THE ELUSIVENESS OF IDENTITY IN SOCIAL-WORK-PRACTICE WITH WOMEN - A POSTMODERN FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE

During the 1980s, feminist literature proposed the existence of a sile nt, tongue-tied, ''different'' woman who craves to exercise her own vo ice. The more recent postmodern feminism raises questions about the ex istence of woman, self, and identity as categories, promoting instead the idea of multiple selves and multiple identities. This article visi ts the concept of ''identity'' and its partner ''self'' in psychologic al, feminist, and postmodern feminist literature and discusses why sel f/identity is problematic for women. An alternative narrative identity is proposed with narrative identity reconstruction integrated into cl inical social work practice with women. A narrative excerpt from an in terview illustrates the process.