Counterspaces: A Unit of Analysis for Understanding the Role of Settings in Marginalized Individuals’ Adaptive Responses to Oppression

Research and theory on the intervening variables that enable individuals who experience marginalization and oppression to
achieve well-being have historically relied on an individual level of analysis. Yet, there is a growing body of literature
that highlights the roles that contexts play in facilitating processes that result in wellness among marginalized individuals.
This paper proposes a conceptual framework that highlights a specific type of setting, referred to as “counterspaces,” which
promotes the psychological well-being of individuals who experience oppression. Counterspaces are theorized to enhance well-being
by challenging deficit-oriented societal narratives concerning marginalized individuals’ identities. The conceptual frame
proposed here suggests that “challenging” can occur through at least three processes: (1) narrative identity work, (2) acts
of resistance, and (3) direct relational transactions. This paper articulates each of these challenging processes. Additionally,
the utility of using the Counterspaces framework for thinking critically about and investigating how settings—and the transactional
processes that unfold within them—are associated with the promotion of psychological wellness for various marginalized populations
is discussed.