{"id":39,"date":"2026-06-27T21:20:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T01:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/powerdynamicspostsecondary\/chapter\/internalized-dominance\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T04:24:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T08:24:17","slug":"internalized-dominance","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/power-dynamics-postsecondary\/chapter\/internalized-dominance\/","title":{"raw":"Internalized dominance","rendered":"Internalized dominance"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\r\n\r\nTake a moment and reflect from your experience. Based on the social groups you belong to, what are some privileges that you take for granted?\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nAuthor and researcher Sensoy and D\u2019Angelo (2017) explored the concept of <strong>internalized dominance.<\/strong> This refers to the process of unconsciously absorbing and acting upon the pervasive cultural messages that suggest one\u2019s own group is superior to a minoritized group, thereby justifying a higher societal position. This internalized sense of superiority can manifest in various ways within the context of post-secondary education:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Overconfidence in abilities<\/strong>: A student might enroll in an advanced course for which they lack prerequisites, believing they can grasp the content despite a lack of foundational knowledge. Similarly, a faculty member might apply for a leadership role within the institution with little administrative experience yet believes that they can learn on the job.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Misconception of equality<\/strong>: There may be a belief that all students have equal access to resources and opportunities, disregarding systemic biases and inequalities that may exist within the educational system.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Assumption of rational superiority<\/strong>: A student or faculty member might feel entitled to voice their opinion in academic discussions, under the assumption that their logic is superior to others\u2019 emotional responses.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThese examples illustrate how internalized dominance can subtly influence behaviors and attitudes within the higher education environment, often without the individual being consciously aware of it.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\n<p>Take a moment and reflect from your experience. Based on the social groups you belong to, what are some privileges that you take for granted?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Author and researcher Sensoy and D\u2019Angelo (2017) explored the concept of <strong>internalized dominance.<\/strong> This refers to the process of unconsciously absorbing and acting upon the pervasive cultural messages that suggest one\u2019s own group is superior to a minoritized group, thereby justifying a higher societal position. This internalized sense of superiority can manifest in various ways within the context of post-secondary education:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Overconfidence in abilities<\/strong>: A student might enroll in an advanced course for which they lack prerequisites, believing they can grasp the content despite a lack of foundational knowledge. Similarly, a faculty member might apply for a leadership role within the institution with little administrative experience yet believes that they can learn on the job.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Misconception of equality<\/strong>: There may be a belief that all students have equal access to resources and opportunities, disregarding systemic biases and inequalities that may exist within the educational system.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Assumption of rational superiority<\/strong>: A student or faculty member might feel entitled to voice their opinion in academic discussions, under the assumption that their logic is superior to others\u2019 emotional responses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These examples illustrate how internalized dominance can subtly influence behaviors and attitudes within the higher education environment, often without the individual being consciously aware of it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"menu_order":1,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-39","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":38,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/power-dynamics-postsecondary\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/39","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/power-dynamics-postsecondary\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/power-dynamics-postsecondary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/power-dynamics-postsecondary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/power-dynamics-postsecondary\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/39\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":140,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/power-dynamics-postsecondary\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/39\/revisions\/140"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/power-dynamics-postsecondary\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/38"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/power-dynamics-postsecondary\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/39\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/power-dynamics-postsecondary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/power-dynamics-postsecondary\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=39"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/power-dynamics-postsecondary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=39"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/power-dynamics-postsecondary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=39"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}