The Token Activity: Generating Awareness of Power in Counseling Relationships

journalofMulticulturalcounselinganddevelopMent•april2009•vol.37 117

©2009americancounselingassociation.allrightsreserved.

thetokenactivity:generatingawarenessofpowerincounselingrelationships

ShawnPatrickandColleenM.Connolly

theauthorspresentanexperientialactivity,thetoken activity,thatincreasesstudentawarenessofpowerandprivilegedynamics.studentfeedbackisincor-poratedtoofferperceptionsandknowledgegainedfromtheirexperience.

losautorespresentanunaactividadexperiencial,laactividadsimbólica,queincrementalaconciencialosestudiantessobrepoderydinámicadeprivilegios.seincluyenlasreaccionesdelosestudiantesparaofrecerlaspercepcionesyelconocimientoqueadquirierondurantesuexperiencia.

Graduatetrainingprogramsoftenfocustoolittleattentiononmulticul-turalandsocialjusticeissues(Zalaquett,Foley,Tillotson,Dinsmore,& Hof, 2008) and those invisible systems of power in our society

(Daniel, Roysircar, Abeles, & Boyd, 2004). Recommended multiculturalcompetencies set forth by the American Counseling Association describethecounselorasonewhoactivelyseekstoincreaseawarenessofone’sownbiasesandvalues,understandstheworldviewofculturallydifferentclients,andappliesculturallyappropriateskillsandtechniques(Arredondo,1999;Pedersen,2000;Roysircar,2004).Thesecompetenciesareimportanttohelpstudentsincreasetheirunderstandingofprivilegeandoppressionatavarietyoflevels,includingthepersonal,cultural,andinstitutionallevels(McGold-ricketal.,1999).Also,studentsmustlearntounderstandprivilegeandthespecialrights,benefits,oradvantagessomepeoplereceivesimplybyhavingmembershipinacertainracial,social,orgendergroup(Liu,Pickett,&Ivey,2007),andtheymustalsounderstandtherelationshipofprivilegetopowerandoppression(Hays&Chang,2003).

Byintegratingknowledge,skill,andawarenessandusingavarietyofteachingmethods,instructorscaneffectivelyhelpstudentsgraspmaterialrelatedtomulticulturalcounseling(Pedersen,2000;Reynolds,1995;Sevig&Etzkorn,2001).Acombinationofapproachesinanyoneclassprovidesstudentsoppor-tunitiestoanalyzeandincorporatemulticulturalprincipleswhilechallengingcurrentassumptionsthatmighthinderthecounselingprocess.Toincreasestudentawareness,theinstructorcanuseexperientialexercisesthatareofteneffectiveandeventransformativeindevelopingmulticulturalcompetencies(Pedersen,2000;Roysircar,2004;Sevig&Etzkorn,2001).Experientialexercisesofferachanceforstudentstogaininsightintodifferingviewpoints,andtheysimulateexperiencestowhichthestudentsmightotherwiseneverbeexposed

Shawn Patrick and Colleen M. Connolly, Department of Educational Administration and Psychological Services, Texas State University–San Marcos. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Shawn Patrick, Department of Educational Administration and Psychological Services, Texas State University–San Marcos, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666 (e-mail: [email protected]).

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(Arthur&Achenbach,2002).Groupdynamics related toexplorationandconfrontationoffears,biases,orotherblindspotscanbeapowerfulwayofprovidingstudentspeerfeedbackwhileallowingforindividualself-reflection(Sevig&Etzkorn,2001).

Inthisarticle,wedescribeagroupexperientialactivitycalledthetoken activ-ity.Thisactivityisintendedtohighlighttheinfluenceofpowerandprivilegeon individuals’ self-concept and beliefs as well as to demonstrate systemicinteractionsresultingfromoppression.I(ShawnPatrick)designedthisactiv-ityforuseinagraduate-levelmulticulturalcounselingcourseafterstudentsexpressedthattheyhadminimalexposuretodiversesituationsandgroupsyetwerebeingmandatedtoincorporatetheeffectsofracism,heterosexism,orother formsofmarginalization into their learningprocess.Theactivityincorporatesseveralconceptsandthemesrelatedtothesociopoliticalnatureofcounseling inaneffort toprovidestudentsachancetoexperienceandobservethesepervasiveforcesinasafe,structuredenvironment.

setting the stage for the token activityAconceptdifficultformanystudentstograspisthesystemicandpervasivenatureofoppressionexperiencedbysomanymarginalizedgroups(Fier&Ramsey,2005).Althoughmanystudentscaneasilyidentifyhighlyovertactsofracism(e.g.,racialslursorphysicalattacks),studentsdemonstrategreaterdifficulty recognizingactsofcovertoraversive racism.Yet it is at this verylevelwheremostemotionalandpsychologicaldamageoccursandwherethenormsandcycleofracismarefound(Sue&Sue,2008).IcreatedthetokenactivityinresponsetohavingclassescomposedentirelyofWhite,middle-toupper-class studentswhoexpressedhavingalmostnopersonal experiencewithvariousminoritygroups.Asaneffectofthisenvironment,oftenstudentsintheseclassesdiscussedexperiencinggreatinternalconflictastowhysomeminoritygroupswouldnotsimply“improve”theirsituationsbyconformingtothegeneral“norms”ofsociety.Thesestudentswereveryinterestedingaininggreaterunderstandingofprocessessuchasracism,buttheirpersonalinex-perienceandultimatedetachmentmadeitdifficultforthemtoconceiveof,muchlessempathizewith,thelastingeffectsofexperienceslikeinternalizedracism(Goff,Steele,&Davies,2008).Idevelopedthisactivityasameanstocreateasocialmicrocosmfocusedonpower.

Two elements help reduce prejudice: a willingness to interrupt familiarbehavioralpatternsandawillingness toopenlyexplore theexistingbeliefsystem(DeRicco&Sciarra,2005).Althoughexperientiallearningactivitiesremainessentialtoolsinteachingmulticulturalclasses,helpingtoincreaseawareness,facilitatestudentparticipation,andencouragemutualopportu-nitiesforlearning(Fier&Ramsey,2005),wemustremainkeenlyawareofthepossibilityofpsychologicalandinterpersonalrisksandworktominimize


these.Forexample,astudentwhospendsaweekendusingawheelchaircouldgaininsightintothechallengesfacedbythosewhoexperienceaphysicaldis-ability;however,thatstudentcouldalsodevelopasenseofpitytowardthoseindividualsandcontinuetoviewthemdisadvantaged(Kim&Lyons,2003).Thetokenactivityallowsasimulationthatcanbehighlyeffectiveinbringingoutdynamicsofoppression,allowingforacontainedpersonalinvolvementandincludingtheappropriatelevelofsafetyforstudentstomakesenseoftheexperience.

Whenconsideringtheactivity,oneshouldbeawareofthecontextofthecourse.Thecoursephilosophyentailsemphasizingtheroleofoppression,racism,sexism,andhomophobiainpeople’slivesatindividualandsystemiclevelsandwithinthecontextofthehistoryofmentalhealthprofessions(Sue&Sue,2008).Withthisbackdroptothecourse,informationispresenteddi-dacticallyandexperientially.Everyclassperiodhastimedevotedtolargeandsmallgroupdiscussion.Largegroupdiscussionsusuallyinvolvetopicstakenfrom theSueandSue’s (2003,2008) texts, suchas racial cultural identitydevelopmentmodels,whereassmallgroupdiscussionsoccuraroundmorepersonalizedtopics,suchasexperienceswithdiscrimination.

Onthebasisofthelevelofcohesiondevelopedintheclass,theactivityoccurs5to7weeksintothetermbutusuallypriortothemidtermpoint.Werecom-mendthatstudentshaveknowledgeaboutworldview,identity,sociopoliticalnatureofthefield,andprivilegebecauseunderstandingtheseconceptsen-hancestheactivity.AnidealtimetointroducetheactivityisatapointwherestudentsasagroupmovethroughwhatSueandSue(2008)referredtoasthedissonancestageofdevelopment,whereincreasedknowledgeabouttherealitiesofandpersonalinvolvementinracismconflictswithpersonalbeliefsabouttheselfandthenatureofpeople.

the token activityWhentheactivitybegins,studentsareinitiallyunawareoftheactivity’strueintent.Typicallytheactivityisinitiatedatthestartofclass,althoughina3-hrclassperiod, theactivityalsocouldbe initiatedat thesecondhalfafterabreak.Theactualactivity lastsabout20min,buta totalof60to90minshouldbesetasidetoprovideadequatetimefortheactivityanddebriefing.Thestepsintheactivityareasfollows:preparingtheclass(group)fortheactivity,designatinggroupmembers,participatingintheactivity,anddebrief-ingandprocessingtheactivity.

preparingthegroup

Whenpreparingthegroupfortheactivity,theinstructortellsthestudentstheywillbetakingapopquiz.Tosimulateanactualtest,studentsareaskedtoremoveallbooksandnotes.Ifstudentsposequestionsaboutthequiz,aneutralresponse


isoffered,suchas,“Becauseit’sapopquiz,Icannotprovidemoreinformationaboutwhatitcovers.”Studentsalsoareinformedthat“performanceonthequizisrelatedtosuccessinthecourse.”Thisinstructionprovidesagreatersenseofrealismbytyingasignificantconsequencetosuccessorfailure.

designatinggroupMeMBers

Studentsaretoldtonumberoffin“onesandtwos”andinstructedtoseparateintotwodifferentareasof theroom.Aheads-or-tailscointossdecides the“winning”group,andtheinstructorprovideseachmemberofthewinninggroupwiththreetokens.Anynonmonetarytokencanbeusedtoeliminatetheassociationwitheconomics.Eachgroupremainsonitssideoftheroom,and the instructor informs the class that one group has been given threetokensperperson.

participating

The instructor then states, “Those students who hold two or more tokenswillautomaticallyreceiveascoreof100%onthequizandcanskiptakingthequiz.Thosestudentsholdinglessthantwotokensmusttakethequizandreceivethegradethatisearned.Yougettodecidewhowillhavetotakethequiz.”Nomoreinstructionsareprovided,andquestionsareansweredwitharepeatoftheinstruction.Studentsarethentold,“After15minfromnow,thequizwillbegin.”Duringthe15min,theinstructorobservestheinteractionsanddiscreetlykeepsprocessnotes.

Students then typicallymove intodeterminingwho takes thequiz.Oncestudentshaverealizedthereareinsufficienttokensforeveryonetopass,thestudentsusemultiple tacticsandinteractions toreceive,giveup,orretaintokens.Itshouldbenotedthatstudentsmayattempttobendtherulesbytryingtosharetokensorstealtokensfromtheinstructor.Theinstructorcanrespondtothesesituationswithsimplestatementssuchas,“Thatwouldbeconsideredcheatingonthetest,andthosewhocheatwouldautomaticallyfail.”Thesebehaviorsandattemptsshouldbenotedintheprocessnotesanddiscussedduringthedebriefing.

Theinstructoralertstheclasswhen1minremains,thencallstimeatthe15-minmark.Itisessentialthattheactivitycontinueforthefull15min.Oftenstudents try tofind the fastest solutionandquit,which tends tonotallowenoughtimeintheactivitytogetatruesenseoftheemotionsandthoughtsevokedbytheexperience.Evenifstudentsmakeafastdecisionandsitfortheremainingtime,theensuingwithin-groupdiscussionsarehighlyusefultotheexperience.

Oncetimeiscalled,thosestudentswithouttheneedednumberoftokensareaskedtoraisetheirhandandaregiventhequiz.Studentsarepermitted5mintocompletethequiz.Attheendof5min,timeiscalled.


Whenaquizisselected,anytestthathighlightsculturalbiasintestingwouldbeanidealchoiceforthisactivity.ThequizusedintheseactivitiesiscomposedofquestionsfromtheDoveCounterbalanceGeneralIntelligenceTest(Dove,1968;theshort-versionofthetest,nowcalledthe“ChitlingTest,”islocatedathttp://wilderdom.com/personality/intelligenceChitlingTestShort.html).Thistestisasatiricalattempttodemonstrateculturalbiasinintelligencetesting,and only an individual with specific cultural, geographical, and historicalexperienceofBlackAmericainthe1950scouldsuccessfully“pass”thistest.Theinstructorshouldprovideallstudentswithacopyofthequiz.

deBriefingandprocessing

Processinganddebriefing,aswithanygroupactivity,areessential(Fier&Ramsey,2005)andhelpstudentsmakesenseofthemanydifferentandpotentiallyun-comfortablefeelingstheyexperiencedduringtheactivity(Arthur&Achenbach,2002).Processingthisactivityinvolves(a)informingstudentsthatnogradeorpenaltyisattachedtothequizortotheirperformanceduringtheactivity;(b)askingstudentswhatconceptstheythinktheactivitywasintendedtohighlight;(c)informingthemtheactivitycentersaroundpoweranditsinfluenceonourbehaviors,beliefs,andself-concept;and(d)conveyingtostudentsthattheirac-tionsintheactivitywerenotintendedtojudgethecharacterofanyonepersonbutrathersimulateanintolerablesituationtorecreatewhatactionscanemergefromanoppressivesystem.Thisfinalstepisimportantbecausesomestudentsaresurprisedbytheiractions,andoccasionallyotherstudentsattempttocriticizebehaviorsdeemed“unworthy.”Ifstudentsappeartotargetcertainindividualswithanyreprimandingquestionsorstatements,theinstructorshouldinterveneandfacilitateareframingdiscussion.Theseinstancescanbecomerichopportunitiestoaddressemotionsandgeneratemeaningaroundsocialinteractionsthatareshapedbypowerlessnessandshouldnotbeignored.

The instructor then asks for any general comments students have abouttheirexperience.Thisstepprovidesinsightastowheretheclassisingeneralandanypressingconcerns the instructormayneed toaddress.Afterward,amorespecificdiscussion includeswhat itwas likewhenstudents learnedabout theconditionsof thequiz,how they feltwhenput in this situation,andwhatweresomefirstthoughtswhenrealizingonlysomestudentswouldhavetotakethequiz.Specificquestionsarethenaddressedtoeachgroup,usuallystartingwiththegroupthathadtokensatthestartandthenmovingtothenon-tokengroup.Questionssurroundingthedecisionsandmethodsofgivingorreceivingtokensandthefeelingsofpowerordisempowermentsurroundingeachareaddressed.Whatweretheirfeelingsandthoughtsuponrealizingtheyhadthreetokensornotokens?Whichgrouphadtoactfirst?Whodidmostofthetalking?Whodeclinedtospeak?Whatmethodswereusedtogaintokensortopersuadeotherstogiveuptokens?Whatthoughtsandfeelingsmotivatedtheresponses?


Questions are then guided back to the large group to tie the activityback to class concepts and real-world examples. What made the firstgrouppowerful?Howwaspowerdisplayed?Howispowerusuallydeter-mined?Howdoesthisactivityrelatetoreal-lifesituations?Whatactionsandattitudesdidstudentsseepeopleengageinthataresimilartothosepeopleorgroupswhoarecontinuallyoppressedandthosewhotendtoholdmorepower?

Thesequestionsareintendedonlyasguidelines;however,theaboveques-tionsareonesthattypicallyemergeandhighlightthemainaspectsofpowerdynamics. It is important to identify specific examples of what took placesostudentscanrelateactionstoabroadercontextandgeneratemeaning.Thesequestionsalsoallowanopportunitytoaddressuncomfortablefeelingsexperiencedby studentsand tonormalize thoseexperiences.At the sametime,processinggivesstudentsachancetoexaminetheirownresponsesandvaluejudgmentsthattheyexperienced.

feedback themes in student evaluationsFeedbackregardingthisactivityemergedinformallyandformally.Informally,hopingtoincreasecomfortinself-disclosureandopportunitiesforfeedback,I(ShawnPatrick)createdacollaborativelearningenvironment(McGoldricketal.,1999;Roysircar,2004),encouragedstudentstohaveavoiceincoursedecisions,andregularlyincludedclasstimetoallowstudentsopportunitiestoprocessclassactivities.Asaresult,studentsoftenspokeprivatelyorprovidedreflectionsandsuggestionsinclass.Twoanonymousmethodsoffeedback,to reduce possible bias in responding attributable to instructor presence,includedfeedbackreceivedontheactivitythroughcourseevaluationsandanopportunitycreatedintentionallytoassesstheeffectivenessandimpactoftheactivity.Fortystudents,enrolledinoneoftwomaster’s-levelmulticulturalcounseling courses, were invited to give anonymous feedback about theirexperiencesuponcompletionoftheactivity.

For the 40 students, the multicultural counseling course occurred aboutmidwayintoa48-hrprogramandpriortoanyclinicalexperienceclasses(in-ternship).Eachsectionwascomposedof20students.ThemajorityofstudentsinthefirstsectionwereofWhiteethnicityandfemale;thesecondsectionwascomposedofapproximately50%Whiteand50%non-Whiteethnicitiesandagainmostlyfemale.Theclassesoccurredduringthesamesemesterbutattwodifferentcampuses.I(ShawnPatrick)taughtbothsections,hadpreviouslyconductedtheactivityaboutfourtimesatanotherinstitution,andwasfamiliarwiththeformatandprogressionoftheactivity,makingitanopportunetimetogathermoreobjectivefeedbackaboutitsutility.

After the activity, students signed a consent form and completed a one-page, short-answer surveyabout theirexperience.Studentswere informed


thatthisvoluntaryparticipationhadnoeffectontheirgradeorstandinginclass.Everyonewasaskedtoreturnpacketsat theendof theclassperiod,whethertheformhadbeencompletedornot,andallstudentscompletedandsubmittedthesurvey.Thesurveycontainedthefollowingquestions:(a)Didtheactivityincreaseyourawarenessofpower—howorhownot?(b)Ifyoubeganwithtokens,discussyourthoughtprocessesrelatedtokeepingorgivingawaytokens;(c)Ifyoubeganwithouttokens,discussyourthoughtprocessesrelatedtotheneedtoacquiretokens;(d)Discusstowhatextentthisactivityemphasizedconceptsdiscusseduptothispointfromthetextbook;(e)Whatonethingdidyoulearnmost?and(f)Generalcomments.Commonthemeswerefoundacrossallresponsesregardlessofclasssection,andtheycenteredaroundhowstudentsgrewintheirawarenessofpower,howtheyfeltwhentokensweregainedorlost,andhowtheactivityintegratedtextbookconceptsandhighlightedreal-lifeexamples.

increasingawarenessofpower

Thirty-nine of the 40 participants indicated that the activity increasedtheirawarenessandhighlightedimportantconcepts.Manydiscussedhowtheactivitycreateda“microcosmofsociety”andseemedrealisticdespitethecontrivedsituation.Manyhighlightedthattheirincreasedawarenessprovided an opportunity to experience what different positions mightfeel like. For example, one student who started with tokens wrote, “Itallowedmeto feelandunderstandpowerandthechoices thatpeoplewithprivilegehave.”Anotherstudentstartingwithout tokenswrote,“Iwasapartofthegroupwithoutpowerandimmediatelywasabletomakeconnectionsabouthowtheactivitymademefeelandhowitmightfeelintherealworld.”

Severalstudentsalsoreportedtheirownpersonalinsightsoffearsoranxietyrelated toholdingpower.Somediscussedhow theresponsibilityandguiltofholdingpower influencedtheirdecisiontogiveawaytokens.Desires tobe seen as “fair” and “likeable” often prompted students to hand at leastonetokentosomeonewithouttokens.Othersreportedhoweventuallytheybecameused tobeing in themorepowerfulposition in theactivity to thepointofnotrealizingtheyheldmorepoweroverothers,assummarizedbyonestudent’sstatement:“Thereispowerintheworldand[you]getusedtoitandforgetaboutit.”

Somestudentsalsodiscussedinsightintotheirownunexpectedbehaviors.Onestudentwroteabouttherealizationoftryingto“fitintothesystemtoplaythegame...[even]givingupthingsthatareimportanttome.”Anothercom-mentedthatdespiteespousingbeliefsaboutworkingforthegreatergood,“Istilltookactiontosecuremyfuture.”Thesecommentssuggeststudentswerewalkingawayfromtheactivitywithinsightsintotheirownpower-influencedthoughtsandactions.


experiencesrelatedtooBtainingorlosingtokens/power

Whenstudentswroteabouthavingornothavingtokens,manyoftheircommentsreflectedtheclassroomprocessdiscussions.Studentsdescribedstrategiesforobtainingtokensorexpresseddesperationatnothavingtokens.Somestudentswith tokens referred to “discomfort,” “guilt,”or “anxiety” in realizing theyhadanadvantage,whereasothersexpressedfeeling“secure”and“relieved”atnothavingtostruggletoobtaintokens.Aninterestingfindingwasthatmanywhostartedwiththreetokensreportedthatgivingawayonetokenwaseasyand“norealloss,”butgivingupasecondtokenprovokedstrongconflictedfeelingsbetweenself-preservationandthedesiretobehelpful.

Studentsworkingtogaintokensoftenreported,eitherthroughdiscussionoronthesurvey,thesenseof“need”or“urgency”toseektokens.Strategiesforobtainingtokensincludedattemptingto“buy”tokens,ingratiatingthem-selvestothosestudentswithtokens,performingdeedsrequestedbytokenholders,enhancingtoken-holder’sfeelingsofguiltorobligation,orjustgivingupaltogether.Manystudents,afterexperiencingfailedattemptsorrealizingtheir number of obtained tokens was insufficient, commented about “justtaking my chances” with the quiz or “hoping [the professor] would makeeverything better.” Also several students described feeling unheard by thelargergroupwhenproposingsolutionsandnotedaconsiderationoftheirsuggestiononlyifatoken-holdinggroupmembermadethesamestatement.Forexample,studentsinthenon-token-holdinggroupsuggestedeveryonegiveuphisorhertokens.Howevernooneactuallytriedthisuntilamemberofthetoken-holdinggroupalsomadethesuggestion.Duringprocessingtime,thetoken-holdingstudentsreportednotevenbeingawarethatsomeoneinthenon-token-holdinggrouphadmadethesuggestion.Thisawarenessledtodiscussionsaroundwhethergivinguptokenstruly“leveledtheplayingfield”aswastheir intent.Observationswerethenmadeabouthowtheprofessorstillheldpowerintheactivityandthattheoriginaltoken-holdinggroupalsopossessedthepowerofchoice,whereasthenon-token-holdinggroupneverhadthatprivilege.

relatingtheactivitytokeyconceptsandreal-lifeexaMples

Anoverwhelmingmajorityofresponsesindicatedthattheactivityrelatedwelltootherconceptscoveredinclassand“broughttolife”textbookconcepts.In relation topower,one studentnoted, “This activity showedhowpowerheldbyfewcanimpactmanydifferentpeoplethroughpoliticsoreducation.”Otherswere able to identifypower as “a formofoppressionandcontrol”thatcanbearbitrarilygiven.Onestudentwrote,“Youcanreadallyouwantaboutwhiteprivilege,butuntilyouexperiencelackofprivilegeyoucan’tre-


allyunderstandit.”Studentswereabletoseetheoryputintopractice,gainpersonalinsightintohowthoseconceptsaffectedthemdirectly,andbetterseethemanifestationofpowerinsociety.Also,theactivitygeneratedanun-derstandingthatthesedynamicsregularlyoccurinsocietyinsteadofbeingisolatedorcircumstantial.

Studentsalsoappearedtogaininsightintotheeffectsofpowerandprivi-lege in the lives of others. One student summarized that the most salientlessonlearnedwas“theprocessofpower...feelinginferiorwhenbeingtheminority,thenfeelingsuperiorwhenbeingthemajority.”Othersdescribedfeelingsofanger,sadness,andfrustrationatvariousstagesandthenrelatedthosefeelings towhatpeopleofdifferentethnicgroupsmightexperienceonamoreregularbasis.Asonestudentcommented,“Itbringstolifewhatwouldhappentosomeonefromadifferentbackground.”Thus,theactivityhelpedsomestudentsdevelopgreaterempathytowardlesspowerfulgroups,possiblyreducingthetendencytoblameorviewnonmajoritygroupsascre-atorsoftheirownproblems.

other observations After having conducted the activity approximately 20 times to date andreflectingonallfeedbackreceived,severalcommonelementsemerged.Stu-dentsoftensharedthatacoursegradeisnota“seriousenough”stakeand,hadthestakesbeenevenhigher,theysuspectedmorestudentswouldhaveimplementedmoreindividualisticactionsanddemonstratedlessinterestin“fairness” to others. Some speculated that the classroom context affectedtheir actions. They postulated that counseling students, more apt to haveawarenessofwhatis“sociallyacceptable”andattemptingtoappear“givingandaltruistic,”mighthaveacteddifferently,embracedtheirprivileges,andmadetheirliveseasierinanothersetting.Thesecriticaldiscussionshighlighttheshiftinawarenessthatoccurredforstudentsasaresultofcombiningtheactivitywithtextbookconcepts.Studentswerecapableofstatingtheirrealiza-tionthatpowerandprivilegedoexistandthatengaginginoppressionisamoreactiveandshapingprocessthantheypreviouslybelieved.Moreover,thisprocessalsoprovidedanopportunityforasignificantshiftinconsciousness:Itallowedstudentstobegintoseetheirparticipationinthecycleofoppres-sion,movingawayfromthenotionthattheyweresimplyoutsideobserversofanoppressivesociety.

Students reported a heightened awareness of how oppression influencesself-concept.Asanillustration,oncedebriefingbegan,onestudentquicklystatedthatithadbecome“excruciatinglyclear”howoppressioncouldgen-erateself-hatredandthedesiretoconform.Othersnotedtheirsurpriseathowtheyorothersbehavedduringtheactivity,suchasseeinghow“theleastexpectedmembersshowedgenerosityandwillingnesstohelp,”whereasoth-


erswere“clearlyoutforthemselves.”Somestudentshaveremarkedthattheimmediatefeelingofprivilegefeltsoundesirabletothemthattheymadealleffortstoappearfairinthehopesthattheywouldnotbelabeledas“racist.”Thus,thesediscussionshighlightedhowoppressionandprivilegealsoinflu-encetheactionsofthosepersonsinpower.Inotherwords,thisexperienceallowedWhite students tofindwords forandexpress their confusionandpainaroundprivilegewithouthavingtoadoptadefensiveposture.

Manyreportedthroughdiscussionandthesurveyanoverallappreciationoftheactivity.Studentsfrequentlysuggestedthattheactivityberequiredincourses.Somereportedthathavingothersexperiencetheactivityfacilitatedstudentdiscussionsoutsidetheclassroomandprovidedalaunchingpointinothercontextsfordiscussionsonpower.Oftenstudentshavecommentedthattheywereangryoranxiousatthestartoftheactivitybutthatthesefeelingsdiminished during the debriefing process. They related gaining a greaterawarenessofpowerand,inmanycases,empathytowardotherswhohavedailyexperiencesofracismoroppression.Ononlyoneoccasionwasanegativecommentreceived.Thisfeedbackoccurredthroughacourseevaluation:Astudentcommentedthateventhoughlearninghadresultedfromtheactivity,ithadbeenunpleasantandtheactivityshouldbedropped.Overwhelmingly,though,studentscommentedthatthebenefitoutweighedthediscomfort.

recommendations and considerationsSeveralobservationscouldassistothersinthefacilitationofthisactivity.First,considerationsshouldbemadeifthegroupinvolvedisverysmallorverylarge,becauseverysmallgroupsmaynothaveenoughpeopletosupporttheactivityandvery largegroupscouldbecomedifficult tomanage.Facilitatorsneedtobeskilledandknowledgeableingroupdynamicsinordertosuccessfullyconducttheset-upanddebriefingstagesoftheactivity.

Secondistherecognitionthattheactivitydoestendtoprovokeanxietyinmany students when initially introduced. This anxiety can serve as a driv-ingforceinmakingstudentsmoreawareoftheirownmotivesandinternalprocesses,butonealsomustbecautiousinaddressingandmanagingthesefeelings.Thevalueoftheactivitydependsonpayingasufficientamountofattentiontothesefeelingsduringthedebriefingandattendingtoandvalidat-ingthestudents.Commendingstudentsontheirwillingnesstoparticipateandtheircourageinfacingthesecircumstancesbecomesessentialingeneratingmeaningfromtheexperienceandavoidingpotentialharm.Acertainlevelofanxietyisbeneficialtotheactivity’ssuccess,sofacilitatorsshouldresisturgestointerruptstudents’anxietypriortoandduringtheactivity.

Third, students differ in their individual identity development, and theexercise provides an opportunity for interactions and discussions to helpfacilitate movement (Fier & Ramsey, 2005; Ramsey, 1996). In this regard,


sometimes students are tempted to call out behaviors that they believedwere counterproductive or undesirable. At these times, it is important toexternalizethebehaviorsfromtheparticipantstoreducepotentialblamingandalsotomovethestudentsintoadiscussionaboutthepurposeofsuchbehaviors. These tactics tend to reduce defensiveness that would hinderprocessing.Students’ tendenciestoblameorglorifyvariousbehaviorsalsocanbecomeusefulpointsofprocess;forinstance,ifsomereacttoanotherstudent’sdesireforself-preservationandattemptto“punish”suchactions,itcanbepointedouthowthese“correcting”socializationattemptshinderdiscussinganduncoveringthetruemotivesthatmakeresponsestooppres-sionordiscriminationdifficult.

Finally,processingthequizisanimportantpieceinexamininganotherlevelofpowerandbias,anditalsoshiftstheclass’sattentiontoaneasier,lessstress-fulsubject.Thequizisscoredasaclass,whichoftenprovidesimpromptuop-portunitiesforstudentdialogueaboutthedifferentquestions,manyofwhichrelatetoculturalexperiencesoutsideoftheirownknowledge.Thisprocessprovidesanopportunitytohighlighthowtheirtestperformancetheoreticallywouldbeusedtomakedecisionsabouttheireducationalandoccupationalplacementandalsotomakejudgmentsabouttheirabilitytosucceed.

conclusionInthisarticle,wehavedescribedanactivitythataidsstudentsinunderstand-ingthedynamicsofpower,oppression,andprivilege.Informationgatheredfromtwodifferentclasses,combinedwithexperienceinotherclassesovertime,supportstheideathattheactivitynotonlyemphasizesdefinitionsandconceptsdescribedintheliterature,butitalsoprovidesapersonalexpe-rience thatconveys thesubtletiesand influencesofpoweron individualsandgroups.Althoughitwasusedtoincreaseracialawareness,theactivityeasilycanbeadaptedtoothersignificantareas,suchassexual/affectionalorientation,disabilities,andgender(Collins&Pieterse,2007).Educatorsinterestedinusingtheactivityareencouragedtoexperimentwithaltera-tionstothedescribedformat,especiallyifchangescouldreduceriskwhilekeepingbenefitshigh.

Most important, it appears that the activity helped move students fromlearning the “lesson” within the classroom to engaging in the ongoing,future-focused process of increasing awareness (Collins & Pieterse, 2007).Theactivitycanalsofacilitateculturalresponsivenessandmovementtowardreducingoreradicatingracismandprejudice(Arredondoetal.,1996;Collins&Pieterse,2007).Althoughtheactivitydoesincludesomeriskofstudentsbeingexposedtounpleasantfeelings,moststudentshighlightedthattheselessdesirablefeelingsareworthexperiencinginordertogainthesignificanteducationalknowledgeandpersonalinsight.


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The Token Activity: Generating Awareness of Power in Counseling Relationships