Navigate through each pull down to learn about the 5 faces of oppression
Definition: Exploitation occurs when the labor, energy, or vulnerabilities of one group benefit another without fair return, perpetuating inequality (Young, 1990).
Application:
Adolescents may be exploited by drug dealers, gangs, or older peers who pressure them into transporting or selling substances.
Families often absorb financial, emotional, and caregiving burdens without systemic support.
The juvenile justice system may profit through fines, fees, or mandated programs, while offering minimal rehabilitation.
Occupations impacted:
Education: Absenteeism or dropout due to being used in drug trade or repeated suspensions.
Social participation: Adolescents are manipulated into unsafe social roles.
Impact on participation: Exploitation limits access to safe, developmentally appropriate roles and prevents adolescents from engaging in healthy peer activities.
Connection to occupational injustice: Reflects occupational deprivation with youth lack opportunities to pursue safe, meaningful roles.
Definition: Marginalization excludes entire groups from meaningful participation in society, leaving them isolated and disadvantaged (Young, 1990).
Application:
Youth with SUD are excluded from extracurriculars, employment, and community programs because of stigma and disciplinary rules.
Rural Michigan adolescents are marginalized by lack of treatment centers, transportation, or insurance coverage.
Occupations impacted:
Leisure: Loss of access to sports, clubs, or arts programs due to disciplinary consequences.
Work: Inability to obtain part-time jobs or apprenticeships because of background checks or drug testing.
Impact on participation: They are denied opportunities that foster identity development and future independence.
Connection to occupational injustice: Leads to occupational alienation restricting youth from meaningful roles that shape belonging and growth.
Definition: Powerlessness occurs when people lack authority, autonomy, or influence over decisions that affect their lives (Young, 1990).
Application:
In Michigan, adolescents under 18 often cannot access treatment without parental consent, even if they want help.
School and court systems make punitive decisions (suspension, probation, detention) without considering the adolescent’s perspective.
Occupations impacted:
Health management: Youth cannot fully participate in choosing or managing recovery programs.
Education: Lack of voice in individualized education plans (IEPs) or school reintegration efforts.
Impact on participation: Their autonomy in self-care, recovery, and learning is restricted, reinforcing feelings of helplessness.
Connection to occupational injustice: Mirrors occupational marginalization where youth are excluded from decision-making about their daily occupations.
Definition: Cultural imperialism occurs when dominant cultural norms and values stereotype, silence, or render invisible the experiences of marginalized groups (Young, 1990).
Application:
Adolescents with SUD are stereotyped as “troublemakers” or “criminals,” rather than being understood as youth with health needs.
Policies and treatment programs are often designed by adults for adults, ignoring adolescents’ perspectives and cultural contexts.
Media portrays youth substance use through moral panic rather than empathy, reinforcing invisibility and stigma.
Occupations impacted:
Social participation: Rejection by peers and community programs due to labeling.
Identity development (education/leisure/social): Difficulty forming a positive self-concept when faced with negative stereotypes.
Impact on participation: Youth internalize stigma, disengage from supportive occupations, and struggle to build meaningful roles.
Connection to occupational injustice: Produces occupational imbalance where youth are forced into negative or restricted roles while being denied access to affirming occupations.
Definition: Violence refers to systemic exposure to physical harm, harassment, or threats simply because of group membership (Young, 1990).
Application:
Adolescents with SUD are more likely to experience physical assault, sexual exploitation, and overdose.
Harsh policing disproportionately targets youth from marginalized racial or socioeconomic backgrounds.
Some adolescents are recruited into trafficking or coerced into unsafe environments where violence is common.
Occupations impacted:
Rest and sleep: Trauma and unsafe environments disrupt healthy routines.
Community mobility: Restricted participation in safe spaces due to fear of violence or criminalization.
Impact on participation: Violence creates unsafe conditions for engagement in everyday occupations, reinforcing cycles of trauma and substance use.
Connection to occupational injustice: Results in occupational deprivation where youth cannot safely or freely engage in desired activities.