I have been thinking a lot about “Power Over”* and “Power With”*. Is this an attitude? I think so, but it translates to our practice skills so closely.
The way i look at it is to think about the effects on the people who consult with us when we work in Power Over ways. The harm we replicate, the hope and dignity we take away. We can also look at how we’ve shortchanged people of the possibilities and hope if we were to do so. This was sufficient to make me critically reflect of my practice. Nora Samaran says that “Violence is nurturance turned backwards.” On a side note, doesn’t that mean that erasure or not acknowledging injustice an act of violence then?
My supervisor Kumar said that he demonstrates this in these ways. Ask someone next to you to put both their palms against yours. Stand up while the other person is sitting down and push it. This is Power Over. How do the both of you feel? Now, look for a heavy object and carry it together. What do you observe about where the attention is and the energy?
What are some practices then if we were to work in ways that centers our commitments to “Power With”?
**i first encountered this term in the book in The Strengths Approach. It's a necessary reading, and yes i use my power to get my students to read it. Jokes aside, this is in line with their learning goals.
Credits to:https://norasamaran.com/2016/02/11/the-opposite-of-rape-culture-is-nurturance-culture-2/ & https://www.linkedin.com/in/udhia-kumar-4155312a/
