Why:
As social work practitioners and scholars you have, and will, work with a variety of people from a variety of social contexts. It is imperative that we develop a sense of awareness and consciousness of who we are to proactively address biases and/or assumptions that could impact our practice and the people we serve.
From the lens of research, positionality is one’s stance in “relation to the social and political context of the study – the community, the organization or the participant” (Coghlan & Brydon-Miller, 2014). As a reflexive exercise, understanding one’s positionality entails exploring the social and political context that creates your identity in terms of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, ability status, and other characteristics. The purpose of creating a positionality statement is to enhance your understanding of your own biases and assumptions which will aid in enhancing your transparency as a researcher.
What:
For this assignment you will briefly describe an area of practice/social problem of interest to you. Then discuss your own positionality in relation to this practice/social problem.
Your positionality statement is a reflexive writing exercise in which you will examine your own beliefs, judgments, and practices in relation to your area of research.
Explore the following questions:
What personal characteristics that define your social position?
What characteristics orient you in society?
How do you define yourself?
How has your awareness of these characteristics and their impact changed over time?
How are your personal characteristics sources of power and privilege?
How are your personal characteristics sources of marginalization and disadvantage?
What does the recognition of the power that you have mean as a social work practitioner?
How do your characteristics confer power, privilege, or marginalization?
How do your characteristics intersect with each other to create your unique viewpoint?
How to you protect from reinforcing the social context from which you come in your work?
Synthesize this information in a summary of your own positionality in relation to the practice/social problem you selected
Here are links to help assist:
INFO:
I am a white male who is Bi-sexual and has a partner. I live in a town that is “Good ole boys” mindset and they are not very open to LGBTQIA. I have had to hide my identity and struggled to feel like myself due to being judged or not being able to be a therapist due to being part of the LGBTQIA. I am adopted from Romania. I am a clinical SOcial Worker and I provide therapy. I live in COrydon, IN
You can add anything else you want to the information. Please make it reflective and follow the APA 7th and Rubric to the T. She grades hard. Thank you for everything.
