Life Span Interview
Ray’s case has provided you with direct observation of a client’s history and life experiences. In the absence of this direct observation, social workers turn to assessment and interview techniques to gather essential facts about a client’s life span. Interviewing is an important social work skill—and one that requires more than simply reading a set of prescribed questions. A social worker must also demonstrate professional communication, both verbally and nonverbally, ask appropriate follow-up questions, and take notes at the same time.
For this Assignment, you practice interviewing an older adult about life events, experiences, and feelings that have shaped them. You then transform your interview notes into a narrative—that is, a life story—of the individual you interviewed. You interweave within this narrative an analysis of the life story by integrating person and the environment concepts and theories drawn from HBSE I and II.
To Prepare:
If you have not already done so, interview an older adult (age 65 or older) about their life story, using the Life Span Interview document in the Learning Resources. Take notes as you conduct the interview.
Review your notes and begin to interpret the older adult’s life story through the lens of human behavior and the social environment.
By 02/04/2022
Submit a 4 to 5-page paper in which you provide a narrative analysis of the Life Span Interview you completed. The paper should:
Provide a chronological history of the individual’s major life experiences.
Identify specific biological, psychological, and sociological influences that shaped the individual’s experience.
Analyze the individual’s experiences by applying theory and concepts learned throughout both HBSE courses.
Be sure to include the ways in which power, privilege, and oppression shaped their experience (e.g., race and ethnicity, gender, religion, ability, sexual orientation, etc.).
Provide your reflection of the experience, both in interviewing the individual and analyzing their narrative.
Explain what you learned and how you will apply this learning to future social work practice.
