Muted Group Theory originated with the work of Edwin and Shirley Ardener in 1975. It proposes that groups that do not hold power in a culture, like women, must communicate through languages and systems established by dominant groups, like men. This constrains the expression of subordinate groups' experiences. The theory suggests women perceive the world differently than men due to different experiences rooted in gender roles and divisions of labor. However, because of men's political dominance, women must translate their experiences into terms set by men in order to participate in society. While social media may provide new means of expression, dominant groups still hold power in establishing communication norms online.
Groups who are marginalized by the dominate because they do not speak the same language and do not have power. Experiences are discounted because they do not fit the dominant
Groups who are marginalized by the dominate because they do not speak the same language and do not have power. Experiences are discounted because they do not fit the dominant
Complete Description of the Relationships between Language and Gender - how men and women speak differently? Personality differences in genders? gender discrimination? Authentic sources....
What's with language and gender? Find out more on how different gender utilizes different style in communication. Is it really different from each other?
Gender, politeness, and stereotypes
Janet Holmes: An introduction to sociolinguistics
Gossip
The linguistic construction of gender
The linguistic construction of sexuality
Sexist language
Can a language be sexist?
Complete Description of the Relationships between Language and Gender - how men and women speak differently? Personality differences in genders? gender discrimination? Authentic sources....
What's with language and gender? Find out more on how different gender utilizes different style in communication. Is it really different from each other?
Gender, politeness, and stereotypes
Janet Holmes: An introduction to sociolinguistics
Gossip
The linguistic construction of gender
The linguistic construction of sexuality
Sexist language
Can a language be sexist?
Feminist Family TherapyPresentation originally given by Allen.docxnealwaters20034
Feminist Family Therapy
Presentation originally given by Allen Mallory
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In-Class Journal Feminism and Family Therapy
What do you typically think of when you hear the word “feminism?”
How do you define feminism?
Do you think feminism is a useful concept for marriage and family therapy?
Why or why not?
For those who do use ideas from feminism in therapy what might that look like?
Three (of many facets) of feminist theory importance of history, context, reflexive
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The Who’s Who of Family Therapy
Jay Haley
Cloe Madanes
Strategic “ power and control as central to family patterns ….symptoms result from repetitive, unproductive attempts to control or influence other family members”
Madanes “ revers hierarchies are not bad in certain situations. They become problematic when there is incongruence in those hierarchies. Problems arise from dilemmas between love and violence
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The Who’s Who of Family Therapy
Salvador Minuchin
Focus on changing interactional patterns and moving clients in the room, alliances, boundaries, and coalitions
Interesting that Minuchin worked with low income population were traditional gender roles likely look different, enactments
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The Who’s Who of Family Therapy
Murray Bowen
Differentiation/fusion, genograms/family of origin, intergenerational patterns, family life stages,
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The Who’s Who of Family Therapy
Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy
Ethical considerations, fairness, trust, ledger of entitlement/indebtedness, invisible loyalties, integration of interpersonal and intra-psychic (the context), multidirectional pariality
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The Who’s Who of Family Therapy
Carl Whitaker
Enter into the family system and use self to change patterns, co-therapy, atheoretical, battle for stucture, battle for initiative (fatherly figure), goal is to give the family new experience through craziness, creativity, humor, fantasy, treat children as children, and use of self.
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The Who’s Who of Family Therapy
Virginia Satir
Nurturance, strength/growth focused, when one person has pain the whole family experiences, sculpting, holistic growth (different aspects of the self), use of self
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Feminisms
Liberal
Radical
Marxist/Socialist
Eco
Postmodern
Women of Color
Postcolonial
Intersectionality
Liberal – equality through legal means and social reform (most commonly used in MFT)
Radical – oppression of women most fundamental form of oppression (what people are referring to when they say feminazi/haters
Marxist/Socialist- capitalism and patriarchy as root of women's oppression public and private sphere change
Eco – mainly focused on domination and oppression o.
2. Origins . Originated with the work of Edwin and Shirley Ardener in 1975 . Edwin noted that groups in society such as women, the poor, and people of color have to work in communication systems established by dominant groups . They focused of the case of women . They realized that not only do women have to deal with difficulties of languages not made for them, but their experience are represented through male experience
3. Continued… . Shirley noted that women’s mutedness is the counterpart of men’s deafness . “Words which continually fall upon deaf ears may, of course, in the end become unspoken, or even unthought” (S. Arden) . Muted groups are inarticulate by the dominant group’s language system, which is directly from their world view and experience . Articulation for the muted group are indirect and broken . This way of thinking is especially true to the English language because it was created by male clerics and academics
4. Contiued… .Hilary Callan suggests that female nurses have difficulties with assuming authority because they experience a tension between elements of their self-definition Helen Sterk states that although giving birth is the female experience, for many women, it is managed in a way that they feel removed because of the doctors language
5. Makeup of Muted Groups . The theory can be applied to any nondominant group . In the U.S. and other cultures, the society privileges specific characteristics and perspectives . Dominant groups- the group that holds the power in a given culture . Groups that coexist with dominant group are generally subordinate
6. Cont… . Men may be part of a muted group as well (nursing fathers) . Fathers were more involved in teaching children in the colonial period
7. Continued… Two terms must be clarified .sex- biological category divided into male and female .gender- social category consisting of the learned behaviors that constitute masculinity and femininity for a given culture The terms sex and gender are often blurred because women are socialized to be feminine and men are encouraged to be masculine
8. Assumptions ‘ Women perceive the world differently than men because of women’s and men’s different experiences and activities rooted in the division of labor .Because of their political dominance, men’s system of perception is dominant, impeding the free expression of women’s alternative models of the world . In order to participate in society, women must transform their own models in terms of the received male system of expression
9. Assumption #1 . The world is a different place for for men/women and their experiences differ . The explanation for this is that the division of labor that allocates work in the basis of sex which began in Western countries in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries This separation led to two separate spheres: The conceptualization of public and private came about; and the family was classed as private life . This separation resulted in the women’s role in the home or private life, and men’s role in the workplace or private life
10. Continued… . The initial division also created Gender Polarization which is viewing men and women as polar opposites Ex. From birth male/female babies are treated differently . Also, women who work are also expected to take care of the home Second shift- the phenomenon of working women putting in eight hours on the job and another day’s work at home
11. Assumption #2 . Men are the dominate group . Men are in charge of naming and labeling social life, leaving women’s experience often unnamed as a result . Women then have difficulties talking about their experiences These problems are not the result of women’s inadequacies but rather are caused by the unresponsiveness of the language women have to express themselves
12. Continued… . Men’s political dominance allows their perceptions to be dominant . This forces alternative perceptions and women into a subordinate position Women’s communication is constrained because of this subordinate position Overall, men’s experiences are dominant and women and people of color need to subordinate their own experiences to the extent that they can in order to partake in social/organizational success
13. Assumption #3 . Speaks to the process of translation that women must go through in order to participate in social life . Women must conceptualize a thought and then scan the vocabulary, which is really better suited to men’s thinking, for the best words for encoding that thought . Women’s groups engage in a great deal of overlaps and simultaneous speaking because they are helping one another cope with the language system that is not well suited to their tasks . Women collaborate on storytelling.
14. Continued… . Some problems inherent in the translation process are highlighted by examining instances when women’s experiences become part of the general vocabulary Ex. Sexual Harassment . Labeling the word suggest some coping strategies and recognizes the seriousness
15. Personal Experience I am part of an organization called Deacons Union. It is a group of teenagers who meet every month. We have an overall congregation which is full of men and very few women. Every year we elections for an executive board. It was obvious that every year the board was all male. Two years ago I decided to run for President and I knew I would be the best candidate. I also knew I would be preaching to “deaf ears”. I had a lot to of things to offer them but I knew my “experience” wouldn’t be heard. I was in a male dominated organization and my voice was not clearly heard. Eventually I ended up winning two years later when more girls joined the organization.
16. Question Do you think with the help of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, women and other subordinate groups can have and equal voice with men seeing as the sites are not overpowered with men?