Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul: A Pop-Psych Guide to Activism

By David Chase

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ocial Justice for the Sensitive Soul by Dorcas Cheng-Tozun unites self-help, psychological principles, and compellingly researched case studies of real-world activists who made a difference because of their creative strategies for working within the confines of their personalities to get things done.

Self-help may evoke a non-serious energy among professionals who may dismiss the tools the masses use to navigate their cognitive landscape, but if you accept it as an approximation of a mental reality, it can be enormously useful. This book is less a topographical map and more of a trail guide to the major landmarks and points of interest. Cheng-Tozun seems capable at navigating this terrain, but willing to patiently guide the newcomer through.

As a fairly demanding reader, I grew frustrated at times, wanting to know all that I needed to fix the issue of being a sensitive person in a public-facing role. However, the point of the book is to interrogate these preconceptions about what I should be and the need to fix myself to become the ideal activist.

I had to accept some imprecision to make progress through the book and its ideas; I had to be comfortable with not knowing the way my particular personality might be best suited to activism. In the book, the term highly sensitive person encompasses more than one cognitive inclination in people. Indeed, Cheng-Tozun observes that the individuals to whom her book is written are “part of three overlapping groups: the highly sensitive, the highly empathic, and the highly introverted.” These groups all belong to the category of HSP or highly sensitive persons.

The strength of this book geared toward a lay audience is that it can offer the reader two important things: an acknowledgement of their experience and a way forward.

Know Thyself

At the core of the book are narratives of historical agents of social change, such as Gandhi, and Nichelle Nichols (Uhura in Star Trek: The Original Series and part of the first televised interracial kiss opposite William Shatner).

Each of these narratives exemplifies a person who made a difference despite sensitivities to crowds, in-your-face protests, or to the plight of the oppressed.

In turn, the reader is prompted to evaluate the limits of their own personality and tolerances. Perhaps they cannot function as the face of a movement, but can advise or support others. Perhaps they can develop resilience for certain kinds of activism but not others.

The following quote from Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul captures the main thrust of the book: “Finding your own way in social justice work requires courage, creativity, wisdom, and an openness to possibility. It requires shaking off the unhealthy and unrealistic expectations of others. It asks us to embrace our differences as beautiful and our unique personalities and perspectives as gifts, rather than comparing ourselves to others.”

Perhaps the core tension of the book for me as a reader was how the author navigated the reality that there is a person behind social justice advocacy and change, but also a tremendous need that must be met. At times while reading, I wanted to dismiss the talk of my wants, needs, and particular personality traits as “fluff” in the face of the real needs of people in the world; but the point of the book is that this will make me less effective in bringing about change.

Cheng-Tozun writes that avoiding burnout and fatigue allows for sustainable advocacy: “As you consider what it is you want to do in the social justice sector, consider beginning with what you don’t want to do. What will cause you secondary trauma or empathy fatigue?”

Cheng-Tozun establishes the basic premise of the book in part one. The chapters in part two focus on who you want to work with, when in your life might be an appropriate season for activism of various types, where you should engage in this important work, and finally how to synthesize these various concerns into a comprehensive vision. The third part of the book identifies different roles in social justice work, and the book closes with a chapter focused on the “integrity of you.”

By the end, I was convinced that there is utility in considering who I am and what I can and can’t contribute in my current phase of life. The book offers practical questions at every step of the process to guide the reader in applying the ideas of the book. Through historical examples and aspirational brainstorming, the author guides the sensitive soul as a seasoned traveler would, skirting around dangers and along a well-laid path. By the end, the reader may well have the confidence and tools to chart their own unique course in engagement with social justice.

Photo courtosy of Broadleaf Books

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David Chase is a humanities professor who teaches world art and cultures. Additionally, he is the father of two kids who go on his art-viewing and other adventures. In his spare time, he goes birding, reads lots, and catches movies if he can!