OWNING YOUR SPACE: Bringing the Beyond (socio-political/cultural realm) into the Therapeutic Space.
The beyond, in this text, refers to the socio-political/socio-cultural realm that whilst outside of the intrapsychic world is an extension of it. The beyond impacts people in significant and complex ways. Social identities are autobiographical reservoirs and expressions that perpetuate the historical context of ‘the beyond’. These social identities provide contextual lenses through which people view and experience the world. For example, predetermined social identity categories like gender, race, ethnicity, place of origin, sexuality, e.t.c significantly impact people’s position in society. Whilst, education, occupation, socioeconomic status, place of residence, and political & religious affiliation are negotiable social identity markers they are influenced by the socio-political/cultural realm. Socially constructed identities significantly impact how individuals are viewed and express themselves. They affect issues of acceptance, access, power, control, legitimacy, perceived competence, perceived expertise, influence e.t.c. These socially sanctioned categorisations privilege few and marginalise others. Certain social identity markers (e.g. gender, race, and ethnicity) intersect to create privilege or marginalisation. For example, the social identity markers of being female, black, uneducated, and of poor origins create an experience of disempowerment, marginalisation, and minimisation with a stultified voice. This is not surprising since women of colour are marginalised within the economic, social, and political worlds (Crenshaw, 1991).
Conversely, other social identity markers constellate to privilege certain people. For example, being male, white, heterosexual, educated, middle or high socioeconomic status situates an individual at the top tier of the social chain. Power, privilege, control over the self, others, and critical aspects of the environment (e.g. economic & political) are some of the rewards that come with embodying the position of being a heterosexual white male. The privilege of being experienced as having power, influence, deserving of respect, having opportunities, unlikely to be criminal allows, for example, the white heterosexual male to feel liberated and deserving. These socially constructed and value-laden identity constellations have major implications for how people are experienced, treated, afforded or denied opportunities.
Consequently, it is crucial that people are conversant with social identity markers that intersect to place them in privileged or marginalised positions. Reflexivity is one of the ways that individuals can reflect, account and respond to their socially imbued positions. Reflexivity is particularly important since privilege is hidden to those who have it (Flood & Pease, 2005). Reflexivity and positionality have been noted to be significant in qualitative research (Holmes, 2020; Qin, 2016), crucial in the workplace (Farnese & Livi, 2015), central to socio-political matters (Berling & Bueger, 2013) and fundamental in counselling (Dixon & Chiang, 2019). The following discussion is centred on thinking, reflecting, understanding, acknowledging and bringing ‘the beyond’ into the therapeutic space. I will begin this reflection by story(ing) my experience whilst locating myself according to intersecting socially constructed identities.
Storying the experience: in conversation with socio-political/cultural realms
I would like to think of my life as that of a nomad. Even though my parents are from the villages of the Eastern Cape (EC) they frequently travelled and intermittently settled in different places. So I was born during one of their intermittent settlement in KwaZulu Natal (KZN). I only spent the first year of my life there. The rest of my early childhood was spent in the villages of the EC. As children, my cousins and I, we were entrusted with the important task of herding livestock. This was quite a mundane task that required us to find creative ways of having fun and passing time. Swimming was one of these pastime activities. I remember how before swimming we would take small pebbles and engage in stone skipping causing ripples while being careful not to hurt the creatures in the, sometimes, peacefully flowing river water. We would chant ‘macaleni ntozomlambo, sicela udada ntozomlambo’ which loosely translates to ‘give way creatures of the river we ask permission to swim’. Reflecting on this now, it seems, that we implicitly knew our position, and acknowledged the existence of the ‘other’ in the water as well as our privilege to access both land and water. We were safe together and felt connected to one another.
The move to the townships of the Western Cape introduced me to a different environment. This environment lacked the serene, peaceful and dreamy feeling reminiscent of the villages. There was an air of tension, apprehension, fear and suspicion. Contradictory, to this sense of hypervigilance, was an air of hope, joy, a sense of community and closeness. My arrival in CPT coincided with the first South African national elections in 1994. For the first time in the history of the country, everyone was free to vote. However, my introduction to the devastating effects of the apartheid system was a year earlier, in 1993, when I watched a televised funeral of Comrade Mr Chris Hani. I really didn’t know who he was but the sombre, grief-stricken, pained faces of my parents and our neighbours let me know that that joy was a transient feeling. They have come to watch this funeral on our small vintage, wooden cased (veneered), black and white television set. Even as a child it dawned on me that I have just been introduced to an environment that was actively reacting to the torment, torture and anguish resulting from years of oppression inflicted by an(other). I became aware of the other (the apartheid system, its pillars and willing and or complacent participants- the military and white people) that were experienced as an enemy. In this environment, comfort was found in the presence of, and support from, others. The dependency on the community presented with it a sense of safety against the threat of outsiders that was different. Safety was in being with others and depending on them.
The move to the suburbs of KZN and Gauteng Province (GP) brought with it different experiences around safety and community. The suburban life introduced me to an individualised creation of one’s own sense of safety. I was on the inside and everybody else was outside. This included those who were the same and the ones that were different. In these circles, there was free-flowing paranoia and anxiety about one’s safety. The communication was that there was an(other) out there, who was dangerous, with an insatiable intent to take from the self-causing harm in the process. There was fear of loss and violence. There was a sense that this ‘other’ was entitled, self-focused and self-serving. Interestingly, these aspects, hidden in their purview were succinct descriptions of some of the residents within these suburban walls. Behind these suburban walls, safety was one’s responsibility and had a price tag.
These experiences shaped my worldview and informed my positionality in terms of how I show up and are received in the world. They impact my work and directly contribute to my perceptions and experiences.
Experienced sense of safety and connection
It is noteworthy that throughout the different facets of the storying elucidated above, safety and connection are two fundamental concepts that traverse all my experiences. An experienced sense of safety and connection seems to be, in part, developing from interpsychic (intersubjective) dynamics that are mediated by social experiences. An experienced sense of safety and connection are fundamental to interpersonal relationships including psychotherapy. Consequently, bringing ‘the beyond’ into the psychotherapeutic space is a continuous and dynamic practice requiring that the therapist be actively engaged with who they are. When ‘the beyond’ is brought into the therapeutic space in a thoughtful, curious and open manner it lays the foundation for an experienced sense of safety and connection. An experienced sense of safety and connection are fundamental building blocks of the therapeutic alliance and the work that follows. In order to provide a safe therapeutic space, as a psychotherapist, to the diverse South African population, it is important that I be conversant with my positionality and be reflexive about it.
I have cited below an excerpt of my positionality statement. The statement described below has far-reaching consequences for my social world and the psychotherapeutic space.
Positionality (Reflexivity) Statement in brief
I am a black, Xhosa, abled-bodied South African man, born in the Eastern Cape and raised in various provinces in SA but mostly the Western Cape. I am coming from a subsistence farming family background of low socioeconomic status. I spent the first part of my childhood in the rural villages of the former Transkei in EC. Even though I spent a large portion of my childhood in the townships of the Western Cape, the formative years spent in EC laid the foundation and still continue to contribute to the person that I am today. As a result, I oscillate between the suburban life of GP and the rural life in the EC. I have spent my middle childhood up until young adulthood in the Townships of the Western Cape. I carry with me experiences from these spaces that shape my view of the world and how the world perceives me. Being male means that I enjoy certain privileges adorned upon me by the patriarchal system for the very reason that I’m a man. In turn, I may not completely know the experiences of someone who is identified as female or different to me. By virtue of being black in South Africa, I am likely to be viewed and positioned in ways that marginalise and disadvantage me. Due to the history of segregation and racially motivated violence towards marginalised black people I carry with me the disadvantages of my race. My education and occupation afford me opportunities to access resources otherwise not available to certain segments of the population. In this way, I am privileged to be an educated, able-bodied, male of middle-class socioeconomic status which provides me with some level of power. This position of privilege allows me to engage and disengage in issues that affect other marginalised individuals who have no option or choice to do the same. As a result, I might be blinded to some of the challenges that other disadvantaged individuals experience. The identity constellation of being black, male, from working-class, rural, township origins positions me negatively, (mistrust, perceived likely criminality, lacking in currency, arouses suspicion, perceived incompetence e.t.c). I acknowledge that my positionality significantly contributes to how I’m experienced, treated and live my life.
The Beyond in the Psychotherapy Space
For the most part, there seems to be a silencing of the socio-political/cultural identities within therapeutic spaces. When acknowledged and given their due consideration it almost seems as though there is an added strenuous engagement requiring the therapist to be especially prepared or trained. This extreme caution in therapeutic circles is understandable given the sensitive nature of difference. However, acknowledging difference should not be synonymised with discrimination. Sensitively recognised difference fosters a sense of connection, and safety and liberates individuals to express themselves. Reflexivity about one’s social identity and position(s) helps to better understand the power relations present in interpersonal interactions (Jacobson & Mustafa, 2019). For example, my positionality statement above provides the basis for how others may perceive, experience and the kinds of assumptions they can make about me. It also provides me with the lens through which I view the world.
Some of my socially constructed identities constellate to present me with privilege and power but others imbue me with marginalisation and disadvantage. Their aliveness within the therapeutic space is present inconsequential of whether they are named or not. They form part of the co-creation of experienced reality between the patient/client and I. It is crucial to keep all of this in mind while in the dance within the therapeutic space. An open, curious, respectful, optimistic, holistic, reflective, and reflexive stance supports the exploration of ‘the beyond’ when it emerges within the psychotherapeutic space (Dixon & Chiang, 2019). When parts of ‘the beyond’ are ignored, neglected and avoided they have the potential to undermine the therapeutic work being done. For example, unobserved or thought about elements from the beyond may present as mistrust, power dynamics, superficiality, over-identification, suspicion, perceived incompetence, entitlement, and privilege which may impact the capacity to connect. When the socio-political/cultural aspects emerge need to be actively engaged in order to inoculate the therapeutic space from stagnation.
It’s not useful to address socio-political/cultural differences if they have not naturally emerged within the therapeutic space. The therapeutic space must allow these issues to be discussed with sensitivity and patience. Therapists need to acknowledge, reflect on and develop their capacity to engage elements from ‘the beyond’ when they emerge. The first step is to actively identify personal biases and understand how one’s own social positioning(s) and perspective(s) may impact the dynamics within therapy (Watkins & Andrews, 2021). This practice can be supported through engaging in reflective and reflexive practices (Dixon & Chiang, 2020). This can be achieved through a process of being curious about the self and openness to let the other teach you about them. Working with ‘the beyond’ need not be like ‘big foot’ that only a few can work with. Socio-political/cultural aspects are extensions of the intrapsychic world and actively influence it.
Conclusion
Storying my experience provided a context for my positionality. Even though it is a small piece of my life it demonstrates the complex development and expression of social identity constellations. It also demonstrates, in part, the fundamental development of an intersubjective sense of experienced safety and connection. These socially mediated experiences from the beyond (within the socio-political/cultural realm) significantly impact all areas of our lives including the therapeutic space. The experiences from ‘the beyond’ may enrich or impoverish the therapeutic space. These experiences impact the therapeutic relationship in quite complex and nuanced ways. Mental health practitioners need to be reflective about their positions in the social world and the therapeutic space if they are to respond to the needs of the diverse South African population. The openness for reflexivity (reflection-in-action) provides space for these issues to be confronted and processed.
Reference List
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Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241-1299
Dixon, S. & Chiang, C.M. (2019). Promoting reflexivity and reflectivity in counselling, education, and research. Proceedings from the 2018 Canadian Counselling Psychology Conference, 15-31.
Farnese, M. L., & Livi, S. (2015). How reflexivity enhances organizational innovativeness: the mediation role of team support for innovation and individual commitment. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 1-38. doi:10.1057/kmrp.2015.13
Flood, M & Pease, B. (2005). Undoing Men's Privilege and Advancing Gender Equality in Public Sector Institutions. Policy and Society, 24(4), 119-138. DOI: 10.1016/S1449-4035(05)70123-5
Holmes, A.G.D. (2020). Researcher Positionality - AConsideration of Its Influence and Place in Qualitative Research - A New Researcher Guide. Shanlax International Journal of Education, 8(4),1-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.34293/education.v8i4.3232
Jacobson, D. & Mustafa, N. (2019). Social Identity Map: A Reflexivity Tool for Practicing Explicit Positionality in Critical Qualitative Research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 18, 1–12. DOI: 10.1177/1609406919870075
Qin, D. (2016). Positionality. In Nancy A. Naples (ed). The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies. (pp.1-2 ). DOI: 10.1002/9781118663219.wbegss619
Watkins, S.M. & Andrews, A. (2021). Creating & Maintaining Safe Therapeutic Spaces for Black Clients. Advances in Addiction & Recover, 24-27. https://www.naadac.org/assets/2416/aa&r_winter2021_creating_and_maintaining_safe_therapeutic_spaces_for_black_clients.pdf
Ntokozo is a qualified Psychologist (Clinical), based in Melville, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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