Harvard-educated psychologist and bestselling author Melanie Pleasure exposes the psychology that underlies all types of oppression and misuse as well as the belief system that gives rise to the psychology—which she phone calls powerarchy.

Melanie Joy had always been curious as to why people who were opposed to one or more types of oppression—such as racism, sexism, speciesism, and so forth—often stayed mired in many others. She also pondered why people who were working toward public justice sometimes involved in about Powerarchy: Understanding the Psychology of Oppression for Social Transformation social dynamics that were unjust. Or why people who respected independence and democracy might nevertheless vote and take action against these beliefs. Where was the disconnect?

In this thought-provoking analysis, Joy points out how we’ve all been deeply conditioned with the invisible program of powerarchy to trust within a hierarchy of moral value—to view some individuals and groups as either more or less worthy of moral consideration—and to treat them accordingly.

Powerarchy conditions us to engage in power dynamics that violate integrity and damage dignity, and it creates unjust power imbalances among social groups and between individuals. Joy identifies how powerarchies—both sociable and social—perpetuate themselves through cognitive distortions, such as for example denial and justification; narratives that reinforce the perception in a hierarchy of moral well worth; and privileges that are granted for some rather than others. She also provides equipment for transformation.

By illuminating powerarchy as well as the psychology it generates, Joy assists us to work more fully toward change for ourselves, others, and the world.