Dear David,
Yes; the whole field of health and social care research and education is beset with patronising assumptions, tragedy models; and protective (and protectionist) rather than liberating/ empowering values , which we need to challenge and try to overturn... Research ethics committees are currently designed to "protect" "vulnerable " people and so inevitably new researchers are pushed to ask questions about how best to conduct theor research in ways which meet those ethics committees requirements. I'd like to see those "vulnerable"people who are interested in research having active roles in research ethics commitees so that they can start to overturn and question some of the hidden and usually well-intentioned protective values. "vulnerable people" could come up with challenging research processes perhaps by ithemselves working together to investigate us professionals who wield usually well-meaning but often just self-serving oppressive and abusive power. And we need to challenge the "them and us" divide that still persists and which recent emails on this list have been addressing. How can all stakeholders/ members of communities affected by the issues under investigation work together in partnership with mutual respect for different skills and knowledges to investigate questions/ topics/actions that those with less power want addressing? How can we develop systems which enable all of us whether our salient identites are professional or non-professional, to acknowledge that we all have both strengths and vulnerabilities? There are alternative frameworks which you of course David you know about but others may not.. such as for example the work of those who promote social models of disability such as Colin Barnes, and there is work which questions and challenges the medical/ psychological model ethical frameworks in research. And participatory approaches, eg participatory appraisal, while not by any means having gone all of the way in enabling the sorts of reflexivity and praxis you are referring to, do provide one start of a framework from which to try to unpick some of the assumptions and habits that traditional psycho-social education imbues most psy- professionals with .
Annie
-----Original Message-----
From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List on behalf of David Fryer
Sent: Mon 31/07/2006 14:54
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Interviewing "vulnerable" people
Dear Carl and all,
Regarding:
"Has anyone got any material or references regarding interviewing
vulnerable people? It is regarding a research project in which service
users are being interviewed regarding their experiences in the Mental
Health System. Anything relevant would be appreciated."
From the perspective of a (critical) community psychology list, isn't
the concept of 'vulnerable people' problematic? Isn't the notion of
'vulnerable people' potentially individualistic and victim blaming in
that the notion of vulnerability displaces attention from the 'predator'
to the 'prey' and locates the cause of and responsibility for being the
prey in the victim's weakness. Mary Boyle said something similar long
ago and much more elegantly in an interesting paper.
Rather than saying (some) elderly people in care homes are vulnerable,
should we, at least, be saying that (some) people having access to
elderly people in care homes are abusive.
However on a (critical) community psychology list like this, shouldn't
we be going beyond the individual and interpersonal to say (at least)
that the way power is structured in our society facilitates the abuse of
elderly people in care homes?
When it comes to service users' experience of the mental health system,
rather than talking about 'vulnerable' people, shouldn't we be talking
(at least) of oppressive mental health service providers?
But of course many psychologists are themselves mental health service
providers so instead of talking about 'vulnerable' service users,
shouldn't we (at least) reflexively be considering the way power is
structured to facilitate abuse of service users by ourselves and how we
deploy those powers?
And of course many psychologists are themselves researchers and research
also (especially?) positions people in terms of power, the interview no
less than other methods.
So, on a (critical) community psychology list like this, rather than
talking and thinking about how to 'interview vulnerable service users',
shouldn't we be talking and thinking about how to problemetise research
methods, including interviewing, as a means of creating and maintaining
dempowerment which facilitates oppressive behaviour by ourselves and
rethinking the whole project?
David
David Fryer
Community Psychology Group
University of Stirling
FK9 4LA
Scotland
+44 (0) 1786 467650 (tel)
+44 (0) 1786 467641 (fax)
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Harris Carl (R3)
BCH
Sent: 25 July 2006 15:45
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Interviewing "vulnerable" people
Hello Everybody
I have had a request for information and thought that
you would be an ideal group to pass the request on to.
"Has anyone got any material or references regarding
interviewing vulnerable people? It is regarding a research project in
which service users are being interviewed regarding their experiences in
the Mental Health System. Anything relevant would be appreciated."
I think this piece of work will include members of
minority ethnic groups.
Many thanks to all
Carl
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