Intersectionality in psychology: Translational science for social justice.

Abstract

Intersectionality is an analytic tool for studying and challenging complex social inequalities at the nexus of multiple systems of oppression and privilege, including race, gender, sexuality, social class, nation, age, religion, and ability. Although the term has become widely used in psychology, debates continue and confusion persists about what intersectionality actually is and how best to take an intersectional approach to psychological science. This special issue of Translational Issues in Psychological Science on intersectionality includes a range of methodological tools and theoretical perspectives that advance psychological research on intersectionality. In particular, these projects constitute psychological research that takes intersectionality's political aspirations seriously and envisions psychology as a tool for social justice. The articles model responsible use of intersectionality through citation practices that reflect intersectionality's origins in Black feminist thought and women of color scholar-activism, as well as through analyses that reflect intersectionality's commitment to reflexivity, structural critique, and complexity. In this introduction, the editors reflect on intersectionality's challenge to psychology and consider the place of translational science amid global crises and what critical psychologist Michelle Fine calls "revolting times." What is the significance of this article for the general public?This paper introduces a special issue on the topic of intersectionality and situates this social justice-oriented scholarship in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the racial justice uprisings of 2020, and ongoing debates about psychologists' role in addressing social problems.

A Taxonomy of Identity Safety Cues Based on Gender and Race: From a Promising Past to an Intersectional and Translational Future

“…Limited by single-axis characteristics, identity safety cues in previous research often did not account for the reality of social groups' experiences of holding multiple identities. We reiterate the call that future research in psychology take intersectionality seriously (Grzanka, 2018;Grzanka et al, 2020;McCormick-Huhn et al, 2019;Settles et al, 2020). Emerging from Black feminist thought to center Black women's interrelated experiences of racism, sexism, and classism (Collins, 2000;Crenshaw, 1989Crenshaw, , 1991hooks, 1984), intersectional perspectives provide a lens through which psychological researchers can appreciate within-group differences (e.g., within the category of "women") and the situated nature of identities within broader structures (e.g., sociopolitical and historical contexts; Cole, 2009;Warner, 2008).…”

Humanizing racialization: Social psychology in a time of unexpected transformational conjunctions

“…Given social psychology’s tradition of considering one social category at a time and doing so from outsider, researcher perspectives, it is not well placed for understanding the complexity of social inequalities. Some psychologists are, however, now arguing for engaging with complex social inequalities by taking intersectional approaches to psychological science (Grzanka, Flores, VanDaalen, & Velez, 2020).…”

Decision-Making Model for Addressing Role Conflict for Psychology Trainees When Supporting Family and Community

“…The intersectional conceptual framework has previously been used in the field of psychology in multiple areas, such as, the psychology of women ( Warner et al, 2018 ), the discrimination of school psychology graduate students ( Proctor et al, 2017 ), and generally challenging the field ( Overstreet et al, 2020 ; Grzanka et al, 2020 ). Additionally, it has been utilized as a framework for treatment ( Clauss-Ehlers et al, 2019 ).…”