Indigenous Australians: A Psychological Analysis

Aboriginal spirituality is a way of life it is understood and perceived as an external link to the universe that consists of intellect and meaning in life discovering the personal universe and ethical codes. Aboriginal spirituality not just being a set of principles but instead it is a way of life which sets the standards of living and guidelines for all aboriginal people. All aboriginal people have a distinctive superior reverence for all natural surroundings having strong understanding of all aboriginal people in the aboriginal communities which is well thought-out to be one of the most paramount and ultimate gifts posed by all aboriginal people. Through this gift a strong bound is formed with all living beings which are linked generating the feeling of unity togetherness and belonging. The significance of

Although many view these schools as events that occurred a long time ago, in truth the last residential school closed only two decades ago. (Hanson, 2016, para. #18) Residential school syndrome is a term created by a psychologist called Charles Brasfield and it refers to a disorder experienced by survivors of the residential school system. This disorder is similar to post-traumatic stress disorder, but with a much more cultural focus that can completely change the behaviour of those affected. (Brasfield, 2016, para. # 2) The effects of what transpired in that system are still being felt generations later from descendants of those who were in residential schools or even residential school survivors themselves. (Hanson, 2016, para. #19) Generations of aboriginal youth had to grow up in situations with no stable and nurturing family to take care of them, and many therefore lack the skills needed to parent their own children. (Hanson, 2016, para. #19) The trauma sustained in residential schools has caused a serious increase in domestic abuse and violence that results in broken homes. The cycle of abuse has continued years and years later, still causing disruption in Aboriginal families. (Hanson, 2016, para. #20) It was found that among indigenous people aged 10 to 44, the primary cause of death that is responsible for almost 40% of the mortalities is suicide and self-inflicted injury. There are also seriously high rates of alcoholism and substance abuse found on reserves. (Hanson, 2016, para. #20) Though the residential schools may not be the only cause of this, it is certainly the root of many problems for Aboriginal individuals and the healing process will be a long

I declare that this assignment is my own work and has not been submitted in any form for another unit, degree or diploma at any university or other institute of tertiary education.

A proper understanding of the Aboriginal Terms of Reference is an integral tool for an aspiring teacher such as myself. They encompass the cultural knowledge, understanding and experiences that are at the center of the Indigenous culture (Oxenham, 1999). It is important to have an understanding of the background of any child that you are trying to educate, but it is especially important to establish a relationship with children who have

This essay will examine family violence in Indigenous Australian communities as a social issue using the SI and will focus on its development into the issue it is today through structural, historical and cultural context. Domestic violence is defined as ‘a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviours that an adult or adolescent uses to gain and maintain power and control over an intimate partner.’ (Samsel, 2013). Family Violence is the preferred term over ‘domestic violence’ in most Indigenous Australian communities, usually as it includes all forms of violence that occurs in family, intimate or other relationships that consist of support or mutual obligation (NSW Department of Health, 2011).

96.4% of deaths were younger than fifty years of age compared to 70.4% for non-Indigenous people.1 Social determinants of health such as lack of education and unemployment affect the emotional and social wellbeing that is the foundation for Indigenous physical and mental health. 2 Indigenous Australians have worse health conditions from poorer health and more likely to die at an earlier age than non-Indigenous Australians. Discriminatory behaviour erodes Indigenous self-esteem and value within their community and contributes to bad mental health. 3 Suicide is a largely preventable public health problem.

One of the categories is “Children and youth”. The goal of this category is “Work with Aboriginal communities and organizations to provide meaningful support to Aboriginal children and youth on-and off-reserve and use resources effectively” (Aboriginal Affairs, 2005). Some of the strategies for this are to promote physical development, and promote healthy habits, support children with disabilities and give children support they may need to make good life choices (Aboriginal Affairs, 2005). A program that has already done something is in this category AHWS (aboriginal healing and wellness strategy) funding is given to the Nishnawbe Aski Nation to help people learn about youth suicide and how to identify some prevention strategies (Aboriginal Affairs, 2005). Another category is “Aboriginal Education”. the goal for this category is “Work with Aboriginal leaders and organizations to improve educational outcomes among Aboriginal children and youth” (Aboriginal Affairs, 2005). A strategy for this is that the Ministry of Education work with aboriginal communities, organizations and also school boards to create an Aboriginal education policy (Aboriginal Affairs, 2005). A program that has already helped in this category is that the ministry of education will provide yearly funding (around $650,000) to eight native friendships Centre’s to help fund some secondary school programs (Aboriginal Affairs, 2015). Finally the last category to be covered is the “Aboriginal Justice strategy”. The goal in this category is “The Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG) will work with Aboriginal communities and organizations and relevant government ministries to design an integrated policy framework related to Aboriginal justice” (aboriginal Affairs, 2005). Some strategies are to have

Finally, As Ring and Elston (1999: 231) argued, “the current situation [in funding for Indigenous health], where the Commonwealth is spending perhaps a fifth of what it should be spending on a needs basis, is a major impediment to effective reconciliation”. Altman and Hunter (2003) also questioned the effectiveness of the Howard Government’s emphasis on ‘practical’ reconciliation. They concluded that, “while practical reconciliation forms the rhetorical basis for Indigenous policy development since 1996, there is no evidence that the Howard governments have delivered better outcomes for Indigenous Australians than their predecessors” (Altman and Hunter 2003: v; see also Hunter and Schwab 2003: 94-96; Ross 2001: 155; Wyatt 2001: 181-182; Gunstone 2007). Therefore as the above evidence suggests, eleven years after the announcement of this “practical reconciliation” policy, Indigenous socio economic disadvantage

Aboriginal Australian peoples have been placed in unfair situations that have resulted in disconnections from society due to bias in culture, racism and because of previous historical events such as colonisation that led to colonialism and horrible events such as The Stolen Generation. These events act like a scar to the Aboriginal Australian peoples and their culture, those previously mentioned historical events symbolises the cut, the immense pain that was caused in that moment is still a factor and the pain from it is still prevalent and is symbolised by the scar. The scar also represents the factors that still manage to affect the Aboriginal Australians today, such as racism and lack of quality and access to education, money and health care.. The Indigenous peoples are also affected by various other factors such as limited access to health care that may be of poor quality, such resources may also bring fear to the Indigenous peoples because practitioners are not always sensitive or respectful to

In this paper, the term “structural violence” will be defined and characterized. The term “structural violence” was coined by a medical anthropologist named Paul Farmer who created a list of components which outline and represent the term. By doing so, he depicts how it has manifested in the world and provides examples of real life experiences surrounding structural violence. A single event of structural violence will be revealed to demonstrate how the concept can be applied to contexts around the world. Structural violence is a worldwide issue that is unarticulated on in media. Structural violence is characterized by inequity, social inequality, and suppression of the situation.

Mental illness and suicide is a critical issue, which has a havoc impacts on a person and their family. High rates of suicides and mental illness commonly trait to a compound set of component like social, emotional , cultural and historical (Raphael and Swan 2015).Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide and mental illness have increased dramatically which were very low in the 1980s that are peaking heights in comparison to the non-indigenous population(Hunter and Milroy 2006). To understand the mental health of aboriginal people social, historical and cultural frameworks should be taken into consideration.There are many social and cultural factors like low economic status ,education, violence ,racism etc that are impacting on Aboriginal

Non-Aboriginal staff need to be aware of the important place that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures hold in Australia. The history and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples dates back 75,000 years therefore has unique significance. (Goodwin. Jo, 2012). The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) pays particular attention to cultural competence in working with Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures as discussed in question 9.

Developing an understanding of the history of colonisation and the traumatic and intergenerational effects this has had on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is vital to the work of Social Workers to ensure beneficial, safe and respectful relationships with Indigenous clients. Colonisation had and continues to have devastating effects on these communities, their cultures and their identities heightening the need of Social Work aid, particularly in areas of human rights, advocacy and the prevention of institutional racism.

Culture has been defined by Hinde (1987,p3-4) as “better regarded as convenient label for many of the diverse ways in which human practices and beliefs differ between groups.” Human development is a cultural process as human beings across the world differs in numerous ways, by their beliefs, traditions values and norms. We all differ in the way we speak(language), the food we eat, the way we dress up and also our religion. The culture of a particular society defines who they are and differentiate them from the others. But what is culture? In the first part of the following essay, we will examine how culture affects human development, resulting

Three readings from this week, combined with the readings from last week of overarching themes, got me thinking about how I have been considering Indigenous student experiences. In fact, I have not given too much thought on the issue until I encountered it as one of the topics in a course last term. I found myself relating to Indigenous student experiences, in terms of learning needs, to a certain extent as a recent immigrant student from South Korea. That led me to enrol in this course, and I find this opportunity to be a good learning experience as each reading material presents me new insights about Indigenous student experiences.