Editing Internalized oppression (section)

{{Short description|Concept in social justice theory}}
{{Discrimination sidebar|Related}}
In [[social justice]] theory, '''internalized oppression''' is the resignation by members of an [[oppression|oppressed]] group to the methods of an oppressing group and their incorporation of its message against their own best interest.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pheterson |first=Gail |date=1986 |title=Alliances between Women: Overcoming Internalized Oppression and Internalized Domination |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3174362 |journal=Signs |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=146–160 |doi=10.1086/494302 |jstor=3174362 |s2cid=143567739 |issn=0097-9740 |quote=Internalized oppression is the incorporation and acceptance... for perpetuating domination not only by external controls but also by building subservience into the minds of the oppressed groups.|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Rosenwasser (2002) defines it as believing, adopting, accepting, and incorporating the negative beliefs provided by the oppressor as the truth.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rosenwasser |first=Penny |date=2002 |title=Exploring internalized oppression and healing strategies |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ace.59 |journal=New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education |language=en |volume=2002 |issue=94 |pages=53–62 |doi=10.1002/ace.59 |issn=1052-2891 |quote=... stereotypes that people outside our group say are true about us. We learn to loathe ourselves, rather than understanding...|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

It occurs as a part of socialization in an oppressive environment. Members of [[Social exclusion|marginalized]] groups assimilate the oppressive view of their own group and consequently affirm negative [[Self-stereotyping|self-stereotypes]]. This harms their psycho-social well-being and self-systems, causing them to produce and reproduce stress-induced, disadvantageous behavioral responses that lead to the development of maladaptive [[Habit|habits]]. As a result, they cultivate and perpetuate an "assaulted sense of self" by not intentionally and deliberately engaging in active responsibility for their own well-being. Furthermore, the absence of proactive engagement as catalysts for change, such as fostering counterspaces and practicing active citizenship, hinders the overall welfare of the collective in hegemonic societies.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Case |first1=Andrew D. |last2=Hunter |first2=Carla D. |date=2012 |title=Counterspaces: A Unit of Analysis for Understanding the Role of Settings in Marginalized Individuals' Adaptive Responses to Oppression |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1007/s10464-012-9497-7 |journal=American Journal of Community Psychology |language=en |volume=50 |issue=1–2 |pages=257–270 |doi=10.1007/s10464-012-9497-7 |pmid=22374370 |s2cid=44866727 |issn=0091-0562|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hardy |first=Kenneth V. |date=2013 |title=Healing the Hidden Wounds of Racial Trauma |url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1023873 |journal=Reclaiming Children and Youth |language=en |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=24–28 |issn=1089-5701 |archive-url=}}</ref>

Depending on the form of discrimination, types of internalized oppression include [[internalized racism]], [[internalized homophobia]], [[internalized sexism]], [[internalized ableism]] and [[Auto-Antisemitism|auto-antisemitism]].<ref name="auto1"/> A related psychological characteristic is "internalized domination". It occurs as part of socialization that privileges oppressing groups. Members of oppressing groups accept their socially superior status as natural, sacrosanct, and faultless, and they believe that the privileges associated with their status are exclusive and truly justified.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tappan |first=Mark |year=2006 |title=Reframing internalized oppression and internalized domination: From the psychological to the sociocultural |journal=Teachers College Record |volume=108 |issue=10 |pages=2115–2144|doi=10.1111/j.1467-9620.2006.00776.x }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Drake |first1=St Clair |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VYCiCgAAQBAJ&pg=PAPR63 |title=Black Metropolis: A Study of Negro Life in a Northern City |last2=Cayton |first2=Horace R. |date=2015-11-10 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-25335-0 |language=en}}</ref>