, as well as by interactions with created community members. Overall, this study opens the possibility for deeper exploration of racial identity formation within critical social psychology.

Advancing a critical social psychological perspective on women's leadership: A case illustration from the Global South

AbstractWhen applied to the Global South, mainstream positivist approaches to work and organisational psychology impose alien theories of personality (the self) and leadership. In the case of women, they fail to capture the richness of their experiences of life and leadership, which are influenced by the nexus between history, power and marginalisation—for many, even oppression. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the value of a critical social psychological approach, despite its grounding in the Global North discourse, to analyse women's leadership from a cross‐cultural context. To illustrate, we provide an empirical example of a Vietnamese woman leader's life‐story drawing on the theoretical resources from critical social psychology to interpret her experiences. When viewed from this perspective, women's leadership is understood within a dialogical space, which is prior to and more fundamental than any instrumental reason and technical rationality. It is argued that this approach resists essentialising assumptions about gender and cultural practices of leadership, providing a more liberating means to understand the life and leadership of Vietnamese women. In the final analysis, we argue that this study contributes to the nascent field of critical work and organisational psychology.

Psycho-discursive practices of bystanding and democratic citizenship in ‘bullying’ and ‘violence’ discourse: combining the micro- and the macro-level of analysis in lay talk

The goal of the present article was twofold: to analyze the contributions of qualitative methodologies and discursive psychology in the field of bullying studies, as well as to develop an argument to analyze rhetorical practices on bullying/cyberbullying, following the approach of Critical Discursive Social Psychology. In the Greek context there is a body of institutional interventions, as well as non-official institutional interventions endorsed by the civil society. The latter are guided by the framework of inclusion, democratic citizenship and Community Psychology, shedding particular emphasis on integrating social groups. By analyzing these interventions, dilemmas related to humanism or recognizing the engaged members as political subjects could be evident. In the present article, it is analyzed how educators talk about bullying and school violence, by invoking repertoires that may disempower the ‘victim’/child, through humanistic discourse, but on the other hand, may criticize the use of disempowering practices of bystanding. In the main analysis of the present article, it seems that the constructions reflecting the non-potentiality of critical agency of the victim intersect with repertoires reflecting democracy and autonomy, reflecting dilemmas of liberalism. As it is discussed, the contribution of Critical Discursive Social Psychology concerns the potential to trace flexible ways in which social agents create or disempower the spaces of critical agency in the school community, without ignoring the ideological limitations in lay talk.

A LIBERDADE EM ESPINOSA COMO BASE ONTOEPISTEMOLÓGICA NO ENFRENTAMENTO DO SOFRIMENTO ÉTICO-POLÍTICO

Abstract The aim of this article is to focus, based on Spinoza’s philosophy, on the concept of "ethical-political suffering", necessarily articulating it to the concepts of “good encounters” developed by Gilles Deleuze and Spinoza’s “power of acting”. For that, we weave a reflection on the concept of freedom for this author, going through his masterpiece, Ethics, articulated with some of his readers and interlocutors. We argue that recognizing the ontological and epistemological basis of these concepts allows us to demarcate an ethical and political direction that can contribute with Critical Social Psychology in Brazil. The idea of freedom as an ontology claims life expansion as a human foundation or as a desire that moves us in search of encounters that increase our possibilities of singular and collective existence. The restriction of this desire is at the genesis of the ethical-political suffering.

Dynamics of the policy environment and trauma in relations between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the settler-colonial state

This integrative review seeks to employ insights from critical social psychology and Indigenous nation building governance research to advance an explanation for why Australian state policy continually fails to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and reproduces trauma. The review suggests that settler-colonial law and policy embed a history of oppressive relations that suppress Indigenous voice, culture, and identity, inexorably leading to intergenerational traumatic social and wellbeing outcomes for Indigenous peoples. Given settler-colonial policy’s ongoing role in continuing the subordination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander law/lore, the ongoing policy failure to redress Indigenous inequality and improve their wellbeing is unsurprising. Nevertheless, our analysis contributes to understanding how just and viable relations between Australian Indigenous peoples and the settler-colonial state are possible through collaborative politics. Allowing space for agreement and disagreement in their worldviews, collaborative negotiations offer a way forward to redress policy failures and traumatic outcomes that are currently entrenched.