Lucianne White
Assessment #1
Approaches to Social Science
Background:
My interviewee will be referred to as "Pauline" in order to preserve her anonymity
and confidenitality. Pauline is 50 years old, she is currently married and has
previously been married twice before. She has three children, two daughters, aged
32 and 29, both from her first marriage and a son, aged 3 from her current
marriage. She is also grandmother to two grandsons, aged 11 and 8, whom are both
her eldest daughters children. Pauline is a caucasian, heterosexual female and has a
disability which occured from an accident in 1978. This disability is a lifetime
problem with no chance of improvement. She also suffers from spinal cancer
which is inoperable.
Both these issues require constant medication for pain. Pauline is a woman
of Jewish faith and a working Counsellor. She suffers from a lot of prejudice and
discrimintion due to her age, gender, disability and religious beliefs.
I have chosen to do my report on this woman as I believe she has accomplished
great things against all the odds. She has learnt to believe in herself, not what other
people believe she should be. She is now trying to help others to find their own
place in a world full of prejudice and unreal expectations. I will explain how she
has fought the issues of age, gender, religion, and sexuality to become the person
she is today.
I have based my assessment on the psychological aspect of the discrimination in
her life. In other words, how her inner person influences her view of and
behaviours in relation to the world.
Psychology is a social science which 'concerns itself with the interior lives of
individuals, our motivations, drives, patterns, personality types and pathologies,
and how we learn these -...
Marginalized groups
I'm glad that you conducted the interview described in your essay. You have effectively explained how your interviewee has fought issues such as age, gender, and religion to become the person she is today. It was inspirational to read how she found something strong and determined inside herself which enabled her to face life head on and finally succeed. Your report was well researched and documented, with helpful internal citations and a list of references which will be useful to those who want to look further into some of the issues you have written about. Recommended reading!
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