INTERSECTIONALITY AND PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
I“I am large, I contain multitudes” –Walt Whitman
All people contain multitudes. A given person is more than one thing—not just older, not just Christian, not just Latina. So, how do you uncover and honor these multitudes? As a social worker, you will have the responsibility to know your client, acknowledge their intersectional identities, and advocate for them. You will also have the responsibility to understand how your own identities might influence you professionally—both the identities that are “seen” based on your appearance, and those that remain “unseen” but still inform your approach in subtle ways. In this Discussion, you first examine your many identities/cultural characteristics and then consider how these identities influence your professional identity and your social work practice with diverse clients.
To prepare:
Review the Learning Resources on intersectionality.
Access the Dominant and Non-Dominant Cultural Characteristics media in the Learning Resources. This interactive assessment prompts you to examine your own identities/characteristics and the extent to which they are dominant or non-dominant.
Reflect on this exercise and how your cultural characteristics might influence your professional identity and practice of social work.
Main Assignment
Reflect on your cultural characteristics. Explain how findings from the Dominant and Non-Dominant Cultural Characteristics self-assessment might influence your professional identity as a social worker.
Explain how these cultural characteristics might influence your social work practice with clients who are both similar and different from you.
Reflection
Identify two strengths in some other cultural identities/characteristics that could help your classmate in their social work practice.Chapter 11, “Religion, Spirituality, and Indigenous Methods of Healing” (pp. 302–310 only)Download Chapter 11, “Religion, Spirituality, and Indigenous Methods of Healing” (pp. 302–310 only)
Sue, D. W., Rasheed, M. N., & Rasheed, J. M. (2016). Multicultural social work practice: A competency based approach to diversity and social justice (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Credit line: Multicultural Social Work Practice: A Competency-Based Approach to Diversity and Social Justice, 2nd Edition by Sue, D.; Rasheed, M.; Rasheed, J. Copyright 2016 by John Wiley & Sons. Reprinted by permission of John Wiley & Sons via the Copyright Clearance Center. Licensed in 2023.
Reid, S. (n.d.). Ageism and age discrimination.Links to an external site. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/aging-issues/ageism-and-age-discrimination.htm
Walden University, LLC. (n.d.). Dominant and non-dominant cultural characteristicsLinks to an external site. [Interactive media]. https://cdn-media.waldenu.edu/2dett4d/Walden/SOCW/…
World Health Organization. (2021, March 19). Age doesn’t define youLinks to an external site. [Video]. YouTube. INSTRUCTIONS
The first step to becoming a culturally competent and humble social worker is to examine yourself, including awareness of your own diverse identities, cultural characteristics, values, beliefs, and biases. The “ADDRESSING-GSA Self-Assessment” asks you to reflect on and share your own cultural identity based on twelve specific cultural dimensions, or characteristics, in order to increase your self-awareness. Please review the Learning Resources for more detail on each characteristic.
A: Age and generational influences;
D: Developmental or other disability;
R: Religion and spiritual orientation;
E: Ethnic and racial identity;
S: Social class;
S: Sexual/affectional/romantic orientation;
I: Indigenous backgrounds;
N: National origin;
G: Gender identity;
G: Gender expression;
S: Size; A: Assigned sex at birth/biological sex;
After identifying each of your cultural characteristics, consider each in relation to the structure of power where YOU live. Dominant cultural characteristics and non-dominant cultural characteristics vary based on where the person lives. The assessment below has examples for dominant and non-dominant groups, but these might look different for you. For example, people of Asian heritage are considered a minority group in the United States but are not a minority group in China. Based on where you live, consider whether each of your cultural characteristics is closer to the dominant side or non-dominant side of the spectrum based on societal standards.
The “ADDRESSING-GSA Self-Assessment” is a great tool to use with clients in social work practice, as well. The assessment helps clients increase self-awareness of their own identities in relation to societal expectations.
Under each cultural characteristic, adjust the white slider box to correspond with your identity and the structure of power where you live. Select whether each of your characteristics is dominant, somewhat dominant, neutral, somewhat non-dominant, or non-dominant. After completing this exercise, you’ll be able to download a pdf copy of your responses.
ADDRESSING-GSA SELF-ASSESSMENT
DOMINANT GROUP
CULTURAL CHARACTERISTIC
NON-DOMINANT GROUP
Adults
AGE
Children, Adolescents, Elders
Temporarily able-bodied
DISABILITY
Persons with Disabilities
Christian and Secular
RELIGION / SPIRITUALITY
Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and other minority religions
Euro-American
ETHNIC / RACIAL IDENTITY
People of Color
Upper and Middle Class
SOCIAL CLASS
People of Lower-Class Status
Heterosexual Persons
SEXUAL / AFFECTIONAL ORIENTATION
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Asexual, Demi-Sexual, Queer, Pansexual Persons
Non-Native
INDIGENOUS BACKGROUNDS
First Nations, American Indians, Inuit, Alaska Natives, Métis, Native Hawaiians, New Zealand Māori, Aboriginal Australians
U.S. born
NATIONAL ORIGIN
Immigrants & Refugees Documented/Undocumented
Man
GENDER IDENTITY
Woman, Trans, Intersex, Non-binary, Genderqueer, Two-Spirit, Agender
Masculine
GENDER EXPRESSION
Feminine, Agender, Genderqueer
Athletic, lower body fat SIZE
Higher body fat
Male
ASSIGNED SEX AT BIRTH
Female, Intersex
HOME START OVER DOWNLOAD PDF SECOND ASSESSMENT
Addressing Cultural Complexities in Practice: Assessment, Diagnosis, and Therapy, 2nd Edition by Hays, Pamela. Copyright 2008 by American Psychological Association. Reprinted by permission of American Psychological Association via the Copyright Clearance Center.
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