Thinking Critically About the Person-in-Society: Towards a Model of Reflexivity in Social Work Stan Houston

Reflecting on Reflexivity Reflect on this scenario: ‘A middle aged, white, male social worker undertakes a piece of life-history work with a young, black, female child from an emotionally insecure and socially deprived background’ How might the actors’ very different personal and social characteristics affect their interaction?

What is Reflexivity? Reflexivity is the process by which we reflect on our own and other people’s personal and social characteristics, how they differ and coalesce, and shape the social interaction between us

Reflexivity and Modernity Reflexivity is also a tool for reflecting on how people’s private troubles are linked to wider socio-economic processes under modernity

Overview of the Presentation How the model was developed What the model comprises

How the Model was Developed NISCC/ Degree Partnership Conference – 2011 Tender to evaluate the model Focus group research Reaching an agreed iteration of the model

Key Sources Houston, S. (2015). Enabling others in social work: Reflexivity and the Theory of Social Domains. Critical and Radical Social Work, 3(2), 245-260. Houston, S. (2015). Enabling others in social work: A review of the reflexive framework. Critical and Radical Social Work (published on line). Houston, S. (2015). Reflective Practice: A model for supervision and practice in social work. (monograph) Belfast: NISCC.

Applications Practice learning Supervision Coaching Mentoring Consultation

The Domains Relationship Power Power Power Power Psycho-Biography Organisation Politics/ Economy Culture Power Power Power Power

The Domain of Psycho-Biography The life-course Emotion Narratives Identity

Connections

The Domain of Relationship Attachment Recognition Identity Stability/Security Projection/ Transference

Connections

The Domain of Culture The material The symbolic Morality Culture and power Xenophobia Scapegoating

Connections

The Domain of Organizations Bureaucracy Management Risk Regulation McDonaldization

Connections

The Domain of Politics/Economy Neo-liberalism, the State and Modernity Commodification Inequality Individualism Psychological reductionism

Connections

Power Power circulates through all of the domains Power comes from the ‘top-down’, ‘bottom-up’ and ‘horizontally out’ Power operates symbolically Power affects knowledge and ideology Power is enabling and constraining Power leads to the unequal distribution of resources (monetary, status, symbolic, educational)

To summarise so far…. Psycho-Biography Relationship Culture Organisations Politics/Economy

Themes within Domains Psycho-biography Relationship Culture Organization Politico-Economy Narrative Identity Emotion Life-course Attachment Family Recognition Stability/Security Projection/ Transference Symbols Meaning Difference Xenophobia Scapegoating Bureaucracy Management Regulation Risk McDonaldization Neoliberalism Globalization Commodification Individualism Psychological reductionism

Application within Supervision Supervisor and supervisee apply the domains to themselves outside of supervision Supervisor and supervisee consider how the domains shape interaction during supervision Supervisor and supervisee apply the domains to tune into the service user’s needs and plan the social work process before intervention commences Supervisor and supervisee apply the domains to reflect on the supervisee’s engagement with the service user following supervision Supervisor and supervisee review the learning from this process

Anti-Oppressive Practice Summary Reflexivity Accurate Empathy Anti-Oppressive Practice