Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to explore an uncharted topic in Romanian social work literature: the social perception of tattoos in future social workers. Romanian and international research literature is briefly reviewed to get an understanding of social perceptions about tattoos as they are associated with marginalized groups traditionally served by social workers, such as victims of human trafficking, people deprived of liberty, and people with substance abuse. We then aim to explore social work students’ perceptions about tattoos, and the attitudes elicited by such perceptions in encounters with social work beneficiaries. An exploratory research project was conducted with social work students in their 1st, 2nd and 3rd year of study at West University of Timisoara, Romania regarding students’ social perception of tattoos.
Highlights
The history of tattooing illustrates that its functionality varies across time and societies: the tattooing of a secret symbol, as the magic sign in the case of Indonesian kaken hunters, or of the totemic animal or emblem common among tribes; tattooing of an eminently religious message would transmit that message and secure a place in the afterlife by showing the gods their devotion to them
The purpose of this paper is to explore an uncharted topic in Romanian social work literature: the social perception of tattoos in future social workers
Romanian and international research literature is briefly reviewed to get an understanding of social perceptions about tattoos as they are associated with marginalized groups traditionally served by social workers, such as victims of human trafficking, people deprived of liberty, and people with substance abuse
Summary
The history of tattooing illustrates that its functionality varies across time and societies: the tattooing of a secret symbol, as the magic sign in the case of Indonesian kaken hunters, or of the totemic animal or emblem common among tribes; tattooing of an eminently religious message would transmit that message and secure a place in the afterlife by showing the gods their devotion to them. Tattoos and the stories associated with them can sometimes be considered tools that help people build their personal brand In this regard, a personal brand is “a consensus about who and what an individual is, about its reputation and public image” (Rezeanu and Coman, 2018, p.106) Tattoos are powerful symbols, which for many people have a strong personal meaning, so strong that many of them look at their bodies as canvases on which they transpose, in the form of art, their way of being and who they are. In cases there are significant differences between the way people perceive themselves and the way they are perceived by others, we can talk about an inconsistent image that deepens the distance between what we are and the messages we send about ourselves. (Coman, 2018, p.13) In this context, attention must be given to the way people present the stories of their tattoos
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