Date of Award

5-2024

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School of Social Work

First Reader/Committee Chair

Davis, Thomas

Abstract

Societal norms continue to shift and challenge our thoughts and beliefs. The notion of the standards of professionalism has evolved to assimilate to the steady progression in the field of mental health. However, change is not typically readily accepted by everyone. This is evident in the noticeable differences in the experiences of people from different generations. Unquestionably, body modifications are becoming increasingly popular throughout mainstream society. This shift has invariably impacted the landscape of professionalism and beliefs and values that are held true in the mental health profession. Limited studies have been conducted to identify if any correlations exist between body modifications and its impact on the mental health field. Using the snowball method, a cumulative sample size of 64 (n=64) respondents were surveyed to analysis their perspective on body modifications and the effect on the mental health profession. Drawing evidence from the quantitative analysis, this study demonstrates that no correlation exists between generational views on body modifications nor is there evidence of any overt biases when comparing different body modifications. Notably, this study revealed that there is a higher expectation for a mental health professional to self-disclose if the person receiving the services has body modifications.

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