Building strength for the long haul toward liberation

What psychology can contribute to the resilience of communities targeted by state‐sanctioned violence

Bibliographic Data

ID11054681
AuthorsKris T Gebhard (Department of Psychology George Mason University Fairfax Virginia USA, corresponding author), Stephanie Hargrove (0000-0002-7218-2718, Department of Psychology George Mason University Fairfax Virginia USA), Tahani Chaudhry (0000-0003-4614-3368, Department of Psychology George Mason University Fairfax Virginia USA), Syeda Y Buchwach (Department of Psychology George Mason University Fairfax Virginia USA), Lauren Bennett Cattaneo (0000-0003-0210-7509, George Mason University)
Year2022
Volume70
Issue3-4
Pages475-492
Publication date2022-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Community Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0091-0562 • E-ISSN: 1573-2770
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajcp.12596
PMID35383967
OpenAlexW4224263126
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited85

State-sanctioned violence (SSV) has resounding effects on entire populations, and marginalized communities have long persisted in the work toward liberation despite continued SSV. This paper aims to bridge the gap between the vast scholarship on resilience and the practical challenge of sustaining and thriving in communities targeted by SSV. We use the theoretical frame of the Transconceptual Model of Empowerment and Resilience (TMER) to articulate the process of resilience and the resources that support it: maintenance, efficacy, skills, knowledge, and community resources. As a practical frame, we ground our application of the model in the experiences of the first two authors in their own communities. Centering examples from the Black Lives Matter movement and the CeCe McDonald Support Committee, we use our theoretical and practical frames to explore the scholarship on resilience relevant to resisting SSV, and we identify mechanisms for supporting community stakeholders' efforts to move toward liberation from SSV. We discuss implications for future research and activism, and we include a toolkit with suggested strategies as an appendix for psychologists, activists, and community stakeholders to consider as they work to facilitate community resilience and build a society free from SSV.

Community psychology · Community resilience · Empowerment · Political science · Psychological resilience · Public relations · Resilience (materials science) · Resource (disambiguation) · Scholarship · Social science · Sociology · Thriving · Community Health and Development · Law · Psychology · Resilience and Mental Health · Social Psychology · Youth Development and Social Support

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Open DOIOpen Access