Gay Psychologist Urges Associates To Use Psychology As A Liberationist Tactic

NARTH ^ | November 12, 2004

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

The fall, 2004 issue of the APA's Division 44 newsletter, includes an essay by Judith M. Glassgold, Psy.D. urging her colleagues to think of psychology as a liberationist tactic to fight against social oppression and for social justice.

Writing in "In dreams begin responsibilities': Psychology, agency and activism," Glassgold suggests that therapists must make psychology " a liberation experience, to be among those who offer solutions to problems of social justice."

She urges gay psychologists to adopt the philospohy of Liberation Psychology (Martin-Baro, 1994), which is rooted in ideologies from Latin and South American countries.

Psychologists must reject seeing individual personal problems and be willing to see these problems as the consequences of social injustice, says Glassgold. Psychotherapists must revise deterministic theories of social issues and "incorporate contextualist models that better explain concepts such as social power, freedom, agency , and resistance."

Gay psychologists must view the world as an oppressive place, and they must resist efforts of outside forces to label them. The goal should be to "create new meanings" and "social definitions" in order to liberate others from social structures that define what is normal or abnormal.

Glassgold believes that any system that says one sexual identity is normal and others are not, is oppressive and must be resisted. "Systems that attempot to define what is 'normal' are systems that attempt to limit human potential. ...our theories must be embraced tentatively, as metaphors, not reified as truth or normalcy."

"We must focus on making psychology and psychotherapy more than just a Band-aid for broader social problems, but as an intrinsic part of social justice and personal liberation."

Judith M. Glassgold, Psy.D., "In dreams begin responsibilities: Psychology, agency and activism," Division 44 Newsletter, Fall, 2004, pgs. 5-8

[MarineBrat]

Department of Redundancy Department

LOL! Does that have anything to do with "Ni!"?

[Emmett McCarthy]

I don't know what "Ni" is. I think the "Department of Redundancy Department" was one of the many "asides" and throw-away lines on one of the old "Firesign Theatre" records which some of us funnelled into our drug-addled brains in the late 60s, early 70s. I have, of course, reformed or I probably wouldn't be here (or anywhere else for that matter) but some of the brain synapses seem to have been permanently altered.

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

Thanks for the post with all the links. Helps tremendously!

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

I must concur with that statement.

[scory]

So where's the chapter on the correct use of beads and rattles?

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

Take a look at the links which Edreform posted. It looks like political activism has become/is becoming rampant within the field of psychiatry and psychology... and it appears that more than a few people are involved in this activism as well.

[Travis McGee]

Homosexuals can't reproduce, they can only RECRUIT.

[Emmett McCarthy]

See there? Those "English As A Second Language" classes did help after all!

[Antoninus]

So much for the "science" of psychology. These people are harder to take seriously with every passing day.

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

If what you are saying concerning me is true, which it isn't, wouldn't I have seen your illegal, border-crossing parents in those classes along with you...in tow?

[MarxSux]

"our theories must be embraced tentatively, as metaphors, not reified as truth or normalcy." - except, that is, for the theories of Liberation Psychology, which must be swallowed whole. Right?

[MarineBrat]

The Knights who say NI.  From Monty Python and the Holy Grail!

---

Voice over: Meanwhile, King Arthur and Bedevere, not more than a swallow's flight away, had discovered something.

Knights of Ni: Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni!
Arthur: Who are you?
Knight of Ni: We are the Knights who say..... "Ni"!
Arthur: (horrified) No! Not the Knights who say "Ni"!
Knight of Ni: The same.
Other Knight of Ni: Who are we?
Knight of Ni: We are the keepers of the sacred words: Ni, Ping, and Nee-womm!
Other Knight of Ni: Nee-womm!
Arthur: (to Bedevere) Those who hear them seldom live to tell the tale!
Knight of Ni: The knights who say "Ni" demand..... a sacrifice!
Arthur: Knights of Ni, we are but simple travelers who seek the enchanter who
lives beyond these woods.
Knights of Ni: Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni!
Bedevere: No! Noooo! Aaaugh! No!
Knight of Ni: We shall say "Ni" to you... if you do not appease us.
Arthur: Well what is it you want?
Knight of Ni: We want.....

(pregnant pause)

A SHRUBBERY!!!!

(minor music)

Arthur: A WHAT?
Knights of Ni: Ni! Ni!! Ni! Ni!
Arthur; No! No! Please, please, no more! We will find you a shrubbery.
Knight of Ni: You must return here with a shrubbery... or else you will never
pass through this wood... alive.
Arthur: O Knights of Ni, you are just and fair, and we will return with a
shrubbery.
Knight of Ni: One that looks nice.
Arthur: Of course!
Knight of Ni: And not too expensive.
Arthur; Yes!
Knight of Ni: Noowwwww.... GO!

(music)

Arthur: O Knights of Ni. We have brought you your shrubbery. May we go now?
Knight of Ni: Yes, it is a good shrubbery. I like the laurels particularly.
But there is one small problem....
Arthur: What is that?
Knight of Ni: We are now no longer the Knights Who Say "Ni"!
Other Knights of Ni: Ni! Shh! Shh!
Knight of Ni: We are now the Knights who say "Ekky-ekky-ekky-ekky-z'Bang, zoom-Boing, z'nourrrwringmm".
Other Knight of Ni: Ni!
Knight of Ni: Therefore, we must give you a test.
Arthur: What is this test, O Knights of.....
Knights who 'til recently said "Ni"?
Knight of Ni: Firstly, you must find....

ANOTHER SHRUBBERY!!!

(minor music)

Arthur: Oh not another shrubbery!!
Knight of Ni: (excitedly) THEN... Then, when you have found the shrubbery,
you must place it here, beside this shrubbery, only slightly
higher, so we get the two-level effect with a little path
running down the middle.
Other Knights of Ni: A path! A path! A path! Shh, shhh. Ni! Ni!
Knight of Ni: Then, when you have found the shrubbery, you must cut down the
mightiest tree in the forest...
Wiiiiiithh.... A HERRING!

---

 

[Emmett McCarthy]

I perhaps misspoke - I didn't mean to imply that you were in need (or ever had been) of ESL classes. It was self-directed and a reflection of my amazement that I'd retained any of what I was taught through the many years of sacrifice my parents made for those good Catholic schools.

[Old Professer]

I know a mechanic who, after getting divorced and cleaned out by his ex, went back to college and got a degree in psychology and then moved back to Mississippi from California to pursue a masters.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Since I don't know any of you personally, I'll share this:

The two times in my life when I needed someone to talk to (one unexpected divorce that blind-sided my life & dealing with the untimely death of my best girlfriend of 20+ years) I used a woman who has a Christian-based therapy practice. She never ONCE mentioned "God" to me, but she totally held ME accountable for getting through my crisis periods and getting ON with my life.

When I've talked to others about their therapy experiences, almost ALL of them went to the same person for years and years and were really not held accountable for the chitty things that had happened to them in Life, some of which clearly were their own doing through the dumb, emotionally-based decisions they made.

Simply amazing to me, but it clearly shows you that:

a. There are some really bad therapists out there;

b. It's easy to milk money out of people if you keep on telling them "It's not YOUR fault, poor kitten!"

c. I was lucky and blessed to find someone decent to help me sort through things.

Buyer beware, I guess? LOL!

[longtermmemmory]

The APA must be outlawed from all serious science.

They need to be marginalized like a freakshow homosexual pride parade.

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

Perhaps, then, you should have said that those "English as a Second Language" classes didn't help YOU at all, or at the most helped somewhat, in your 'good' Catholic school?

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

It appears that the APA is doing a good job of marginalizing itself with each passing day.

[DBeers]

Glassgold believes that any system that says one sexual identity is normal and others are not, is oppressive and must be resisted.

???

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

Does Glassgold believe that those who say that pedophilia is not a normal sexual identity are oppressive?