Out of the shadows: from forlorn to flourishing (using self as instrument of care for helping)

My research reflects on the foundational theme of an ethic of care as core value for my practice and research into flourishing in the workplace. An ethic-of-care recognises our social interdependence and the need for reciprocation in relationships, necessary for building and maintaining meaningful relationships as a basis for people to flourish at work and in life. I situate my research and practice within the literature on using self as instrument in helping relationships, considering two interrelated conceptual approaches necessary to be effective in helping others.

To use self as instrument effectively requires self-awareness. I argue for first-person inquiry, supported by a community-of-inquiry, as the practice for developing the range of attention crucial for greater self-awareness and attunement to others. I present examples of using living life as inquiry, stories as autoethnography, and inner arcs and outer arcs of attention as inquiry into trauma, which I contend supports the development of greater self-awareness and self-acceptance. I consider the role of vulnerability and trust in inquiry to be essential for self-awareness work. I discuss my experiences of the degenerative aspects of first-person inquiry to add to the scholarship of that form of inquiry.

Using self as instrument relies on self-awareness and technical knowledge to inform a range of choices and behaviours required to be effective in working with helping relationships. I contribute to the scholarship on helping relationships, arguing that reciprocity of vulnerability is both practice and process of consent for inquiry. I consider the nature of power and conflict and working with practices of inclusion to grow meaningful work relationships and promote flourishing. I utilise Arendt’s concept of political action, speech is action, as a lens to consider my practice of working towards helping using evocative and provocative modes of influence within conflict situations. I reflect on my learning about living an ethic of care in my work and research.