Our time together 12/16/2013. Questions guiding our time together

Transcription

1 Fish Do Not See the Water They Swim In: Understanding the Subtle Impact of an Aggressive Society on Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Services Selena E. Sermeño, Ph.D Our time together 15 minutes for introductions, sharing and setting the stage 30 minutes for didactic presentation, including a brief video 30 minutes for a reflective and experiential exercise 15 minutes for questions and closing Questions guiding our time together How do we define and interpret concepts such as violence, aggression, dignity, shame, virtue and humiliation? How do we learn to see the air we breath? How do we measure the cumulative impact of unacknowledged violence on our way of relating to our work as human services providers? How much awareness do we share about violence consumption and exposure? 1

2 Questions guiding our time together What constitutes aggression? What are its different types? How do we perpetuate it in the name of good? How does constant exposure to trauma related stories impact our capacity for healing? How can virtues such as hope, empathy, gratitude, forgiveness and compassion bring about social, emotional and physical health? Hopes for our time together To think outside the box when it comes to understanding the impact of violence on our work as human services providers; To explore the link between traumatic events, technology and our sensitivity towards each other within our professional roles? To explore the role of human virtues, such as compassion, gratitude and patience in mitigating the impact of daily unacknowledged aggression in our professional lives; Theoretical background guiding our discussion Reflective practice Neurobiology of trauma and fear Intersectionality Historical violence Ecological models of human development Technology and violence transmission Philosophy of human values 2

3 Ecological Theory of Development When you look at research on human development with your eyes wide open, you find rarely, if ever, a simple cause and effect relationship. Cause and effect relationships are always shaped and conditioned by culture, society, community, sex, race, ethnicity, and historical period James Garbarino, Ph.D Ecological models of aggression How is our understanding of violence shaped and conditioned by culture, society, community, sex, race, ethnicity, and historical period? Could this understanding lead us into more supportive personal and professional relationships? Could this understanding impact how we relate to our work with maltreated children? Assumptions We must understand our own conditioning when it comes to living in an aggressive society. We do not always see aggression in our daily lives We must think of violence as a construct beyond physical harm and behavior We can make our work lives better by reconnecting with positive virtues within and among ourselves 3

4 The Cultural Genogram A tool inviting us to reflect upon the impact of our ancestry on our capacity to relate to differences, overcome difficulties, develop resiliency, and act out of moral courage. Cultural Genogram Developed by Drs Ken Hardy and Tracey Laszloffy, sociologists and family therapists at Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY. Developed with the goal of increasing cultural competency among those of us working in multicultural settings. Developed to help us distinguish between cultural awareness, cultural sensitivity and cultural competency. Crucial in understanding intergenerational attitudes towards violence and aggression The Cultural Genogram helps us: Understand the many ways our roots and upbringing expand or impede our capacity for compassion. Understand the many ways our roots and cultures impact our understanding of violence 4

5 Organizing Principles Responses to events affecting entire societies, families or other groups. Every country, families, has experienced them. Usually historical. events causing a shift in ways of thinking. Events which can lead to rigidity and positional thinking. Sept. 11 th in the USA, the Holocaust, Rwandan Genocide, Intifada, Sunami, Pakistani Floods, Civil wars, great depression, drug war, civil war, etc. Organizing Principles about Violence and Aggression Shape behaviors Shape attitudes and beliefs Pass down from one generation to another Often unexamined Impact voice Have a neurological impact Hold the reasons for many of our behaviors Organizing Principles, cont Often lead to taboo subjects about violence within cultures and families At the family level, can become family secrets Can become the elephant in the room Can be changed 5

6 Cultural Awareness Primarily a cognitive function; an individual becomes conscious of a thought or action and processes it intellectually. Knowledge of the facts about another group Can lead to feelings of expertise about someone else or a sense of tolerance of others Can lead to arrogance and rigidity about one group Can be acquired through someone else s experience, i.e. translators, teachers, books, etc. Self Knowledge of Culture What do we know about our own social, individual and cultural histories of violence? What attitudes have we been given about trauma, abuse, misfortune, weapons, crime, reconciliation, etc.? What do we know about the carriers of virtues such as gratitude, compassion and kindness in our own family histories? Who are we culturally? We are more than rituals and traditions We must know ourselves culturally in relation to violence done to other groups as well as our own? We must understand there is violence and aggression in passivity. We must understand the relationship between how a culture treats children, women and animals and its acceptance of violence. 6

7 Cultural Sensitivity An affective capacity. The ability to respond to differences with delicacy and respectfulness. The capacity to emotionally attach or form bonds with those different from ourselves. The capacity to walk in the midst of suffering without attachment to one s positions. The capacity to be respectfully curious and invite dialogue. Cultural Sensitivity, cont. The capacity to tolerate strong feelings in order to learn from another. The capacity to respect the suffering of another, whose values and behaviors may be the polar opposite of ours. The capacity to engage in the discovery of different truths. The capacity to understand our own cultural background and how such impacts the bonds we create with others different from ourselves. Cultural Sensitivity = dignity Dignity=health and support 7

8 Dignity From the Latin word Digna meaning to be worthy of recognition, respect, basic rights, and belonging by simply being born. Humiliation To be made invisible To shame To eliminate voice To rejoice at someone else s suffering To expose To denigrate Experiences of humiliation are closely related to future violence Voice Our inner thoughts, our message to the world, to each other. Our interpretations of our life history Our opinions Our deepest longings Our desire to belong Not only verbal 8

9 Voice and Fear Consider how fear impacts: Verbal and non verbal expression Recollection of an event Limits creative thinking Limits options Affects health Violence shuts down voice Questions for Reflection What historical events involving violence most likely affected your grandparents on either side of your parents? Out of those historical events, which ones caused the humiliation or empowerment of another group? How did your ancestors discuss issues of violence and aggression? Trauma A blow, an intense threat to our well being or that of our loved ones. Old paradigm: unanticipated, single event, sudden Current paradigm: chronic, anticipated, multiple events, vicarious 9

10 Trauma and the brain Speech center impact = Wernicke and Broca Impact on capacity to recall information Impact on affect Impact on moral judgment Impact on life s meaning Younger the brain, the worse its impact Aggression, humiliation, lack of self awareness and invisibility go hand in hand The International Network for the Study of Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies. How do we know we are making a difference? Case examples Listening beyond words Catching and exposing acts of kindness Are our hearts expanding, numbing or distancing? How is our gratitude meter? What are we learning from our client stories? Do we recognize and contribute to each other s resilience? 10

11 AWAKENING AT SOME POINT, YOU LL BE ASKED TO LOVE THE UNLOVANBLE, FORGIVE THE UNFORGIVABLE, AND BEAR THE UNBEARABLE AND THE REWARD WILL BE THE PURE JOY IN FINALLY BELIEVING THE UNBELIEVABLE. THESE ARE THE CONDITIONS FOR YOUR AWAKENING. 11