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Updated: Aug 17, 2025

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Sociopolitical development and social identities
Roderick J Watts1,2, Alexis Halkovic3
1Action Research Associates, City University of New York, New York, New York, USA.
Abstract:
In the past decade, interest and research on critical consciousness has increased dramatically. This commentary updates and expands Sociopolitical Development Theory by Watts and Flanagan (Journal of Community Psychology, 35, 2007, 1), elaborating on elements of the theory and linking them to liberation praxis. Expansion included research of the interplay of social identity and Critical Social Analysis (CSA) (i.e., the deconstruction of oppression's causes and effects through a political lens). This exploratory, qualitative project analyzed narratives written by young adults seeking admission to a training program for community-organizers. The result was a framework of "Viewpoints" relevant to programming for adolescents. Sample quotes illustrate how combinations of CSA and social identities can enrich sociopolitical development and are enriched by intersectionalities.
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