Melanie Joy

Powerarchy

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Harvard-educated psychologist and bestselling author Melanie Joy exposes the psychology that underlies all forms of oppression and abuse and the belief system that gives rise to this psychology—which she calls powerarchy.
Melanie Joy had long been curious as to why people who were opposed to one or more forms of oppression—such as racism, sexism, speciesism, and so forth—often stayed mired in many others. She also wondered why people who were working toward social justice sometimes engaged in interpersonal dynamics that were unjust. Or why people who valued freedom and democracy might nevertheless vote and act against these values. Where was the disconnect?
In this thought-provoking analysis, Joy explains how we've all been deeply conditioned by the invisible system of powerarchy to believe in a hierarchy of moral worth—to view some individuals and groups as either more or less worthy of moral consideration—and to treat them accordingly.
Powerarchy conditions us to engage in power dynamics that violate integrity and harm dignity, and it creates unjust power imbalances among social groups and between individuals. Joy describes how powerarchies—both social and interpersonal—perpetuate themselves through cognitive distortions, such as denial and justification; narratives that reinforce the belief in a hierarchy of moral worth; and privileges that are granted to some and not others. She also provides tools for transformation.
By illuminating powerarchy and the psychology it creates, Joy helps us to work more fully toward transformation for ourselves, others, and our world.
This book is currently unavailable
245 printed pages
Original publication
2019
Publication year
2019
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Quotes

  • Soliloquios Literarioshas quoted4 years ago
    Power-with dynamics, by contrast, are the dynamics of love and, ultimately, of mindfulness, of presence. Presence is essentially the opposite of trauma and addiction. Presence is a state of mindfulness—of connection and nonviolence, whereas trauma results from and causes disconnection and violence. And although addiction creates a sense of connection—making us feel, temporarily, unified with others and ourselves—it is ultimately disconnecting. Moreover, presence is also a state of acceptance and awareness, whereas addiction is a state of craving that relies on self-delusion for its fulfillment.
  • Soliloquios Literarioshas quoted4 years ago
    It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.

    –JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI (ATTRIBUTED)
  • Soliloquios Literarioshas quoted4 years ago
    People can also become traumatized when they witness a traumatic event and feel powerless to control the outcome. Trauma causes us to lose connection with ourselves and others; traumatized individuals feel disconnected internally and externally.30 Traumatic events also cause and reflect shame and grandiosity. Victims often experience shame, while perpetrators are frequently in a state of grandiosity, and each role and feeling feeds the other
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