Generalist Social Work Practice II

The concept of psychogeography represents a fascinating deviation from our cultural obsession with efficiency.  Defined as "the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals", psychogeography focuses on the effect weather, social interactions and the physical environment have on our mental and emotional selves (Debord, 1955).     How do certain places, landmarks, or geographical locations make us feel? The history behind psychogeography and its conception as a form of staunchly anti-capitalist "playing" via the Situationists of the '50's is interesting due to the fact that many of our societal expectations around productivity have not changed (Ridgway, 2014).  We still follow the same routines, day after day - we wake up, we make our living, we run errands, and then we go home.  We rarely deviate from the norm, especially when it comes to where we c...

Patricia St. Onge's (2013) text about cultural competency, privilege and practice on a larger scale has so may important lessons for us as social work students to remember as we progress through our educational programs.  I found her section on the various types of power particularly fascinating, especially since many of the ones listed are not ones we wield consciously.  Although she spent much of the piece discussing the importance of understanding culture as it pertains to a specific organization (i.e. a departmental ethos), I couldn't help but be reminded of my power and privilege from a broader, societal perspective.      It is my firm belief that every human being, particularly those born to privilege (i.e. white, cisgender, hetersexual, neurotypical individuals) should have the experience of being in the minority at least once in their lifetime.  (Preferably more than once, if the lesson is going to have a real opportunity to sink in....