Delineating the Structural Precursors and Cognitive Consequences of Personal Powerlessness: the Filipino Woman's Experience

Abstract

Adopting a structural-cognitive perspective and path analysis, this study demonstrates that personal powerlessness generates sequelae of maladaptive cognitions, namely, low self-esteem, low success expectancies and a weak motivation for self-improvement. Despite adverse structural and natural forces, Bicolano women exhibited self-efficacy, high self-esteem, and strong propensity for self-improvement, albeit expressing low success expectancies. These constructive cognitions can be attributed to the women's strong achievement ethic, high educational attainment, and supportive kinship system. These factors also compensate for the depressive effects of low success expectancies on the motivation for self-improvement. Implications for empowerment strategies and cognitive literature are discussed.

The what, the how, and the who of empowerment: Reflections on an intellectual history.

“…When a deficit exists, this critical awareness enables an "actor" (to use Serrano-García's, 1994, language) to recognize one's position in relation to the distribution of power and the position of others in relation to oneself in this distribution (Smith et al, 2012). The awareness of the power structure may coincide with a cognizance of the impacts of these power deficits, including cognitive and emotional consequences of disempowerment, such as low selfesteem, low success expectancies, and low motivation, and also limited opportunities (e.g., limited social mobility; Obligacion, 1996). The growing awareness of this relative power deficit and its associated negative outcomes requires another element in order to catalyze a move toward empowerment: a belief that the actor deserves better and that a better condition is possible (Keys, 1993).…”

How Your Power Affects My Impression of You

“…In other words, when powerless people do something negative, it will affect more negatively the impressions others create about them. This is especially unfortunate because being in a powerless position is already negative for the self in a variety of ways (e.g., Guinote, 2007; Obligacion, 1996; TenHouten, 2016) and this bias might be part of the core reasons why it is hard for powerless people to climb the social ladder and gain power.…”