subtle oppression717b

[georgia rigg]

Hi Laure, I am delighted to welcome you as you, and my young colleague here in the Pacific Northwest, Anna Schaum,step onto this stage!  I am also a social worker--worked in public social services, taught in a public university, had/have a private practice, worked in a psych hospital, and since I "discovered" psychodrama in l974, believe it has made all the difference in how I think about the world and human problems and issues.  On a personal level, I'm one of those who says that psychodrama saved my life, physically and emotionally.  I'm now a TEP--and believe that psychodrama has paid back for all the financial cost of the training, many times over, if not always in money, always in emotional and professional satisfaction.  I encourage you to stay with it--and--I do know about working in agencies where you do not speak the party line!  Georgia Rigg


--- On Thu, 7/17/08, Adam Blatner <ablatner at verizon.net> wrote:

> From: Adam Blatner <ablatner at verizon.net>
> Subject: subtle oppression717b
> To: "Laure Gargano" <lgargano at ptd.net>, list at grouptalkweb.org
> Date: Thursday, July 17, 2008, 4:12 PM
> Dear Laure, welcom. Are you training in psychodrama in the
> Hudson Valley of New York?
>         Some comments and responses:
>   I am one who is prone to being "around" a group
> before I jump in. I like to get a feel 
> for what the "norms" are and how a group
> functions before I just jump in (that is my 
> general style).
>             AB: This is common. But what about just asking
> questions? I always feel wary 
> about the conclusions folks come to based on their
> impressions. What if you're even partly 
> mistaken?  How do I encourage your asking openly? This
> isn't aimed at you, particularly, 
> but as I think about it, it is so common in human affairs,
> and I think it might even be a 
> subtle kind of oppression: How do I deal with your
> hypotheses about me if I don't hear 
> what they are and can correct them.
>         Here's a wild example: After 32 years of very
> happy marriage, during which time my 
> wife Allee and I discuss most things rather thoroughly,
> enjoying that kind of thing, yet 
> something new came up. I was connecting with my priorities
> now that I'm getting older and 
> Allee found that she needed to re-work her schema or inner
> map of who she thought I was 
> and what my life was about. I deeply appreciated her
> willingness to listen respectfully 
> and her willingness to let go of ego attachements to her
> previous formulation. I hope I 
> can do likewise for her as we boost each other up the
> ladder of maturation and insight.
> 
>      LG:  Subtle oppression is an interesting question - or
> subject for me. I believe that 
> there are a multitude of avenues that humans experience
> oppression;  from the overt to the 
> subtle. Being a social worker are my field of choice -  I
> work hard to address oppressive 
> behaviors in all areas of my life - and in my professional
> work. I find that to be a large 
> scale challenge - and frequently when I speak up on behalf
> of the disenfranchised and 
> oppressed I am generally met with resistance/dismissive
> attitudes of the people that I 
> encounter where I work.
>         AB: this is fascinating: What kind of place do you
> work at? I am truly interested 
> in diagnosing this system and its interactions. What are
> the major jobs of the others at 
> your workplace?
>        So, role reversing with the others who you think
> take a dismissive attitude towards 
> your speaking up... what's with that?   I can begin to
> imagine several possible stances, 
> all of which may be wrong. What a great sociodrama.
>          1. They are wicked people.
>          2. They are nice people, but entrenched in
> complacency and don't want to think of 
> larger system problems.
>          3. What you present is overwhelming. Such as:
>                  The world is very unfair to some people.
>                         Doubling response. Sure, right.
> You're right. What are we supposed 
> to do about that?
>           4. What are you, some kind of leftist communist
> pinko yellow-dog bleeding heart 
> tax-and-spend liberal?
>                Help me out here, just warming up to why
> anyone would object to your 
> seemingly noble activity of speaking up on behalf of the
> oppressed...
> 
>       LG  I find it difficult to have open conversations
> with others in my work place as 
> some peers are not as interested in the same level of self
> awareness as I believe that I 
> am with myself. I have come to believe that I need to know
> my own bias and prejudices if I 
> am to help others in any role I take with them. It is a
> daily challenge.
>           AB: Thank you about recognizing your own needs to
> develop further 
> insight---you're right, of course.
>    So much in the way of consultation to professionals
> deals (or in the semi-olden days 
> did) with raising consciousness about countertransference,
> the therapists' own blind 
> spots.
> 
>      LG:  The subtle oppressive behaviors fall along gender
> lines, socioeconomic lines and 
> life skill lines. Some of this can also be spoken of in the
> language of counter 
> transference. Or as I am currently learning about
> sociometrically -
>  "ghosts"(those non-present people I see in the
> present people I encounter).
>            AB: yes. I'm getting lost without a few
> examples here. Are you talking about 
> yourself or others? Whose countertransferences?  or are
> they transferences.
> 
>    LG  The language of the ghosts has opened avenues for
> awareness and  understanding for 
> myself in how I react/respond to people in my life. I am
> most curious to continue to learn 
> more about Sociometry and group dynamics through that
> language. (it's like I have finally 
> found a construct and language to articulate what I have
> been internally experiencing for 
> a long time).
>          AB: That would be great, hearing about how you
> find any concepts in sociometry to 
> specifically address these issues. (Careful not to use
> generalities or abstractions here, 
> assuming we can fill in the gaps. We need the specific
> links thought out or explicated.)
> 
>  LG  In this group - I have been reading posts, exploring
> attachments and papers other 
> members have  referenced - so I can learn more and
> understand the discussions here. I want 
> to learn more - and faster!! :-) though I suspect that
> training in this method is a life 
> long journey and self exploration. I will at some point get
> my "psychodrama" legs as it 
> were ..... and have many questions to ask and explore with
> you all. To this point I have 
> enjoyed the discussions and topics raised - and learning
> ...  Laure
>           AB: Yes, as mentioned, it is indeed lifelong, and
> fun for those who enjoy 
> discovering ways in which perhaps they can revise their own
> inner maps (schemata). Not fun 
> for those any challenge to discovering their inner maps may
> be in need of revision is 
> experienced as a threat. Welcome to the process. We welcome
> your questions as they emerge 
> into explicit awareness.    warmy, adam 
> 
> 
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