Specialist
Targeted
Whole
27 The ‘true’ meaning of mental health has been discussed in an earlier section where the issue of discourses and perspectives were highlighted. The challenge in a study like this is to see how we can go beyond the existing discourses. This can be done, I argue, by acknowledging the fact that mental health/illness is not just a
medical/psychological reality but is also a social construction because within TaMHS, medical professionals are not necessarily involved in the ‘diagnosis’ and ‘treatment’ of the children who are referred to this resource. The reality is that the children who accessed TaMHS in my local authority were referred to the resource by the teaching staff in their schools with agreement from their parents. If mental
health/illness is not just to be considered within wholly medical/psychological
paradigms then it stands to reason that mental health can and should be considered within socially constructed paradigms also. If mental health is among other things, a social construction, then it must be emphasised that such a term can therefore be constructed, re-constructed and deconstructed. This is realised by allowing the views and experiences of teachers, parents and, most importantly children, to be
considered and taken seriously. A key challenge in this research therefore is to listen to what children within TaMHS are saying about their own views and experiences of the therapeutic resources they have been referred to. Although the epistemological stance which this thesis takes centres wholly on social constructionism, it should be mentioned that it also takes in the process of self-construction and evaluation. Expressed differently, the issue of one’s own identity will also be a pertinent part of this process of construction.
An intriguing enquiry into human nature focuses on who we are and how others perceive us. Simply defined, this is known as identity. In psychology there are three main approaches into the study of identity. The psychosocial approach as postulated
28 by Erickson (1968) and Marcia (1994) view identity as fixed developmental phases. Social Identity Theory (SIT), on the other hand, attempts to portray the subject as being formed by in-groups and out- groups as highlighted by Tajfel et al (1971 cited in Phoenix, 2002) while the social constructionist approach sees identity as
something fluid, not fixed and open to various perspectives and interpretations. This thesis will explore in some detail, the meaning of social construction juxtaposed against the other main theories. It will also provide a critique of social construction in order to investigate its usefulness in our understanding of identity.
Phoenix (2002) works on the premise that humans are social beings and therefore socially constructed. In other words, just as physical constructions like buildings can be altered, redesigned, renamed and rebuilt, so a person’s identity is socially
constructed and reconstructed. Mead (1967) adds that the ‘self’ which is an object in itself is essentially a social structure/construction and arises from social experience. The self is something which is realised through processes; it arises out of social, rather than just natural experience and activity. It develops in the given individual as a result of his/her relations to that process as a whole and to other individuals within that process. Mead further explains that the ‘self’ is made up of the ‘I’ and the ‘me’, that is, who we think we are and how other people relate to us. Invariably this means that others can also form a construction or opinion of who we are, and through that process affect our idea of self and therefore identity. Potter and Wetherell (1987) give the example of how labels and identities are socially constructed. A person may consider himself/herself a freedom fighter while another might label the same person a terrorist. Goffman (1958) locates identity within the person but argues that our identity and behaviour depends on who we are with. Using the analogy of the
29 theatre, he says that people behave differently when they are front stage (formal settings) than when they are backstage (informal settings) and without a script.
Rogers’ (1967) personality theory states that self-concept and self-perception are fundamental components of personal identity. He proposes that because life- meaning and behaviour are essentially purposeful, individuals require freedom to make choices and create and develop their own personalities in order to construct a valid presence in the world. Of course, language is the core of this process of self- construction. Without language, the ability to narrate lived experiences is lost. The individual cannot inform the world who and what he/she is or understand who and what others are, hence is unable to find an appropriate place in the scheme of things.
Children who are regarded as having poor emotional/psychological well-being, on average, continue to achieve markedly lower academic attainments than children who are not. (Howe et al, 1999) This could be due to certain factors within the school as well as at home. Such children, especially those regarded as having behavioural and emotional problems are more likely to be excluded or have very poor attendance (Brodie, 2003). Teachers also may have a poor image of such children compounded by their poor academic attainments resulting in the appropriation of negative labels towards them thereby adversely affecting their emotional well-being even further. This is why the views of children need to be highlighted; they need time and space to relay their own views and given the chance to counter the negative constructions adults may have of them. This premise is however based on the idea that children will be confident and competent enough to express their views clearly. If they are unable to express themselves clearly then their views will need to be sought in ways
30 more conducive to their understanding and their most effective means of
communicating.
The voice and views of children referred to TaMHS, I argue, have not been properly heard to date, but inferred by professionals who themselves are not party to their experiences. This has resulted, it could be argued, in the educational experiences of such children not being effectively understood or left unheard. Being heard, however, is a two-way process; the professionals have a duty to listen to what is being said to them but at the same time the child also needs the tools in which to air his/her experiences effectively. Collating the views of children should not be considered a mundane act of participation. Lansdown (2011) is of the opinion that actively
listening to children will afford practitioners to understand better the perspectives of children and in, adapt the ways in which they work with children and in doing so, meet their needs more effectively. This often depends on children being socially literate and verbally competent. Soler et al (2009) stress the importance of literacy in children especially in relation to the inequalities that abound. They highlight a link between poor literacy and verbal skills and argue that without access to effective forms of literacy, inequalities will be difficult to overcome.
This thesis argues further that the educational discourses have constructed children with mental health issues as disruptive without acknowledging that the origins of the problems of such children face is located within their environment and not necessary within them even though difficulties within the classroom abound. Crow (2003), for example, challenges the assumption that children who present with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBD) are particularly more disruptive than any other group of children. Arguing from her perspective as a disabled person, Crow says that it is the medical model of disability that locates disruptive behaviour within an individual
31 without being cognisant of the fact that systemic and environmental factors that may impinge upon a child’s behaviour in the classroom. Galloway et al (1994) in their research on the assessment of children with SEN focused on children with EBD and arrived at the conclusion that children who presented with emotional difficulties, and hence disruptive behaviour in the classroom usually came from difficult family
backgrounds were basic childcare was found to be wanting. Although the epistemological and theoretical basis of this research is informed by
social constructionism it needs to be emphasised that for every construction there is an equal and opposite deconstruction. Social constructionism discussed in isolation is vacuous if not considered against competing deconstructions and co-
constructions. When addressing social constructionism the power relationships between self autonomy (agency) and institutionalised social arrangements
(structure) have to be considered at all times. This view is supported by O’Dell and Leverette (2011) who argue that the power relationships within social constructionist paradigms are open to critical examination because of the interactions between professionals, parents, children and young people.