What is a person? · Janice (chaplain and social worker): Every little positive effort everyone makes to understand [and love] others, especially people who feel dehumanised is worthwhile.

Faculty of Arts and EducationMonica Short [email protected]

What is a person?

By Monica Short, Karen Dempsey, Janice Ackland, Emma Rush, Eric

Heller and Helen Dwyer.


'As manuhiri I would like to start this talk by paying respect to the mana whenua of

Auckland. That is the Ngati Whatua iwi and the hapu of Ngati Whatua ki Orakei'.


Purpose The purpose of this research is to clarify the ambiguity around ‘personhood’ within field education environments using dialogue between the fields of social work, sociology, philosophy, chaplaincy and theology and with additional reference to the approach of NonViolent (sic) Communication.

What is a person?Research question:


Aim• To present a

multidisciplinary perspective about personhood.

• To deepen students’ and colleagues’ understanding of the person in person-centred and other personalisation approaches. Photo by artist Raymond Howes


Mind the gap

Addresses a gap which occasionally occurs in literature and education, that is the lack of reference to the person on whom the approaches are centred.

Mind the gap by artist Raymond Howes


Literature reviewBurning BrightSometimes I picture myselfLike a candle.I used to be a candle about eight feet tall-burning bright.Now every day I lose a little bit of me.Someday the candle will bevery small.But the flame will bejust as bright.(Noon, 2003, as cited in Benson & Killock, 2004).

Photo by artist Jan Stead


Social work• Liberation of people.• Regarding some

social work literature, any understanding of what constitutes a person or a human being appears often to be assumed, as these terms are consistently used without specific definition. Photo by artist Raymond Howes


Critical thinking activity

Think of a time when you were with a group of people and that group made you feel important as a person and that your opinion counted. What did it feel like?


Methodology

• Co-operative inquiry.• Six inquirers

(participants) • Multi-disciplinary

approach: social work, sociology, theology, chaplaincy, philosophy and NonViolence (sic).

Figure 1: Co-operative inquiry phases (Short & Healy, 2017)


• Disconnection approach to humanity

versus • Connection (secular

human rights)approach to humanity

• Connection (essential spirituality) approach to humanity

Theme 1: Humanity and Personhood



Theme 2: The Importance of Love for Upholding PersonhoodJanice (chaplain and social worker): Every little positive effort everyone makes to understand [and love] others, especially people who feel dehumanised is worthwhile. In prison… A Christian program made the women attending all [personalised] placemats. A young woman looked at [her placemat with her] name and its meaning, all nicely decorated. Tears flowed. She said ‘often I have not been called by my name’. She listed the expletives others often have called her.


Theme 3: A Person-centred Approach Transforms Practice and Field Education

It ensures that the person (i.e., the service user) is central to any action, is listened to by workers and students, and has power in the relationship (Beresford et al., 2011, p. 355).


Theme 4: A Person Is and Is Always Becoming a PersonWe argue it is important that practitioners and students do not limit views of personhood to one feature or isolate people’s personhood to one or a few stages of life. We argue that all people have purpose and are interconnected within society and that personhood is expressed in community.


Limitations

• Inquiry is small • Reflects a

discursive moment in time

• Community of like minded colleagues

• Does not represent the full spectrum of thinking



Recommendations• Students on placement access cross-disciplinary

resources about personhood, particularly on the connected views of personhood.

• Students undertake activities that encourage them to listen to the voices of people receiving assistance, observe their lived realities and then explore these experiences in supervision and assessment tasks.

• Encourage students to explicitly define personhood and to develop relevant skills, such as those embedded in the NonViolentcommunication model.


Celebrate the inherent dignity, worth and autonomy

of every person. (Australian Association of Social Workers, 2010, p.12)

Photo by artist Jan SteadPhoto by artist Raymond Howes


ReferencesAASW. (2010). Code of Ethics. Canberra: AASW.AASW. (2012). Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS) 2012 Guideline 1.2: Guidance on field education programs. Retrieved 10/12/14, 2014, from https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/3553ANZSASW. (2007). ANZASW code of ethics booklet. Retrieved 20/7/16, 2016, from http://anzasw.nz/wp-content/uploads/Code-of-Ethics.pdfAudi, R. (2016). Means, Ends and Persons: The Meaning and Psychological Dimensions of Kant’s Humanity Formula. Oxford, UK: Oxford Uni Press.Barth, K. (2017). The digital Karl Barth library - Church Dogmatics. Retrieved 2/2/17, 2017, from http://solomon.dkbl.alexanderstreet.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/cgi-bin/asp/philo/dkbl/getobject.pl?c.829:1.barthBASW. (2014). The code of ethics for social work. Retrieved 20/7/16, 2016, from http://cdn.basw.co.uk/upload/basw_95243-9.pdfBattye, P., & Slee, P. T. (1985). The demise of the person in social work. Australian Social Work, 38(4), 23-29. Benson, S., & Killock, J. (2004). Creativity in dementia care calendar. London: Hawker.Beresford, P., Fleming, J., Glynn, M., Bewley, C., Croft, S., Branfield, F., & Postle, K. (2011). Supporting people: Towards a person-centred approach. Bristol: The Policy Press.Bonhoeffer, D. (2016). Deitrich Bonheoffer: Who am I? Retrieved 23/1/17, 2017Bosch, D. J. (2010). Transforming mission: Paradigm shifts in theology of mission. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books.Buechler, S. M. (2011). Understanding social movements: Theories from the classical era to the present. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.Burnside, J. (2015). Manus Island: What will it take to shock us? Opinion. The Drum. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-23/burnside-manus-island:-what-will-it-take-to-shock-us/6031334Cameron, A. (2014). Living in the next phase : Developing the theology , practice and ministries of later life. Sydney, NSW: ADM Ltd.


Chase, J., & Renyolds, J. (2011 (2014 imprint)). Analytic versus continental: Arguments on the methods and value of philosophy. London, UK: Routledge.Fell, N. (2006). Gladys Wilson and Naomi Feil Retrieved 16/9/16, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrZXz10FcVMGarvey, J., & Stangroom, J. (2012). The story of philosophy: A history of western thought. London, UK: Quercus Editions.Hauerwas, S. (2015). The work of theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.Healy, J., Tillotson, N., Short, M., & Hearn, C. (2015). Social work field education: Believing in supervisors who are living with disabilities. Disability and Society, 30(7), 1087-1102. Hiebert, P. G. (2004). Anthropological insights for missionaries. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.International Federation of Social Work. (2014). Global definition of social work (from 2014). Retrieved 12/1/15, 2015, from http://ifsw.org/policies/definition-of-social-work/Jones-Mutton, T., Short, M., Bidgood, T., & Jones, T. (2015). Field education: Off-site social work supervision in rural, regional and remote Australia. Advances in Social Work & Welfare Education, 17(1), 83-97. Kierkegaard, S. (1987). Either/or Part 11. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.Kitwood, T. (2007). Dementia reconsidered: The person comes first. Buckingham: Open University Press.Lupton, D. (2015). Digital Sociology. London, UK: Routledge.MacKinlay, E. (2001). The spiritual dimension of ageing. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.Mandela, N. (2013). Long walk to freedom. London: Hachette Digital.McCarthy, J. R. (2012). The powerful relational language of family: Togetherness, belonging and personhood. The Sociological review, 60(1), 68-90. Moran, M. (1986). A drop in the bucket: A Mount Margaret story. Box Hill: United Aborigines Mission.NASWSA. (2012). Core Values. Retrieved 20/7/16, 2016, from http://www.naswsa.co.za/values.htmlNew International Version. (2011). Holy Bible: Biblica Inc.Patterson, S. (2016). Disability and the theology of the 4-D person. In A. Picard & M. Habets (Eds.), Theology and the experience of disability: Interdisciplinary perspectives from voices down under (pp. 9-20). London: Routledge Francis & Taylor Group.Press, E. (2016). Madness. New York Times, p. Online. Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/05/02/the-torturing-of-mentally-ill-prisoners


Ramos-Zyas, A. Y. (2012). Street therapist: Race, Affect and Neoliberal Personhood in Latino Newark. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Reason, P. (2002). Editorial introduction: The practice of co-operative inquiry. Systemic Practice and Action Research, 13(3), 169-176. Reason, P., & Heron, J. (2013). A short guide to co-operative inquiry. from www.human-inquiry.com/cishortg.htmRomero, M. J. (2012). Aquinas on the Corporis Infirmatas: Broken flesh and the grammar of grace. In B. Brock & J. Swinton (Eds.), Disability in the Christian tradition: A reader (pp. 101-151). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.Rosenberg, M. (2012). Living nonviolent communication practical tools to connect and communicate skillfully in every situation. Louisville, Colorado: Sounds True.Rosenberg, M. (2015). Nonviolent communication : A language of life (3rd ed.). Encinitas, California: Puddle Dancer Press.Samson, P. (2014). Practice wisdom: The art and science of social work. Journal of Social Work Practice :Psychotherapeutic Approaches in Health, Welfare and the Community, 29(2), 119-131. Sanderson, H., & Lewis, J. (2012). Delivering personalisation: Person-centred practice in health and social care. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.SASW. (2004). Code of professional ethics. Retrieved 20/7/16, 2016, from http://www.sasw.org.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=209&Itemid=210Short, M., & Healy, J. (2017). Writing 'with' not 'about': Examples in Co-operative Inquiry In S. Gair & A. V. Luyun (Eds.), Sharing Qualitative Research: Showing Lived Experience and Community Narratives (pp. 188-203). London: Routledge.Singer, P. (2011). Practical ethics. New York: Cambridge University Press.Swinton, J. (2012). Dementia, Living in the Memories of God. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. .Swinton, J. (2012). Dementia: Living in the memories of God. Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.The Centre for NonViolent Communication. (2016). Founder. Retrieved 19/5/17, 2017, from https://www.cnvc.org/about/marshall-rosenberg.htmlThe Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. (2017). Humanitarian work played an important part in the Princess' life, both at home and abroad. . Retrieved 13/3/17, 2017, from http://www.dianaprincessofwalesmemorialfund.org/humanitarian-workUnited Nations. (1948). The universal declaration of human rights. Retrieved 24/11/14, 2014, from http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtmlWannenwetsch, B. (2012). My strength is made perfect in weakness: Bonhoeffer and the war over disabled life. In B. Brock & J. Swinton (Eds.), Disability in the Christian tradition: A reader (pp. 353 - 390). Cambridge: Win. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.Williams, S. J. (2010). The biopolitics of chronic illness: Biology, power and personhood. In G. Scambler & S. Scambler (Eds.), New directions in sociology of chronic and disability conditions: Assaults on the lifeworld. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave MacMillan.Zuchowski, I., Hudson, C., Bartlett, B., & Diamandi, S. (2014). Social work field education in Australia: Sharing practice wisdom and reflection. Advances in Social Work & Welfare Education, 16(1), 67-80.


Questions and chat time

Photo by artist Raymond Howes

What is a person? · Janice (chaplain and social worker): Every little positive effort everyone makes to understand [and love] others, especially people who feel dehumanised is worthwhile.

Documents