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Psychologists help cure anxiety, depression, addiction, etc. all the time without actually suffering from it themselves. They're "privileged" not to suffer from

Psychologists help cure anxiety, depression, addiction, etc. all the time without actually suffering from it themselves. They're "privileged" not to suffer from it themselves or even necessarily have any friends or family who suffer from it. They just do good user research before creating a solution presumably. Also, conversely, plenty of people who have "lived experience" of how they cured their anxiety with a cult religion or some placebo diet or something aren't necessarily very helpful experts for other people either. So I just don't see how framing the conversation about who is or isn't privileged is really helpful?

mcguire 5y ago
"They just do good user research before creating a solution presumably." That would kind of be the point, right? Rather than saying, "Just do X", they try to understand the problem first and don't just throw out ideas that solve what they a-priori think the problem is while also being what they think of as easy to implement.
- Moodles 5y ago
  Yup.
imperialdrive 5y ago
Just curious if you know any psychologists that fit into this category? I know a handful pretty well and all specialize in areas they have direct experience with. They also 'experience' their clients pain, similar to a masseuse. Perhaps it's like being a developer without hands on experience with css, networking, or virtualization etc... You can still be a really good developer, but you probably can't say you're great at it or be a worthwhile resource for teaching others.
- Moodles 5y ago
  Not personally, but I'm sure there's a mix of both types.
SavantIdiot 5y ago
You are ignoring what I wrote. Please re-read my comments because I already explicitly addressed this both times: it is not "privilege" when the psychologists literally consult their patients and work together on a solution. It is helpful to frame it this way because someone who has no first hand experience, nor have they consulted with those who have, are claiming a solution. Think of privilege as a class of arrogance that comes from ignorance.
- Moodles 5y ago
  I read what you wrote which is why I replied saying calling it “privilege” is a weird way of phrasing what is essentially “user research” or “due diligence”. How is the “privilege” and “lived experience” framing helpful? Nobody would care if the solution was good. All that matters is the solution itself, not who came up with it. But of course, one is more likely to come up with a good solution if they do good user research first. I think “laziness” is a better descriptor. By the way, I mentioned psychologists the second time not as a repeat example to curing cancer, but as an example of something which is more about “lived experience” of people, yet is still cured by people without the “lived experience”. You literally mentioned anxiety in your example, so I brought it up that people cure it all the time without suffering from it themselves.
zbentley 5y ago
Psychologists attend years of school and training for the express purpose of understanding their clients' experiences. There are multiple ways out of privileged obliviousness. One is lived experience. Another is taking the time to develop a structured and empathetic understanding.

mcguire 5y ago

"They just do good user research before creating a solution presumably." That would kind of be the point, right? Rather than saying, "Just do X", they try to understand the problem first and don't just throw out ideas that solve what they a-priori think the problem is while also being what they think of as easy to implement.

Moodles 5y ago
Yup.

imperialdrive 5y ago

Just curious if you know any psychologists that fit into this category? I know a handful pretty well and all specialize in areas they have direct experience with. They also 'experience' their clients pain, similar to a masseuse. Perhaps it's like being a developer without hands on experience with css, networking, or virtualization etc... You can still be a really good developer, but you probably can't say you're great at it or be a worthwhile resource for teaching others.

Moodles 5y ago
Not personally, but I'm sure there's a mix of both types.

SavantIdiot 5y ago

You are ignoring what I wrote. Please re-read my comments because I already explicitly addressed this both times: it is not "privilege" when the psychologists literally consult their patients and work together on a solution. It is helpful to frame it this way because someone who has no first hand experience, nor have they consulted with those who have, are claiming a solution. Think of privilege as a class of arrogance that comes from ignorance.

Moodles 5y ago
I read what you wrote which is why I replied saying calling it “privilege” is a weird way of phrasing what is essentially “user research” or “due diligence”. How is the “privilege” and “lived experience” framing helpful? Nobody would care if the solution was good. All that matters is the solution itself, not who came up with it. But of course, one is more likely to come up with a good solution if they do good user research first. I think “laziness” is a better descriptor. By the way, I mentioned psychologists the second time not as a repeat example to curing cancer, but as an example of something which is more about “lived experience” of people, yet is still cured by people without the “lived experience”. You literally mentioned anxiety in your example, so I brought it up that people cure it all the time without suffering from it themselves.

zbentley 5y ago

Psychologists attend years of school and training for the express purpose of understanding their clients' experiences. There are multiple ways out of privileged obliviousness. One is lived experience. Another is taking the time to develop a structured and empathetic understanding.