Identity Reflection

989 Words2 Pages

Conversations surrounding identity are vital to the success of a social worker. Our personal identities have the ability to influence how we interact with clients, especially those from cultures and races that are different from our own. As individuals, we create our own beliefs and values but through the process of self-reflection and self - exploration we are able to develop an understanding of ourselves and our own true beliefs. 1. The writing I am reflecting on is presented by Michael Spencer and the thesis is that “in order to create social change and to promote social justice, we must begin this process with ourselves” (Spencer, 2008). The recurring concepts of social justice, privilege and oppression throughout this writing, surround …show more content…

There are many aspects of identity and just as Spencer (2001) suggested, the idea of identity and privilege is more than just identifying my ethnicity, but it is also includes gender, sexual orientation, class, religion and abled bodied status identities, all of which Spencer (2008) declared he possessed. Yes, I identify as a young, black woman, all inferior and dehumanizing characteristics to most, but growing up on the island of Bermuda, I lived in a two – parent home, a privilege that unfortunately some of my clients may not experience in the future. Fortunate for me, my family provided for me and I never went without, another privilege that sadly some do not have. Living in Bermuda, I have never had to be consciously aware of my skin colour, and it’s unfortunate but my reality. I have never had to identify as me against them and this writing is directly related to what I am experiencing now while living in the United …show more content…

In the future, this article will affect my future practice in social work because from this article I got the impression that it is important to focus on diversity and having an appreciation for the uniqueness of my future clients. It’s the idea of working with clients who are being oppressed because of the characteristics of their identity. In a society, the issues of social justice are usually as direct result of the rules of the society that are generally created by those of higher power and privilege. Clients are impacted at the societal level because of laws that perpetuate their oppressive status. Knowing and understanding this injustice allows me to advocate for change because it’s about respect and upholding dignity for a

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