Social Work Reflective Journal

Running head: SOCIAL WORK REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
SOCIAL WORK REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
Name of student:
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Reflective journal
Awareness of self and personal needs, and motivations
On considering, the role of family and the life experiences that have shaped me and
helped me to remain motivated and grounded can be attributed to the family upbringing. I
belong to the millennial or the baby boomer generation (1981-1997) and I have gown up
amidst cartoons that were characterized by innocence as against cartoons these days that are
replete with adult cont and tend to make the child precocious. I was born in a middle-income
family. Both my parents had to toil hard to earn money. My father is a freelance nature
photographer which is considered as quite an unconventional career and my mother was a
social worker. My father’s unconventional choice of career meant became a cause of
perpetual conflict in the family. This is because he was earning a steady income and the
entire burden shifted on my mother to provide for the family. Another reason for conflict
between my parents is that my father’s irresponsible habits of forgetting to switch off
electronic gadgets after use or leaving the residues of cigarette near the curtain side. His
forgetful nature became a fodder of perpetual conflict between my parents. I could realize
that my mother was not happy in this marriage yet she chose not to file for divorce thinking
that it would a negative impact on my childhood. My mother who is a social worker is an
extremely virtuous lady. She is quite strict about principles and under no circumstance she
can be influenced to adapt herself according to the changing trend. She is a vegan after her
tryst with PETA. This has informed my dietary habits and bolstered me to adopt an eco-
friendly and a more conscientious lifestyle. She has taught me to value others, adopt empathy
rather than sympathy whilst dealing with others, engage in month contribution to a charity of
my choice, be respectful towards others and develop a listening habit as against speaking

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habit. My mother’s views towards life has made me the person I am today and fostered my
values towards the everyday social work practise.
In the pursuit of a career in social work there were days when I felt that this career is
not meant for me or when I contemplated that whether I have the temperament to survive in a
career of social work, my mother’s perseverance and benevolent attitude have helped me to
overcome these ambiguities. A professional social worker is expected to be empathic towards
the cause of others and value human feelings. A social worker is also expected to understand
the distinctive lifeworld of different clients and propose strategies of interventions based on
their unique biographies. I feel that all values that I learnt from my mother catalyzed my
commitment towards my profession and motivated me to overcome the challenges and the
dilemmas that emerges in the lives of a social worker. The incident that triggered me to veer
towards a career in social work is because of a boy who lied in my neighbourhood. Initially
he used to be gregarious and amiable but with time I found that he was becoming withdrawn
and gradually turned into a recluse. Later, I came to know that that he was subjected to severe
sexual abuse everyday by his school teacher and this was making him recluse and isolated
from the larger society. According t him he was ashamed of himself and resorted to drugs a
as a coping mechanism. This motivated me to become a social worker and provide assistance
to people in rehabilitation.
Patterns of interpersonal relationship, barriers and areas of improvement
I have always favoured interpersonal relationships and have been consistent towards
maintaining interpersonal relationships. My attitude towards relationships is evident in my
actions in both my profession al and personal life. The values that I have learnt from my
mother have especially influential in developing my interpersonal skills. I have always felt tat
the society is premised on mutual respect and cooperation. If I respect another person and