Jackie Fox BSc. MSc. (OT). Completed in Part fulfilment of the taught ... confused and anxiousâ (Collins, 2007, p. 505). Occupations can be used to facilitate ...
Identity Through Action Social activism among older adults in Ireland
Jackie Fox BSc. MSc. (OT) Completed in Part fulfilment of the taught masters degree (Trinity College Dublin) 2010 Sarah Quinn BSc. Phil. (Supervisor)
The research story Background What is already known? The research journey The stories (themes)
All photos are used with permission
Background www.flickr.com/photos/workerspartyireland/2969311930
Background Medical card protests 2008 Rise of lobby groups for older adults in Ireland The economic crisis and the general increase in non-
parliamentary democratic action Occupational Science and the increase in interest in occupations among the “well-elderly”
Activism defined Voluntary effort on the part of individuals/groups to bring about social change, generally independent of any political party. Difficulties with definition (as identified by participants): Not volunteering Not a job Not leisure Not a hobby
An unexplored occupation www.flickr.com/photos/workerspartyireland/2969311928
Social Activism is known to have rewards;
Empowerment Improved self esteem Skill-building Social connections Slower cognitive decline
and consequences;
Legal proceedings Financial cost Disagreement with family/friends Appearing socially “different”
Although not explored in the Occupational Therapy/Science
literature, social activism;
Is an occupation that has form and meaning Forms part of a pattern of occupational engagement Promotes occupational adaptation, especially at times of
transition Is part of a distinct culture Creates occupational identity, or identity through “doing”
“when one’s action serves
to change the world to reflect one’s identity in this way, such an actionoutcome thereby evidences, through the perceived changed context ... that one is indeed active and powerful” (Drury et al., 2005, p.312)
The Research Process The activists
Recruited through Older
Adult activist groups 7 participants aged between 75 and 84 Variety of “activist” backgrounds;
Older adult causes Local improvements Trade unionism Anti-war Anti-nuclear Social justice
The research and analysis Semi-structured interview Transcribed Constant comparison
method of qualitative analysis Emerging codes – broad themes
Activism: Acting on the world www.mediaspin.com/blog/?paged=25
“Better to strike a light than curse the darkness”. “When people are in possession of a justified grievance, when they see injustice done to others and they don’t do anything about it, then their anger turns to frustration. .. But it’s hard; it’s very hard to stop oneself joining in the general chorus of complaining and bitching about the “state of the country”. I find myself doing it from time to time. But then I catch myself at it and remember;“If you’re not doing something to help change things then shut up”. It’s a good rule to try to keep”. (Participant A)
Activism is about action. Not words or thoughts. Occupational Identity is constructed as one participates in
occupations that are meaningful (Kielhofner 2002). Denial of occupational identity can lead to spiritual crisis. Identity becomes; “overwhelmed, disorganised, immensely confused and anxious” (Collins, 2007, p. 505). Occupations can be used to facilitate coherence between inner thoughts and outer actions
“I had the pinstripe suit and the umbrella and the briefcase ... And I drank an awful lot.You will drink when you’re in a situation where you think, ‘this is a terrible, dead end existence. I’m not doing this, man! I’m a slave ....I’m not allowed to say what I think here”. (Participant A)
I’m coming from a Christian
perspective which I believe has not been tried in society. ... I think we could have a different world if Christian values were practiced” (Participant G)
The long fight www.flickr.com/photos/ragesoss/424519330
5 of the 7 participants were lifelong activists 2 of the 7 had been active volunteers before becoming
activists Social activism holds unique meaning in the context of a lifetime of experiences, influences and consequent choices Social activism was a product of .....
A sense of pride for
surviving a difficult childhood ...
“I’m one of a family of twelve
.... I was an orphan at 11. I may be proud in this respect, that we bloody well survived, because it did take a bit of surviving” (Participant B)
Perceived injustice at the
hands of the State or the Church ...
“All that, the injustices of my
childhood, seeing my mother reduced to tears by hypocrites from the StVincent de Paul and so called ‘relief officers’, all that is the ‘fuel’ on which my life and my protests run” (Participant A)
A keen and lifelong
awareness of global politics and issues ...
“They went into Afghanistan
because they said they were going to liberate women. Women are no more liberated but yet the UN Resolution of 2000 says women should be part of the peace process and they’re not ... so that’s why we’re protesting” (Participant C)
Being an activist: Being different www.flikr.com/photos/41597157@N00/2381289491/
Different to other older adults; “older people ...are not a greedy people. That’s why I think there’s a lot
of apathy when you come to issues that need a bit of lobbying” (Participant G)
Different to non-activists; “from the ‘mainstream’ I couldn’t be more different if I was from Mars”
(Participant A)
Different to other activists; “you may find yourself marching or picketing with people you don’t
approve of ... characters carrying banners you don’t like; that aren’t quite the same as your idea of what they should be there for” (Participant D)
Activism: Changing perceptions www.flickr.com/photos/nohodamon/1795509703
“coming out of the corner” Medical card protest was motivated in part by a sense that
older adults were perceived as a “soft target” Protest was a means of shattering these perceptions The Government reversal meant their protest was successful, thus they felt efficacious and powerful. Success leads to further involvement in activism as the individual feels connected to the group with whom they achieved victory.
“we were visible for the first time there and not being ashamed walking around with our Zimmer frames and our wheelchairs” (Participant C). “there are people, needless to say, that think it’s at home having the rosary beads we should be, rather than protesting; that we were gone beyond that, and how dare we!” (Participant B)
www.flickr.com/photos/33493743@N00/263384261
Conclusion “the basic thing that old people need to keep themselves alive is to be
able to articulate in a basic way their feelings about how society is going or how they’re being treated” (Participant C) Social activism feeds and encourages occupational participation in other areas Politics is a human occupation (Kronenberg & Pollard, 2005) In this climate of political unrest, a discussion of social and political engagement from an occupational standpoint is important and timely.
References Kielhofner, G. (2002). Model of Human Occupation:Theory and
Application (3rd Ed.) Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Collins, M. (2007). Spiritual emergency and occupational identity: a transpersonal perspective. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 70(12), 504-512. Drury, J. & Reicher, S. (2005). Explaining enduring empowerment: a comparative study of collective action and psychological outcomes. European Journal of Social Psychology, 35, 35-58.
Thank you for your kind attention
