The interview with John

In line with the ‘proper’ or ‘correct’ answer to the question about wanting to become a social worker, John described himself as always socially minded, always

fair minded, wanting the best for someone and being angered by prejudice Lines 2-4 below). The repetition of the word ‘always’ serves to emphasise that these qualities are an intrinsic part of John’s identity.

John: I’m saying why I came into social work but I think that was mainly I 1

was always socially minded, always fair minded and wanting the best 2

and get quite cross when anybody’s been prejudiced in any way umm 3

and that I suppose was the beginning. 4

Lisa: So it sounds as if you had all these things and like you say they all 5

came together in the social work theory so you really seemed to have 6

got grounding in where social work fits in with all these other subjects? 7

John: Yes. And what I find difficult now is because it’s all absorbed and in 8

there [pause] I always remember because I’ve been a practice teacher 9

for many years though I haven’t had a student well I’ve had ASW 10

students but I haven’t had err a university student for a little while 11

[pause] and we’d jump in the car it was in the early parts of the 12

placement and I’d say “oh I’m just going off to see so and so for a chat” 13

“A chat?” “Yeah, yeah” “What do you mean?” then I had to dig it all out 14

the whole what I’d be looking for “Well I’m going to see what the

15

environment’s like” you know. But things that’s so enmeshed within you 16

that you just do it you know it becomes it’s a little bit like when you’re 17

learning any new sport like golf you’ve got to keep your head down 18

you’re got to swing properly and what have you and when you’re good 19

and I’m not good and I’m not saying that because we all need to be 20

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better but it just becomes you don’t think about it it’s second nature and 21

in a similar way with social work that’s what it’s become for me really. 22

Umm I can do it it just needs digging out. 23

My comment (line 5) acknowledges this portrayal of these qualities as intrinsic [‘it sounds as if you had all these things’]. In another key phrase in keeping with the theme of social work as intrinsic to the self, John states that: ‘it’s all absorbed and in there’ (line 8-9). Again, this depicts social work as embodied. Like Paul, John goes on to make the connection that having a student who is a marginal native or member requires social work to be made visible. John illustrates how difficult this can be with a story about a student who questioned what he meant by ‘a chat’ with a service user (line 13). As Cath stated earlier, what to an outsider may look like a ‘chat’ is ‘work’ to a social worker; the outsider ‘cannot ‘see’ what the worker wishes to be ‘seen’’ (Pithouse 1998 p.5). John describes how he had to ‘dig it all out the whole what I’d be looking’ (line 14); in other words, it is so intrinsic that it needs to be excavated. In another key phrase John describes social work as ‘so enmeshed within you that you just do it’, using the example of learning to play golf (line 16). Social work has become ‘second nature’ (line 21), not requiring any thought [‘you don’t think about it’]. This strongly resonates with the words of Coulon (1995 p.27) that once ‘they are affiliated, the members do not have to think about what they are doing…[but] ‘naturally’ exhibits the social competence that affiliates her with this group’. John then reiterates that it needs ‘digging out’ (line 23) if it is to be made visible.

In another extract, John returns to the notion that he was predisposed to become a social worker:

John: I suspect I suppose a lot came from myself umm also working at 1

[name] there were lots of other social workers there who were steeped 2

in mental health so that was a help although to be fair I did my 3

qualification before I went there. Umm but yeah it was difficult and it’s a 4

hard thing to do ASW or AMHP as it is now because I finished the course, 5

got my ticket and I was on the rota, I was out on my own, that was it. 6

Whereas now even when they’ve qualified we shadow them for a good 7

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six months before in fact the last two we shadowed them for about a 8

year. 9

Lisa: Did you? 10

John: That was only because they kept saying “I don’t want to do it yet

11

on my own”. But they’re both now fully blooded. 12

In this extract John describes becoming an Approved Social Worker [the former name for an AMHP]. Although ‘a lot came from myself’, this transition was aided by being with other social workers ‘who were steeped in mental health’ (line 1-2). The word steeped echoes the words absorbed and enmeshed he has already used to once again display social work as intrinsic to the self. Finally, John uses the term ‘fully blooded’ to describe the social workers once they had become full AMHPs (line 12). Again, this phrase suggests that once the AMHPs had completely taken on this role it had become embodied as part of their ‘blood’. Like Andrew, then, John presents social work as intrinsic to the self.

This section of the chapter has been concerned with the theme of social work as intrinsic to the self. The section began with an examination of the notion that there is congruence between an individual’s personal and social work identity which exists prior to the person training to become a social worker. Next, there was a discussion of the notion that students are ‘marginal natives’. Their marginality requires social workers to leave the natural attitude in order to make social work visible. Following this, the importance of key people in epitomising social work was examined. The final part of the section explored the theme that social work is intrinsic to the self in more depth by analysing extracts from two interviews.