POWERFUL AND POWERLESS

This paper will concentrate on some of the issues in relation to being personally powerful and powerless, and the understanding of differences and dimensions that exist within a social work environment.  I will relate to two scenarios pertinent to my own personal experiences in relation to powerfulness and powerlessness.  It is important to understand when issues of power – such as social class, gender, religion and disability - are being discussed.  However, the main aim of this paper is to focus on two specific aspects: disability and racism.

The aim of this paper is to unravel the underlying thread of multiple oppression, in relation to power and powerlessness.  This will allow an understanding of the different theories that seek to challenge forms of power. The interlocking nature of oppression will be the focus together with a critical analysis of how powerfulness and powerlessness is complex and transmissible in society.

Disability and Power

To discuss the issues surrounding power, it is necessary to first give a definition of what power is. The definition of power as Foucault has observed, is comprehensive:  “its influence is everywhere in society from the level of state to the routines of everyday life.  In this sense power is not just a commodity possessed by an individual or group, which confers control over others…”  (Layder, 1997, p.13).

This approach is from a personal experience, and involves me being the main carer for my mother who is disabled. The position that is going to be adopted is considering the feeling of power a person can have over a disabled person. Due to a person’s disability there is an underlying assumption which makes the disabled person feel powerless and places the able-bodied person in a position of being powerful.

Oliver (1990) cited in Twigg (1999) defines disability as:  “The disadvantage or restriction caused by social organisations which take no account of people who have physical impairments and thus excludes then from the mainstream of social activities” (Twigg, p.347).

An examination of disability from historical perspective reveals that there has been patterns of oppression against disabled people which is culturally embedded and socially accepted.  This culture of oppression has been a great influence for many disabled people who have encountered discrimination (Macfarlane, 1996).  The Disability Discrimination Act was introduced in 1995 and was intended to enable people to be safeguarded by challenging what they saw as degrading and oppressive accounts of disability within society structures  (Twigg, 1999).

One crucial element for disabled people is to have equal rights and privileges to those which an able-bodied person would be entitled. This will make them feel independent, which is generally considered to be something disabled people aspire above all else.  For many disabled people being excessively dependent on others could make them contemplate the need to adjust their lifestyle, with the person who is caring for them. This could lead to a subsequent loss of freedom and autonomy, and in addition could build up a relationship between the carer and the disabled person which is unequal (French, 1998).

Sapey and Hewitt (1995) argue that disabling environments, such as physical, social, emotional and political, become disabling due to the lack of thoughtfulness of the needs of people with physical impairment.  

My own personal opinion from an emotional prospect is the fact that my mother was a role model for me at an early age and I always turned to her for guidance and support.  During my early adulthood my mother developed arthritis and also suffered from a heart attack.  This along with other medical problems led my mother to be classed and registered as a disabled person who needed constant support in managing her daily living care.  It was difficult for me to accept, because the person who I dearly loved was now looking at me for help and support.   This dramatically changed my relationship in many ways, such as now taking the lead role of the responsibilities and decision making which my mother used to deal with.  This was a kind of power which I did not ask or expect to have over another person, especially my own mother.  

The power that I possessed made me feel guilty, angry and frustrated.  This was because I felt powerless in the sense that I had lost my mother to a disabling condition which I had no control of, and I had the pressure of seeing my mother struggling to cope with her own personal care.  This was also difficult for my mother to accept, because as a parent it felt natural to her that it was her duty to look after me.  One such concern for my mother was the difficulty to accept me in an adult role as I was her child and somehow she felt guilty in letting me down.  It is some of these barriers that both my mother and I had to face, which gave me a sense of being powerful but yet on the whole a sense of feeling powerless. However, this incident made it very difficult for me to understand the wider context of power which I had within this dynamic relationship.

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Caring for a disabled person is not just about their material needs, it is the ability to adjust in ways of thinking, and this can be difficult both for a carer and a disabled person (Macfarlane, 1996).

Disabling images are created and controlled by able-bodied people.  This in essence is founded on abstraction of dependency and comparable level, defined by professionals as gatekeepers of services and support.  The repercussion of such responses then reinforces the concept of controlling the decision-making process, which can shape the lives of disabled people  (Swain et al, 1998).  This can prove to ...

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