Working with Caste in Psychotherapy
By: Saanya Verdia, Applied Clinical Psychology masters program Class of 2024
Introduction
In the literature of oppression and hegemonic discourse, casteism and caste-based segregation are a new addition. Caste is a social hegemonic division of people based on their occupation. Often, caste is an important precursor to societal status and privileges. (Ambedkar, 2014).
Brief overview
There are many theories surrounding the emergence of caste in the Indian subcontinent. One such theory is that Aryans, who were the fair-skinned tribes from the steppes of Central Asia, introduced the concept of caste when they invaded the Indian subcontinent (Vijaya & Bhullar, 2022). The Aryans also introduced the holy Hindu text called the Vedas (Vijaya & Bhullar, 2022). The Vedas have legitimised and encouraged caste discrimination through its writings (Ambedkar, 2014), where the practice of caste has been sustained and replicated through the State and religion (Somanaboina & Ramagoud, 2022).
The caste system is divided into four categories called Varnas. The four varnas include Brahmans who are priests and scholars of the Vedas, they form the highest caste in the caste system. The next varna is called Kshatriyas who are rulers and knights (warriors). This segregation is followed by Vaishyas who are merchants and traders. Next are Shudras who are service providers and labourers for the upper three varnas (Ambedkar, 2014). Together, these four categories form the varna system. However, there are communities called ‘Avarnas’ which are not included in this categorisation. These caste communities form the lower castes of society and are treated as untouchables and outcasts (Ambedkar, 2014). People belonging to the lower castes are coerced to do degrading work such as manual scavenging by the upper-caste society (Deshpande, 2010) while the upper-castes perform other higher duties (Somanaboina & Ramagoud, 2022).
According to Nikalje (2022), ‘Hindu supremacy’ and ‘White supremacy’ share common ideals, with caste subjugation and violence entrenched in their ideologies. The social encouragement and promotion of ideas, outlook and interests of the White community in overt and covert ways that transcends all aspects of societal life has been a persistent theme of ‘White supremacy’. This includes forced othering of people, notions and movements that challenge the hegemonic dominance of the White population and their established institutions. The visible demonstrations of White supremacy have been through the establishment of institutions that feed, encourage and sustain racial discrimination, othering of and violence against People of Colour, immigrants and a strong call to reignite White nationalism. In direct association with ‘White supremacy’, ‘Hindu supremacy’ works on a similar structure, that calls for the hegemonizing of non-Hindu and lower-caste communities in an established Hindu State (Nikalje, 2022).
The word casteism did not exist in the vocabulary until scholars of lower-caste communities started raising their voices amplifying their experience with casteism. There is upper-hegemonical gatekeeping done in different social, political, economic, and educational spheres of society. As a result, the creation of knowledge, and the distribution of it, is at large done by upper-caste communities. Biased knowledge construction impacts the way news is spread and consumed, including what gets highlighted or amplified by the news agency and media. This is one of the many reasons why many caste-based murder is sans widespread news coverage. In the current educational/research sphere of the country, although casteism is being researched on, often the researchers or scientist involved in this study belong to upper-caste communities that bring along with themselves caste privilege and a social conditioned ignorance/apathy to caste-based violence and discriminatory practices. Many research studies often adopt a downward analysis gaze where the upper-caste researchers visit lower-caste communities and try to assess their lives existing with casteism. Here, the focus is the plight of the lower-caste community without involving any lower-caste researcher on the team.
Hence accountability of the upper-caste community is erased. Caste oppression is researched on without addressing the core factor in it – the casteist practices of the upper-caste communities. Along with this, fundings, grants, scholarships in the country are mainly catered toward the upper-caste students. This also includes the exams which are the most important gateways for higher education in India. Lower-caste community representation is missing from all social, political and educational spheres of the society. Increased representation would lead to the restructuring of the existing dominant narratives and tackle the upper-caste construction and dissipation of knowledge.
Mental health outcomes related to your topic
The Minority Stress Theory by Meyer (2003), can be applied to the mental health experiences of lower-caste communities. Due to casteist discriminatory practices, caste-based violence, structural gatekeeping of resources, and widespread prejudices which constitute as distal stressors for members of the lower-caste communities, these stressors often leads to different proximal stressors. These include ‘passing’ – concealing one’s lower-caste and taking up social markers to pass off as an upper-caste, it also includes extreme cynicism, vigilance, self-hatred or the feeling of not belonging to a group. Along with this, the constant worry about safety and survival in an unsafe environment dominated by the majority community would contribute to internal stressors. The interaction between these two types of stressors – distal and proximal, leads to difficult mental health outcomes and conditions for the individual.
In addition to the stress minority theory, the intergenerational transmission model of cultural socialisation could also play a role in the way mental health outcomes are developed in the individuals. According to this model by Trommsdorff (2008), values, fears, learnings and practices are transferred to the next generations from the previous ones. This model can be applied to the context of the upper-caste community members as well as the lower-caste community members. Generational acceptance and encouragement of casteist practices, continuous modelling of casteist behaviour and prejudices in upper-caste families may often lead to the development of values, dogmas and behaviours that are intergenerationally accepted and encouraged. These behaviours may be rewarded by social praising, social acceptance etc. For families who belong to lower-caste communities, intergenerational trauma of casteism, experiences of caste-based violence, gatekeeping of educational resources, would lead to the transmission of extreme vigilance, and fear of being seen as having a lower-caste community identity.
In a study done by Johri and Anand (2022), it was found that, lower-caste individuals experienced lower mental health than upper-caste individuals, while reporting increased social isolation, low self-esteem, low self-confidence, withdrawal, and anger. Higher levels of depression were also found in individuals from lower castes. In addition, they also had the highest odds of hypertension compared to privileged upper-caste members (Johri & Anand, 2022).
Clinical Recommendations
Through the Multicultural Orientation Model (Davis et al., 2018), the upper-caste therapist should be aware of their own casteist biases and blind spots, acknowledge it and work on it actively. Cultural humility should be practiced by the psychologist where they are cognizant of their upper-caste-ness. Cultural comfort is an important part of the MCO framework where upper-caste therapists are aware of their internal response to the presence of lower-caste clients or conversations initiated around the caste discrimination in therapy. It is through cultural humility and cultural comfort that upper-caste psychologists can find the ability to engage in cultural opportunities in the therapeutic session. Often there is a power dynamic involved when a therapist comes from an upper-caste background while the patient belongs to a lower-caste community. The power dynamic comes from the salient identities of the people in the room as well as the therapeutic dyad. Hence, there may be hesitancies or the patient might feel unsafe to bring about caste in the conversation, even though their caste location is the most important part of their identity. There is widespread casteist stigma associated with the identity of a lower-caste community member in the dominant upper-caste society. Hence, in a clinical setting, upper-caste psychologists should start identifying ad accepting their caste privilege and the advantages that they are privy to because of that. It is also important for these psychologists to regulate the way they feel when topics about caste are brought up. This regulation is brought on by internal introspection. Finally, upper-caste psychologists should feel comfortable talking about casteism while taking accountability of casteist attitudes as an upper-caste at the same time, letting the patient speak of the casteist behaviours they have experienced without the psychologist feeling the need to justify their caste members actions or feeling attacked. Through the MCO model, the client’s perspectives becomes the most important part of the therapy. Recognising the client’s notion of the therapist’s own casteist and cultural notions signals the client to determine if their caste identity, which is an integral part of their lives, can be spoken about in the session.
Resources
Psychologists can utilise websites such as Equality Labs (Equality Labs, 2021), where they can access an entire caste sensitive reading list curated by lower-caste professors and authors. The Dalit led organization also have caste-based workshops and trainings that therapists could be a part of. Apart from this, through social media following accounts such as ‘Buffalo intellectual’ and listening to their podcast on casteism called “Mind your own Buffalo” to reading op-eds on the Roundtable website. Both these resources are free and are public (Kisana, 2023).
References
Ambedkar, B. R. (2014). Annihilation of Caste – The Annotated Critical Edition. Verso. http://www.bapuculturaltours.org/i%20nostri%20e-books/annihilation%20of%20caste%20B00O7GHRYK_EBOK_2.pdf
Davis, D. E., DeBlaere, C., Hook, J. N., Choe, E., Worthington,, E. L., Owen, J., Rivera, D. P., Tongeren, D. V., & Placeres, V. (2018). The Multicultural Orientation Framework: A Narrative Review. Psychotherapy, 55(1), 89-100.The Multicultural Orientation Framework: A Narrative Review
Deshpande, M. S. (2010). History of the Indian Caste System and its impact on India today [Doctoral dissertation]. HISTORY OF THE INDIAN CASTE SYSTEM AND ITS IMPACT ON INDIA TODAY Equality Labs. (2021). Unlearning Caste Supremacy trainings. EQUALITY LABS
Johri, A., & Anand, P. V. (2022). Life Satisfaction and Well-Being at the Intersections of Caste and Gender in India. Psychological Studies, 67, 317-331. Life Satisfaction and Well-Being at the Intersections of Caste and Gender in India
Kisana, R. (2023, January 21). Buffalo Intellectual. Mind your Buffalo [Spotify ]. Spotify, Mind your Buffalo, Buffalo Intellectual
Meyers, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, Social Stress, and Mental Health in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations: Conceptual Issues and Research Evidence. Psychol Bull, 129(5), 674–697. Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence.
Nikalje, Ankita (2022): Caste Critical Theory (CasteCRIT): Theorizing and Scale Development Measuring Caste Beliefs in the United States. Purdue University Graduate School. Thesis. CASTE CRITICAL THEORY (CASTECRIT): THEORIZING AND SCALE DEVELOPMENT MEASURING CASTE BELIEFS IN THE UNITED STATES
Somanaboina, S., & Ramagoud, A. (Eds.). (2022). The Routledge Handbook Of The Other Backward Classes In India Thought, Movements and Development (1st ed.). Routledge India. The Routledge Handbook of the Other Backward Classes in India
Trommsdorff, G. (2008). Intergenerational Relations and Cultural Transmission. In U. Schönpflug (Ed.), Cultural Transmission: Psychological, Developmental, Social, and
Methodological Aspects (Culture and Psychology, pp. 126-160). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511804670.008
Vijaya, R. M., & Bhullar, N. (2022). Colorism and employment bias in India: an experimental study in stratification economics. Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, 3(3), 599–628. Colorism and employment bias in India: an experimental study in stratification economics
