Theory
The Ego-Oriented Intervention with diverse and Oppressed Populations is premised within the growing appreciations and recognition of various individual and societal dynamics and diversities that entail race, ethnicity, and culture among other variables. Judith, J Beck (1995) adds that the premise within which the model is placed has also been significantly shaped by the impact of factors such as sexism, racisms, and homophobia among other factors. The ego-oriented intervention model has thus seen the incorporation of the significance and recognition of these variables and factors in its thrust at unraveling social therapy for an individual in a diverse and oppressed populace.
The theory has been modeled and tailored to suffice for the social therapy interventions of, particularly special populations. Practitioners employing this model have indicated particulate individualized comprehension of the needs and concerns of the subjects upon which the social therapy model is being applied. The oppressed populations herein are referred to entail homosexuals, blacks, and women; the list is far from exhaustive.
Principles have been presented with regards to the application of the ego-oriented approach in special oppressed populations. The key points entail the appreciation of the social-political context within which the problem of a subject obtains. In this, the practitioner has to be competent enough to map the subjects’ predicaments within precincts of broader socio-political factors such as racism and sexism which are beyond the individual’s personality development patterns.
Application
In its application, the Ego-Oriented Intervention for diverse and oppressed Populations does not isolate the valuables of other theoretical and conceptual tenets of approaching social therapy scenarios. The model is not employed in the isolation of other social therapy approach concepts. Whilst the application of the model underscores the significance of the aspect of self-awareness and knowledgeability with factors extrinsic to an individual’s personality development factors, the theory is applied together with the use of concepts of other models selectively applied on an individualized level when they are feasible for a particular case.
Practice
The practice of this model emphasizes more so the significance of the aspect of self-awareness. This aspect is equally underscored for the client as-is for the practitioner. Leveraging on the arguable understanding that there are heightened chances of success in cases where the social practitioner belongs to the same background or shares various key background attributes with the subject. It is perceived that the effectiveness of the social therapy is further enhanced in a way that empowers both the social practitioner and the subject to have clearer visions of the problem scenario and thus map out the solution therefrom. The setback here that has been noted from various researches is that sameness is one of the critical aspects of background that may lead to mutual blind spots. In this; social practitioners themselves may be trapped within the parameters of the impact of the skewed upbringing. What normally happens in such a scenario is the pulling in of the subject to similar perspectives as that of the social practitioner. Nonetheless, the success in the practice of the model can draw much from the feasible theoretical tenets of another social therapy model.
Case study
This case scenario features a situation in which social practitioners were dealing with a mother kept anonymous for the broader considerations around the import of this study. What dominates the case scenario is that the woman has been remarkable self-sacrificing to support all the members of the extended family to which she belongs. In consideration of that, the woman has maintained dependent as well as submissive relationships with manipulative partners it will be conceivably off the mark for social therapists attending to her to view her and approach her as a ‘masochist personality.
What yielded much fruitage in this scenario was the regarding by the social practitioners of the subjects needs in viewing the subject’s scenario in the sense of enabling the subject to understand how the factors extrinsic to her personality; the cultural implications of the family and society within which she lives have impacted on her life and world view. The social practitioners strived on making the woman understand the dynamics of her scenario as a direct result of adaptations and conformities to the familial and societal expectations; which unfortunately have been met at her expense, literally and figuratively.
The foregoing outline is analogous to another in which social therapists were dealing with an Afro-American substance abuser. The social practitioner strived similarly on enabling the subject as well as themselves to perceive the role of substance abuse in helping the individuals “cope” with the disdain and rage over the imposed status and citizens as of second fiddle to the other societal groups with declared and posed superiority. Substance abuse in this context will, through the premise of the ego-oriented approach tailored for oppressed populations, enable the especially the practitioners to conceptualize and contextualize the predicaments of the subjects within socio-politics and economic factors that are extrinsic to their personality development.
References
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