Blog Three
Instrumentalism is when the superiors needs define the inferior’s purpose. This is when those on the lower side of the dualism put their needs aside for the masters and need to do anything necessary to please the master or centre. They are considered a good citizen or worker based on the needs or interpretation of the master. The inferior’s tasks and goals all depend on the superior’s needs.
This power defines the normative mode of existence in culture because the inferior’s have to live their lives based on the superior’s needs. The superior’s needs are a common task the inferior’s have to fulfill because they fear that they will be judged morally if they do not follow the superior’s standards. They do no get praised for following superiority however they do get judged for not following.
This particular mode of existence interferes with how we act as humans because of the social standards we have to follow. It can definitely limit the way we do gender as power. For example, if a married woman is well-educated and desires to pursue a career in business but her husband works full time and wants her to stay at home as a house wife she will be looked down upon if she chooses to work. Her superior in this case, her husband, needs her to stay at home so she feels obligated to do that because the consequences of her working will be bad whereas if she puts her needs aside to please the master in their house, everything will be okay. Often times, this can be a way to understand gender in the working life, why some women with well-educated backgrounds choose to stay at home rather than work.