View source for Breath of Life Theory

=Description=

Cindy Blackstock:

"There are significant differences between First Nations
and western worldviews particularly in
relation to time, interconnection of reality, and
the First Nations belief that simple principles
often explain complex phenomena such as the
universe or humanity. Physics’ theory of
everything departs from the ontological norms
underlying many western social science
theories by proposing that all matter and time
in the universe can be explained by a small set
of interdependent physical principles set at
precise values (Greene, 2003). Social science
has not seriously entertained a theory of
everything for all humanity. As set out in
Blackstock (2009), western social science
theories are limited in scope, application, and
time. They are, in effect, snapshots situated
within a broader interconnected reality. The
breath of life theory suggests that a theory of
everything for humanity should be seriously
explored in western theoretical scholarship.

The holistic nature of TOE and its situation
within expansive concepts of time and
dimensions of reality means it is a better match
for First Nations ontology than western social
science theories (Blackstock, in 2009).

BOL assumes that a set of interdependent
principles known as the relational worldview
principles (Cross, 2007), described later in this
paper, overlay an interconnected reality with
expansive concepts of time and multiple
dimensions of reality. Diversity in human
experience is accounted for as time, culture,
and context shape the manifestation of each
principle. The basic premise of the theory is
that structural risks affecting children’s safety
and well-being are alleviated when the
relational worldview principles are in balance
within the context and culture of the
community.

Although BOL was developed in response to
the structural risks related to First Nations
child welfare, the assumptions and structure of
BOL do not implicitly bind it to child welfare
applications and consideration should be given
to its relevance to other areas and cultures.
It is important to emphasize that this paper and
the BOL draw on the general character of both
western and First Nations knowledge and there
is significant diversity among both cultural
groups that is likely not fully captured. The
inclusion of culture and context as shaping
factors in BOL should make it culturally
relevant for most, but in keeping with the self-determination principles for effective research
with Aboriginal peoples, no theoretical
framework should be imposed on First Nations
without their prior approval (Schnarch, 2004).

For more detail on the underpinnings of BOL,
readers are strongly encouraged to read my
previous work setting the foundation for BOL
by contrasting First Nations and western
ontology and making the case as to why
physic’s theory of everything is more proximal
to First Nations ontology than are many social
science theories (Blackstock, 2009). "
(https://jswve.org/download/2011-1/spr11-blackstock-Emergence-breath-of-life-theory.pdf)


=Characteristics=

==The Relational Worldview Principles==

Cindy Blackstock:

Inspired "by Native American child welfare
expert Terry Cross in the relational worldview
model (Cross, 1997; Cross, 2007). 

The principles are categorized in four domains
(cognitive, physical, spiritual, and emotional)
of personal and collective well-being:

1. COGNITIVE: self and
community actualization, role,
service, identity, and esteem

2. PHYSICAL: water, food,
housing, safety, and security

3. SPIRITUAL: spirituality and
life purpose

4. EMOTIONAL: love,
relationship, and belonging


The breath of life theory predicts that, if the
relational worldview principles are out of
balance within the framework of community
culture and context, then risks to the child’s
safety and well-being will increase. BOL also
suggests that child welfare interventions
geared toward restoring balance among the
relational worldview models principles will
result in optimal safety and well-being for the
community and their children.

The relational worldview principles are
derived from Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs (Cross, 2007). Maslow’s work was, in
turn, informed by the time he spent with the
Blackfoot Indians in Canada (Coon, 2006). In
effect, the hierarchy of needs was an early
attempt at an ethical space concept (Ermine,
Sinclair, & Jeffery, 2004). Maslow’s hierarchy
of needs assumes that understanding human
needs is critical to understanding personal
well-being (Huitt, 2004; Coon, 2006).
Although Maslow emphasized the
interconnection of needs, he also believed that
some human needs were more foundational
than others and that both the identified needs
and hierarchal importance of those needs were
valid across cultures (Hoffman, 1998). As
shown in Figure 1, Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs is typically represented in an eight-level
triangle with the most fundamental physical
needs depicted at the bottom and the personal
fulfillment needs of self actualization and
transcendence at the top (Huitt, 2004)."
(https://jswve.org/download/2011-1/spr11-blackstock-Emergence-breath-of-life-theory.pdf)


=Discussion=

From the conclusion:

"Inspired by Ermine’s and colleagues' (Ermine,
Sinclair, & Jeffery, 2004) concepts of ethical
space and the tragic, longstanding
overrepresentation of poor outcomes for First
Nations children, BOL proposes a holistic
approach for conceptualizing structural factors
affecting First Nations children and families.
The interpretation of the breath of life theory
within the distinct cultures of First Nations
peoples is embedded into the theory so as to
avoid “pan Aboriginal” approaches that negate
the rich diversity of Aboriginal cultures and
languages. It comes at an important time when
our current ways of thinking about structural
risks have failed to stem the tide of First
Nations children experiencing poor outcomes
in child welfare and other areas.

So how does the breath of life theory differ
from structural theory, ecological theory, and
anti-oppression frameworks? This new theory
assumes the world is indivisible and that
everything across all time is important to
understanding human experience. This theory
goes beyond describing structural risk to
identifying a series of constants that must be in
balance in order to eradicate or reduce
structural risk and its manifestation at the level
of individuals and groups. BOL would agree
that Bronfenbrenner’s dimensions of reality
(1979) are important but would argue one
lifetime (Bronfenbrenner, 1989) is inadequate
to truly understand the experience of
intergenerational groups. This new theory
embraces the value of ancestral knowledge not
only in identifying the constants that govern
our reality, but also the culture and context that
give shape to different manifestations of
reality. It considers oppression as important
only as a contextual factor––not as a focal
factor––and provides a mechanism for
restoring well-being: balance among the
constants.

BOL introduces a First Nations perspective on
social science. To fully understand the theory
and its applications, some fluency in First
Nations ontology is required. BOL invites
western social science scholars to explore their
current assumptions about knowledge and
humanity from another worldview that situates
human experience within expansive concepts
of interdependence, time, and reality. It is an
opportunity rarely presented in North
American social science theoretical
deliberation that is so dominated by western
ontology and theoretical derivatives.

The implications of the theory are potentially
significant. In the field of child welfare, if this
new theory is proven correct, it would suggest
that child welfare interventions should focus
on restoring balance among the relational
worldview principles instead of over-focusing
on treating the way that the imbalance
manifests at the level of individual children
and families. BOL may also be useful in the
development of child and family and
community assessment tools aimed at
identifying sources of structural risk and
redressing its impacts.

With further testing, it may also have
application in other disciplines where
structural risk impacts on individual
experience such as justice, health, and
education. Importantly, even though the breath
of life theory was developed based on general
tenets of First Nations ontology, with proper
cross-cultural evaluation it may inform
structural interventions for other cultural
groups."

[[Category:Neotraditional]]
[[Category:Relational]]
[[Category:P2P Theory]]