Assignment 1: Take Home Exam
Question One: Black Feminism, Intersectionality and “Ain’t I a Woman” Black Feminism came about in the 1970’s when black women put organized efforts towards gaining more support from other members in the black community (Springer, 2002). A main concept of Black Feminism is that black women struggle with oppression in society when it comes to both race and gender and that there is an important connection between the two (Springer, 2002). Another concept of Black Feminism is that there is a strong relationship between collective effort and an individual when it comes to oppression (Collins, 2000). In her speech “Ain’t I a Woman”, Sojourner Truth says, “women need to be helped into carriages and lifted over ditches” …show more content…
When examining the LGBTQI community, concepts of empowerment theory such as powerlessness, self-efficacy and queer theory can be applied when examining identity formation issues in LGBTQI youth. Cass (1979) proposes six stages of identity formation for homosexual individuals. In stage one, “identity confusion”, an individual has a heightened awareness of homosexuality in their life. They are conscious that their feelings and behaviors may be defined as homosexual. Individuals struggling in this stage may respond by becoming more involved with the opposite sex to confirm their heterosexuality or go into a period of denial. Stage two, “identity comparison”, occurs when an individual must handle social alienation due to a feeling as if they do not belong in society. A homosexual individual will try to decide whether to “pass” as heterosexual or accept the being homosexual. Stage three, “identity tolerance”, involves an individual turning further away from a heterosexual self-image, which can cause more alienation and self-hatred. On the contrary, turning to other homosexual individuals can lessen feelings of isolation (Cass, 1979). At this point, reactions of parents and others greatly influence the identity formation process (Mosher, …show more content…
Powerlessness is defined as the incapacity to control “emotions, skills, knowledge, and/or material resources” to successfully perform according to societal expectations and obtain personal fulfillment (Robbins et al., 2012, pg. 87). When examining empowerment with LGBTQI youth, the word if often used interchangeably with “self-efficacy” (Russell, Muraco, Subramaniam & Laub, 2009). Self-efficacy, another key concept of empowerment theory, is defined as the belief an individual has that they are able to have control and can change events in their own lives (Robbins et al., 2012). Further, research on empowerment has shown that focusing on individual capabilities and societal problems lessens an individual’s feelings of powerlessness (Perkins & Zimmerman, 1995). Self-efficacy is a vital component when struggling with identity issues because it gives an individual control that may have been lost due to identity
Question One: Black Feminism, Intersectionality and “Ain’t I a Woman” Black Feminism came about in the 1970’s when black women put organized efforts towards gaining more support from other members in the black community (Springer, 2002). A main concept of Black Feminism is that black women struggle with oppression in society when it comes to both race and gender and that there is an important connection between the two (Springer, 2002). Another concept of Black Feminism is that there is a strong relationship between collective effort and an individual when it comes to oppression (Collins, 2000). In her speech “Ain’t I a Woman”, Sojourner Truth says, “women need to be helped into carriages and lifted over ditches” …show more content…
When examining the LGBTQI community, concepts of empowerment theory such as powerlessness, self-efficacy and queer theory can be applied when examining identity formation issues in LGBTQI youth. Cass (1979) proposes six stages of identity formation for homosexual individuals. In stage one, “identity confusion”, an individual has a heightened awareness of homosexuality in their life. They are conscious that their feelings and behaviors may be defined as homosexual. Individuals struggling in this stage may respond by becoming more involved with the opposite sex to confirm their heterosexuality or go into a period of denial. Stage two, “identity comparison”, occurs when an individual must handle social alienation due to a feeling as if they do not belong in society. A homosexual individual will try to decide whether to “pass” as heterosexual or accept the being homosexual. Stage three, “identity tolerance”, involves an individual turning further away from a heterosexual self-image, which can cause more alienation and self-hatred. On the contrary, turning to other homosexual individuals can lessen feelings of isolation (Cass, 1979). At this point, reactions of parents and others greatly influence the identity formation process (Mosher, …show more content…
Powerlessness is defined as the incapacity to control “emotions, skills, knowledge, and/or material resources” to successfully perform according to societal expectations and obtain personal fulfillment (Robbins et al., 2012, pg. 87). When examining empowerment with LGBTQI youth, the word if often used interchangeably with “self-efficacy” (Russell, Muraco, Subramaniam & Laub, 2009). Self-efficacy, another key concept of empowerment theory, is defined as the belief an individual has that they are able to have control and can change events in their own lives (Robbins et al., 2012). Further, research on empowerment has shown that focusing on individual capabilities and societal problems lessens an individual’s feelings of powerlessness (Perkins & Zimmerman, 1995). Self-efficacy is a vital component when struggling with identity issues because it gives an individual control that may have been lost due to identity