ERIC Number: EJ1453481
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1043-7797
EISSN: EISSN-2163-5811
Defending Discomfort: A Critical Social Work Case against Trigger Warnings
Journal of Social Work Education, v60 n4 p565-575 2024
Trigger warnings have become a hotly contested practice in higher education, including within the field of social work. Learning to become a social worker can be a demanding process that requires in-depth study about often socially taboo and traumatic topics. The learning process can, understandably, cause discomfort that may result in a disconcerting or anxiety-provoking experience for social work students. However, the inclusion of challenging topics in social work education, including human rights violations, domestic violence, sexual abuse, racism, sexism, and many other social injustices is essential in the development of competency in social work practice. What remains unclear is the role and responsibility of universities and subsequently educators, in how we include or exclude trigger warnings, their relevance to social work education, and how we manage the expectations of students and their responses to the exposure of sensitive material. This article argues that trigger warnings may contribute to the pathologization of the experience of discomfort while simultaneously silencing oppressed students who may not identify with the language or experience of being triggered. This article investigates trigger warnings from a critical social work perspective and considers if the use of trigger warnings may potentially be more harmful than helpful.
Descriptors: Social Work, Higher Education, Trauma, Anxiety, Controversial Issues (Course Content), Professional Education, College Students, Priming, Trauma Informed Approach, Teaching Methods, Intermode Differences, Antisocial Behavior, Student Reaction, Training Methods, Caseworker Approach, Career Readiness, Competency Based Education, Resilience (Psychology), Individual Characteristics
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A