Bias and Privilege

Bias and Privilege

Bias and privilege affect various industries. Most importantly, the impact of these aspects in human services can be substantial since the profession encourages service delivery structures mainly by addressing direct service quality. Classically, bias and privilege could determine choices and actions like the people hired and promoted in organizations, the interaction manner between individuals of a specific group, and discrimination tendencies, among other aspects. Consistently, the IATs (Implicit Association Tests) were invented to assist people in unveiling their biases. Typically, the bias tests aim to evaluate the power of connection amongst groups and stereotypes or assessments. The results could present a vivid picture of how individuals view people not belonging to their group. This essay aims to identify my biases towards specific groups of people through two IATs.

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Identify the two IATs you took.

The two IATs that I have taken comprise sexuality IAT and race IAT. I preferred the two tests because I am interested in the two subjects. I have been in situations where I have encountered discrimination due to my race, and I have also seen my friends face bias owing to their sexual preferences. I wanted to take the tests to determine my bias in the two areas.

Discuss the results of your implicit bias tests.

The results for the sexuality IAT showed that I have no automatic preference for straight people and Gay people. On the contrary, the race IAT showed that I have a moderate automatic preference for European Americans over African Americans. Typically, I agree with the sexuality IAT results because I do not prefer straight people over gay people or vice versa by any means. I believe people should be free to be who they want to be and be accepted as they are. Having laws that diminish gay people is very wrong, as I perceive it. People have the right to freedom, and freely having laws to limit people based on sexuality are, to a large extent, infringing their liberty. One factor that has influenced these results is having gay friends and seeing how unconscious they are regarding their sexuality because of how people judge them. Some have been bullied and fell into depression because of their sexuality.

Subsequently, social media and online platforms have also played a significant role. This is because of the frequent posts regarding gays committing suicide. Halpert (2002) states that suicide tends to be a noteworthy concern among lesbians and gays, and the suicidal conduct rates are said to be high among these groups. In another research, Belizaire et al. (2022) state that bisexual women and lesbians have a double likelihood of attempting suicide compared to their heterosexual female peers, and the statistics are even higher for bisexual men and gays. Seeing such details instantly reveals how I feel about the subject, which is people should have the right to their sexuality without judgment.

However, the race IAT was a shocker because I did not expect these results. As stated, they showed that I have a moderate automatic preference for European Americans over African Americans. I’m afraid I have to disagree with these results. As much as the tests are deemed accurate, I am convinced that I do not have a preference for European Americans over African Americans. This is because I have undergone racial discrimination on many occasions, and my slogan is that there should be equality amongst people of all races. One of the factors that may have caused these results is seeing some of my friends being bullied by African Americans. This is because they grew up in black-dominated communities, and they always felt odd ones out.

How does not being aware of our biases impact the work done in human services professions?

When people are unaware of their biases, especially in the human services professions, they may prefer certain people or circumstances based on their biases. This could negatively affect their work. For example, a person may have had a negative experience with an individual of a given race, thus hating that race unknowingly. As such, they may find themselves giving poor service to individuals of that race by not paying much attention to their needs. In the end, these individuals may feel discriminated against. The human service expert could project the negative encounter they might have had with one person of a given race to the entire race, which should not be the case. Additionally, for upper management, not recognizing personal biases can adversely affect recruitment choices, weaken workplace diversity and slow worker development. This could impact morale and the general experience of the employees.

Propose at least two ways you can avoid this impact.

One of the techniques in which the impact can be avoided is awareness training. Generally, this plays a significant role in sorting out unconscious bias as it enables the leaders and workers to distinguish that all people have their biases. As such, undergoing bias awareness training will help me prevent the impacts. Another approach tends to be evaluating the biases that have more likelihood of affecting me. This includes an assessment such as the IAT. For example, after taking the test, I realized that I might have a moderate automatic preference for European Americans over African Americans; thus, I will be cautious of this aspect in the future. Additionally, setting equity, diversity, and inclusion goals can be helpful.

Identify at least one way you have power and privilege and at least one way you do not.

Privilege and power may be sensitive to explore, especially when a critique links to people’s advantages (Roberts, 2020). However, exploring energy and privilege is vital. One of the ways I have energy and privilege is by being heterosexual. This means I never have to be terrified of coming out or rather feel insecure when holding my partner’s hands in public. Additionally, I may not have power and privilege when it comes to race. This is because stereotypes are linked to my race, and having people have a defined perception of you based on race is not pleasant.

Analyze how areas of power and privilege can impact your work with clients in human services.

Areas of power and privilege can encourage unequal treatment of people. Equality is vital in the human services profession, and bias could occur in the face of power and privilege. However, it is essential to recognize that people should be treated equally regardless of their power and privilege.

Identify at least two ways to address power and privilege with your clients.

One of the approaches in which I can address power and privilege is awareness training. This will help them understand the power and the fact that all people have them. Additionally, providing a company manual to show the inclusiveness of everyone in the organization can be helpful. All clients should feel they will never be discriminated against based on a given aspect.

Reflect on your thoughts and feelings about this assignment, its content, and what you have learned.

I have learned that all people have biases. The problem is having these biases and not being aware of them. This is because being unaware of biases can affect how one reacts to different people in the human service profession. As such, understanding unconscious bias is very significant. Characteristically, unconscious bias describes connections or outlooks that automatically modify people’s perceptions, thus impacting decision-making, relations, and conduct.

In conclusion, the IAT (Implicit Association Test) was created to assist people in unveiling their biases, and I have identified many biases through the sexuality and race IAT. Typically, I have no automatic preference for straight people and Gay people. On the contrary, the race IAT showed that I have a moderate automatic preference for European Americans over African Americans. Identifying unconscious bias is very significant, as all people have biases.

References

Belizaire, S., Dickinson, A., & Webb, M. (2022). Identifying suicide risk factors in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer veterans. Nursing Clinics.

Halpert, S. C. (2002). Suicidal behavior among gay male youth. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, 6(3), 53-79.

Marcelin, J. R., Siraj, D. S., Victor, R., Kotadia, S., & Maldonado, Y. A. (2019). How to recognize and mitigate the impact of unconscious bias in healthcare—the Journal of Infectious Diseases, 220(Supplement_2), S62-S73.

Roberts, H. M. (2020). Embodying and enacting the grand narrative to disrupt power, privilege, and (monocultural) perspectives. Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, 22(1), 217-231.

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This paper will examine the role that bias, power, and privilege have in the work we do in human services. You will explore your areas of bias, energy, and privilege and ways you can address these in your job as a human services professional.

Before beginning work on this assignment,

Review the 2019 Privilege Power Wheel Poster (Links to an external site.).
An accessible version can be found here: 2019 Privilege Power Wheel Poster: Accessible Version (Links to an external site.).
Read Chapter 8 in the textbook.
Read The Pedagogy of Discomfort: Enhancing Reflectivity on Stereotypes and Bias.
Take two Implicit Association Tests (IATs) from Harvard University’s Project Implicit (Links to an external site.).
Select “I wish to proceed” on the first page, then select and take two IATs.
Be sure to note your results from each test.
To complete your assignment, consider downloading and using the Week 2: Bias and Privilege Download Week 2: Bias and Privileget template.
In your paper,

Identify the two IATs you took.
Discuss the results of your implicit bias tests.
Include whether you agree or disagree, why you got the results you did, and what factors might have influenced your results (e.g., messages from media, the area where you grew up).
Explain how not being aware of our own biases can impact the work we do in human services professions, keeping in mind that, as humans, we all have biases.
Propose at least two ways you can avoid this impact.
Identify at least one way you have power and privilege and at least one way you do not.
Analyze how areas of power and privilege can impact your work with clients in human services professions.
Identify at least two ways to address power and privilege with your clients.
Reflect on your thoughts and feelings about this assignment, its content, and what you have learned.
Accessibility Statement: If you have a disability that impacts your ability to successfully take the Implicit Association Tests (IATs) or any other course activity, please provide your instructor with your Authorized Accommodation form from the Office of Student Access and Wellness so that they can discuss and arrange an alternative plan with you.