IDENTITY CHANGES

INTRODUCTION GOOD MORNING, GOEIE MORE, MOLWENI, MWARAMUTSE,NAMASTE WE GREET YOU WITH OUR INDIVIDUAL LANGUAGES THAT WE RELATE TO THE SELF AND AS A COMMUNITY WE ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER TO PRESENT TO YOU OUR VIEWS ON COMMUNITY, SELF AND IDENTITY. THIS PRESENTATION RELATES TO RACE, GENDER AND CLASSED HISTORIES THAT MAKES UP OUR COMMUNITIES.

INTRODUCTION IN THIS PRESENTATION, WE’LL BE DISCUSSING WHAT WE AS A GROUP HAVE COME TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT COMMUNITY, IDENTITY AND SELF THROUGH THE WORKSHOPS, READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS WE WILL ALSO LOOK AT ANY REMAININING QUESTIONS, TENSIONS AND CONTRADICTIONS LASTLY, WE’LL LOOK AT THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE ABOVE ON PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

NOTIONS OF COMMUNITY REFER TO PEOPLE IN A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHICAL AREA & TIME, A SOCIAL SYSTEM, TO A CONSTRUCTION OF A WAY OF LIFE OR TO A SOCIOPOLITICAL ORGANISATION SHARES COMMON RESOURCES, CULTURE, BACKGROUND (CRITIQUE) IT MAY BE AN ACTIVITY, E.G. A JOB ETHNIC IDENTIFICATION IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A PARTICULAR SIZE OR NUMBER OF PEOPLE

NOTIONS OF COMMUNITY (cont.) THE COMMUNITY AS THE DISADVANTAGED ‘THE NOTIONS OF COMMUNITY ASSUMES AN ORGANIC WHOLENESS’, (ANTHIAS AND YUVAL-DAVIS) ‘A COMMUNITY SPRINGS FROM THE PERSONAL IDENTITIES OF ITS MEMBERS' (Wiesenfeld, 1996). MY COMMUNITY, YOUR COMMUNITY

NOTIONS OF SELF AND IDENTITY Self: ‘A COLLECTION OF ATTRIBUTES, EXPERIENCES, THOUGHTS, MOTIVATIONS, ATTITUDES, FEELINGS, AND BEHAVIOUR THAT ONE IDENTIFIES PARTICULAR TO ONESELF [AND IS] SHAPED BY THOSE SOCIAL, CULTURAL, HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL FACTORS’ (KOPANO & DUNCAN, 2003) SELF IS EVER CHANGING

NOTIONS OF SELF AND IDENTITY (cont.) IDENTITY HOW I DEFINE WHO I AM FOCUSES ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL, PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL (DOMINELLI, 2002) IDENTITY CHANGES IT CAN BE A CHOICE OR GIVEN TO YOU

NOTIONS OF SELF AND IDENTITY (cont.) YOUR INTERACTIONS WITH OTHERS DETERMINES YOUR IDENTITY (DOMINELLI, 2002) WHO THEY ARE AND WHO OTHERS ARE IN RELATION TO THEMSELVES PEOPLE WITH SUPERIOR IDENTITIES BENEFIT FROM PEOPLE WITH INFERIOR IDENTITIES

REMAINING QUESTIONS, TENSIONS AND CONTRADICTIONS LAYMANS TERMS V.S PROFESSIONAL RHETORIC THEY NEED TO CATEGORISE COMPETITION HOW DO WE DETERMINE WHO IS AFRICAN, WHITE, COLOURED, INDIAN? WHY IS RACE STILL AN EXISTING FACTOR IN SOUTH AFRICA? HOW CAN WE BECOME A COUNTRY WITH NON RACIAL DISCRIMINATION?

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE SW, O.T AND PSY HAVE SAME PURPOSE OF WORKING WITH INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, GROUP AND COMMUNITY AND THEIR DEAL HOLISTIC APPROACH. BOTH PROFESSIONS HAVE THE SAME COMMON OBJECTIVES AND GOALS. SW IS A PROFESSION THAT PROMOTES IMPROVEMENT OF LIVING OF PEOPLE IN COMMUNITIES AND ENHANCES SOCIAL FUNCTIONING.

PROFESSION CONT…. PSY IS A PROFESSION THAT UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE BEHAVE THE WAY THEY DO AND HELP THEM TO LEAD MORE FULFILLING. O.T. IS A PROFESSION THAT PROMOTES INDIVIDUAL INDEPENDENCE IN LEVEL OF FUNCTION THROUGH MEANINGFUL ACTIVITIES OR OCCUPATIONS. SOCIAL WORK, COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AIMS TO SHARE POWER AND NOT TO OPPRESS CLIENT- WORKER POWER (CARNIOL) RECOGNISING DIFFERENCE: -AMONGST PROFESSIONALS -AMONGST CLIENTS SOCIAL WORKERS MUST PROTECT RIGHTS AND PROMOTE INTEREST OF SERVICE USERS (PARROTT, 2006) AS PROFESSIONS, WE SHOULD DO MORE RESEARCH WITHIN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT

References Ratele, K. & Duncan, N. (2003). Social Psychology: Identities and Relationships. Paarl: UCT Press Andersen, M.L. & Taylor, H.F. (2002). Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society. USA: Wadsworth Dominelli, L. (2002). Anti-oppressive Social Work Theory and Practice. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan Wiesenfeld, E. (1996). The concept of 'we': A Community Social Psychology Myth? Journal of Community Psychology, 24 (4),