Development+of+social+identity+through+consumption+-+how+is+this+affecting+our+youth?

Name: Julie Long Student No: n7151683 Tutor: Abbey Hamilton __**Topic **__

Consumption and consumerism has become a modern day affliction impacting the identity formation of youth cultures (Hill, 2011). Generation Y (1975-1995) has been the first generation to have been targeted by marketers since being in the womb and are described as the most consumption-orientated age cohort (Patterson, 2007). This Wikispace discusses the implications of marketing, brands and consumption on the development of adolescent ‘Social Identity’ and group membership.

__**Cultural Artefact **__

In 2009 Jonathan Darby’s first solo exhibition in London entitled ‘Generation Y?’ depicts paintings focusing on the innocence of children and how they are infected by consumerism and logos. The children’s and adolescents bodies and faces are etched with logos. With titles such as ‘Little Prisoners’ he depicts how consumerism has saturated entire beings and entrapped the youth.

There is a discord between the apparent ‘sweetness’ and vulnerability of the young faces and the disquieting marks of consumerism etched on faces and bodies. Throughout I will highlight additional paintings by Jonathon Darby.

=== **Compliation of paintings by Johnathan Darby's from his New Solo Show ** ** "Generation Y?" **Signal Gallery, London Sep 18, 2009. ===

__**Public Health Issue **__

Consumerism has become an invasive part of life, high-jacking and commercializing child and adulthoods. Every aspect of life is mediated by buy-and-consume marketing (Hill, 2011). Self-image is corroded by unprecedented bombardment of unrealistic images and materialistic messages encouraging purchasing behaviours (Hill, 2011).

Advertising objectifies our adolescents encouraging them to feel passionate about products that offer solace substituting human connection that most crave (Kilbourne, 2006). Girls reaching adolescence cannot escape messages their bodies are objects and imperfect, while boys learn that masculinity requires ruthlessness and brutality these messages further confounding self-identities (Kilbourne, 2066).

The consumption of style, brands and designer goods by youth cultures is pivotal in the construction of their social identity and power position within groups (Croghan, Griffin, Hunter & Phoenix, 2006). Ruthless advertising drives style identities which are costly to maintain while ‘style failure’ carries social costs for the individual (Croghan et al, 2006).

Evidence suggests consumerism is eroding the structure of childhood and children are suffering emotionally, socially and physically. Increasing mental health and economic (monetary) problems are evident in Generation Y and later generations as they traverse the world caught in the cycle of materialism and consumerism. (Hill, 2011; Chaplin & John, 2005).



Fr**om Breast to Brand**

**Can the next generation escape consumerism?**

__**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Literature Review **__

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Identity is being driven by consumerism and unrealistic images of success and beauty making it difficult for young people to establish a true and authentic identity. Youth cultures (including Generation Y) pay significant economic and social costs to acquire and maintain their identity with negative outcomes also apparent.

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Social Identity Theory //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> (SIT) developed by Tajfel and Turner (1979) is based within social psychology and examines inter-group relationships and processes and the self (Grimmer, 2009). The central component of SIT is why and how individuals classify themselves and others into social groups and why they behave and adopt shared attitudes within groups (Grimmer, 2009). Individuals engage in evaluative comparisons between in-groups and out-groups helping to maintain value within their own group and social identity (Grimmer, 2009). It is this fragile development of social identity that marketing and consumption targets.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Youth cultures emphasise the function of style in constructing their identities and the importance of brands and designer goods, to this end marketers invest heavily in ‘selling cool” (Croghan et al, 2006).They engage in conspicuous consumption the extravagant spending on goods for the purpose of displaying wealth and status and invidious consumption for eliciting envy (Croghan et al, 2006).



<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">**PERSONAL BRANDING**



<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Marketing research on the relationship between consumption and identity shows individuals are empowered through consumption to construct their own identity (real-self) or who they want to become (ideal-self or future-self) (Shankar, Elliott & Fitchett, 2009). Identities are no longer singular, absolute, stable; rather identity is considered dynamic, a project or process of being assembled and reassembled something to be organised and managed (Shankar, Elliott & Fitchett, 2009). Branding has taken this concept further by allowing youth to conceptualise themselves as brands, their contrived identity managed as a brand (Tokuhama, 2011).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Advertising is insidious in society driving consumption and aligning brands with unrealistic images of beauty and success. Advertising infers products are more important than people, presenting ideas that we will have better relationships via a product or products will love you, whereas your relationships will let you down (Kilbourne, 2006). Children and early adolescents are ill-equipped to analyse these messages for their deceitful subversive nature believing messages that relationships are flawed.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Advertisers invest heavily in psychological research maximizing their understanding of the youth psyche because “if they hook them early they are yours for life” (Kilbourne, 2006) Advertising seeks to influence and persuade the psyche through cumulative and subtle techniques which are primarily unconscious to the individual (Kilbourne, 2006). The daily bombardment of advertising cannot be ‘tuned-out, it objectifies people, trivialises emotions and relationships, creating an artificial need to consume at the expense of real human desires (Kilbourne, 2006).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Marketing conglomerates have targeted spending capacities of 4 to 12 year olds, this lucrative market worth approximately $130 billion (US) annually (Hill, 2011). Childs’ play has been over-commercialised with marketers producing new cultures such as ‘Kinderculture” (Hill, 2011). Steinberg & Kincheloe (1997) describes Kinderculture as ‘the purveyors of consumer ideology, constantly destabilizing the identity of children’ (Hill, 2011).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Television has been a significant socialization tool for children and is unrivalled in producing children’s culture, thus leaving our children in the hands marketing conglomerates (Hill, 2011). Images sold through television advertising and programming have become the symbols of childhood and the aspirations of children (Hill, 2011).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Furthermore, consumerism constructed the phenomenon of the ‘tween’ in the 1990s, referring to children ages 7-8 to13-14. Income from this commercially defined cohort grew by 15% annually during the 1990’s to $31.7 billion (US) in 1999 (Hill, 2011; rice, 2001). Marketers relying on ‘pester-power’ to drive revenues continue to entice and seduce young children to embrace older identities far beyond their developmental years (Hill, 2011).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Children are sexualized through ruthless tactics and considerable effort by advertisers to expose them to sex and violence in video games, music videos, pop culture and television (Hill, 2011). The use of sex and violence is a proven and profitable attention grabber with the monetary potential for lifetime brand loyalty (Hill, 2011).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">A survey based on children’s television viewing reveal the average child sees 12,000 violent acts, 14,000 sexual references and innuendos and 20,000 advertisements annually (Hill, 2011). Despite best efforts it is impossible to totally shield children from these images or the associated consumerism.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The documentary ‘Race to Nowhere’ suggests the overemphasis on achievements is making children focus on what they lack (eg. talent, clothes, physical features etc.), rather than on their strengths (Tokuhama, 2011). Youth cultures are substituting anxieties with brands providing them with value, prestige and esteem; this temporarily provides a superficial screen safeguarding them from criticism, self-doubt but ultimately fuses their identity with brands (Tokuhama, 2011).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Forming connections with brands is known as self-brand connections, which occurs when consumers associate user characteristics and personality traits to specific brands which they then incorporate within their identity (Chaplin & John, 2005). Surgy (1982) explains this process of matching brands which are congruent with ones’ self-concept is called self-image/product-image congruity theory (Chaplin & John, 2005). The image below shows how brand leverage is achieved.



<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Studies reveal children as young as 3 or 4 recognise brands, by middle childhood (7-8 years) they are able to name multiple brands from varying product groups and request brands by name (John 1999; Chaplin & John, 2005). From middle childhood until adolescent brands are understood on a more conceptual level rather than concrete perceptual level of younger children (Chaplin & John, 2005). The development in cognitive ability and analytic reasoning allows abstract associations such as personality traits and stereotypes to be associated with brands. (Chaplin & John, 2005). Three studies measuring self-concepts by Chaplin & John (2005) confirm the development of self-brand connections begins in middle childhood and early adolescents (Chaplin & John, 2005).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Having formed their self-brand connections, adolescents express this through clothing, hairstyles and accessories as a means of individuality but also defining position in peer groups (Deutsch & Theodorou, 2009). Each sub-culture (Geek, Goth, Hip-hop etc.) is marked by specific consumer choices that identify them as not only individuals but as members of a social network (Deutsch & Theodorou, 2009).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Pattillo-McCoy’s (1999) study reveals how youth use the acquisition of the “newest and most expensive sneakers as a means of marking their status within the neighbourhood hierarchy”, high end sneaker are considered an important social marker amongst these youth (Deutsch & Theodorou, 2009). Research by Lamont & Molnar, 2001 reveal African-Americans use conspicuous consumption to defeat racism and shape their collective identity and “simultaneously enact a positive vision of their cultural distinctiveness” (Lamont & Molnar, 2001) Adolescents use the acquisition and accumulation of products to “level the playing field, minimizing the economic gap, by presenting an image of high socioeconomic status that they truly don’t possess (Deutsch & Theodorou, 2009; Pattillo-McCoy, 1999, p. 147).


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Jonathan Darby's haunting depiction of a man wearing Nike reflects consumerism is not good for the soul, as the man appears hollow, vacant and without substance. While the female is depicted in a sexualised manner although it's all about the shoes. **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Consumption is seen as a means of moving out or up social classes or of gaining social power, whilst some use style as their identity (Tokuhama, 2011; Croghan et al, 2006).Style is a crucial marker of identity for youth culture and is referred to as Style Identity which can be hotly contested within group members (Croghan et al, 2006).Style choice is label and shop specific and buying clothes cheap or from markets or charity shops is considered shameful (Croghan et al, 2006).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The ability to maintain an authentic style identity could mean the difference between being popular or ostracised (Deutsch & Theodorou, 2009). Style failure not being able to maintain a style identity has social costs including social exclusion, bullying and loss of status (Croghan et al, 2006). The peer and economic pressure on young people to maintain a style identity is causing tension and disharmony within families (Croghan et al, 2006).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Gauging health outcomes are linked to the negative outcomes of consumerism namely issues of poor self-esteem, depression, anxiety and substance abuse (Hill, 2011). Children engaging in drug taking, smoking and drinking construct an identity that validates their lifestyle choice (Hill, 2011). Marketers use sophisticated and powerful promotion practices for alcoholic beverages targeting beginning drinkers, teenage drinkers and established drinkers and consequently we see the rise in binge drinking (McCreanor, Greenway, Moewaka, Borell & Gregory, 2005) Children’s health statistics reveal childhood and teen obesity has tripled since the 1980’s, whilst television is saturated with fast-food advertising (Hill, 2011)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The relationship between advertising, consumption and social identity is powerful and complex. A shift in societal views on consumerism will need to occur before the ideals of materialism and imagism will decline. It must be remembered that individuals are not merely passive consumers but they possess a sense of agency to which they can use (Arvidsson 2006).

__**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Cultural and Social Analysis **__

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Stearns (2006) describes a consumer society as one ‘in which many people formulate their goals in life partly through acquiring goods that they clearly do not need for subsistence or for traditional display (Stearns, 2006) They become enmeshed in the process of acquisition – shopping – and take some of their identity from a procession of new items that they buy and exhibit” (Deutsch & Theodorou, 2009, p. 230).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Some may say the new religion is ‘materialism’ the ‘Me’ generation. Self-expression and image has become more important to generation Y and youth cultures than self-control. Generation Y and today’s youth are individualistic from self-branding their image to the world and being told they could be anything, achieve anything and have it all by their parents (Patterson, 2007). Technology has enabled them to be self-inventive they create their own websites, make their own DVD and CD’s, want things now and express and advertise themselves on social networks, they are out to impress (Patterson, 2007).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">They fear living poorly in terms of lifestyle making them very self-gratifying and materialistic (Wolburg, Pokrywczynski, 2001). Their consumption power lies in the fact they remain single longer, this extended period of unmarried adulthood targeted by marketers due to their large disposable incomes (Wolburg, Pokrywczynski, 2001). Status is important and the attitude of have it now and pay later has led to luxury spending and leading to financial problems (Patterson, 2009).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Their consumption pattern is driven by advertising, rapidly changing technology, peers, impulsivity, gratification and the desire to be up to date with technology and image requiring they consume finding contentment in materialism thus presenting to the world a social skin of I am successful and OK (Patteron, 2006; Wolburg, Pokrywczynski, 2001). This desire to consume has led to 1.2 million credit cards applications for 18 – 27 year olds in 2006 and 1/3 failing to pay their bills (Patterson, 2007). A CBA Bank Survey (2006) revealing 73% of generation Y were in debt (Patterson, 2007).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Lifestyles and images presented on a daily basis through advertising, television and movies are contrived, glamorised and an unrealistic alternate reality to which they aspire. Advertising performs the same function as myths in ancient times it has become both the creator and perpetrator of the main values in today’s culture (Kilbourne, 2006). Advertising creates a climate where some values proliferate, whilst others are ignored. These values may not be representative of the society rather they are what marketers want you to aspire too (Kilbourne, 2006).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Throughout history people were influenced by the stories told by their ancestors, tribes and communities, not by stories that are market-driven for the masses (Kilbourne, 2006). To quote George Gerbner a respected researcher of the media said “For the first time in human history, most of the stories about people, life and values are told not by parents, schools, churched or others in the community who have something to tell, but by a group of distant conglomerated that have something to sell” (Kilbourne, 2006).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">To measure the influence of advertising and consumption on a culture we can study a culture recently exposed to it (Kilbourne, 2006). In 1980 Gwich’n tribe in Alaska got television and advertising followed quickly by VCRs, video games and satellite dishes (Kilbourne, 2006). They had lived much like their ancestors prior to the media and marketing invasion. Within10 years, young members of the tribe were transfixed to televisions, they no longer had time or enthusiasm to learn their parents’ language, hunting skills or ancient stories while traditional footwear gave way to Nikes (Kilbourne, 2006).



<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Multinational chains destroy vibrant town centres and character creating a universe of shopping malls which offer sameness worldwide (Kilbourne, 2006). The unrestrained potency of consumerism create a toxic, contrived and controlled society where our children are losing their grip on childhood and our towns, civic lives, environment, mental and physical health suffer (Kilbourne, 2006).

__**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Analysis of Artefact and Reflection **__

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">My chosen artifacts resonanate with me and what I see in the world, the rampant consumption drivng individuals to believe that image and brands are exclusively the most important aspect of life, having their self-esteem contingent on what style identity they can afford to maintain.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Jonathan Darby’s paintings depict how consumerism has created these symbolic skins which inform social identity and are exclusively composed of brands. Darby’s solo exhibition ‘Generation Y?’ was created in the belief that society is obsessively reliant on consumerism to such an extent that we become victims of it, this is seen in his painting LittlePrisoners.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Darby’s socio-political and humanitarian themes portray people within a cultural context where the vulnerable are impacted by the forces of social, economic and political change. He sees the Western world on the treadmill of spend, spend, spend whilst the developing world is exploited into poverty by large corporations offering low wages for producing goods for mass market. The primary victims of this acquisition culture of the West are the children who are largely without choice.



<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The pervasive nature of consumerism has become apparent to me as my 13 year old son struggles to formulate his social identity. His desire to have and maintain the appropriate style identity is economically problematic and affecting his self-esteem should he not meet group uniformity.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Having believed that I was exempt from the influences of advertising it has become apparent that there is no way to ‘tune out’ the bombardment of daily advertising. Advertising critic Sut Jhally said, “To not be influenced by advertising would be to live outside the culture. No human being lives outside of culture’ (Patterson, 2006).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Joseph Goebbels sums it up by saying, “This is the secret of propaganda: those who are to be persuaded by it should be completely immersed in the ideas of the propaganda, without ever noticing that they are being immersed in it” (Pattersonm, 2006).


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">References **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Arvidsson, A. (2006). Brands: Meaning and Value in Media Culture. New York. NY: Routledge. 2006.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Chaplin, L & John, D. (2005). The Development of Self-Brand Connections in Children and Adolescents. //Journal of Consumer Research//, //12//, 119-129.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Cherrier, H. (2009). Anti-consumption discourses and consumer-resistant identities. //Journal of Business Research//, //62//(2), 181-190.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Croghan, R., Griffin, C., Hunter, J. & Phoenix, A. (2006). Style Failure: Consumption, Identity and Social Exclusion. //Journal of Youth Studies//, //9//(4), 463-478.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Deutch, N., Theodorou, E. (2009). Aspiring, Consuming, becoming: Youth Identity in a Culture of Consumption. //Youth & Society//, //42//(2), 229-254.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Elliott, R. (1997). Existential consumption and irrational desire. //European Journal of Marketing//, //31//(3/4), 285-296.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Grimmer, M. (2009). Symbolic Consumption and Consumer Identity: An Application of Social Identity Theory to Car Purchase Behaviour. //ANZMAC.//
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Hill, J. (2011). Endangered childhoods: how consumerism is impacting child and youth identity. //Media Culture Society//, //33//(3), 347-362.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">John, D. (1999). Consumer Socialization of Children: A Retrospective Look at Twenty-five Years of Research. //Journal of Consumer Research//, 26 December, 183-213.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Kilbourne, J. (2006) Jesus is a brand of jeans. //New Internationalist Magazine//, Issue 393.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Lamont, M. & Molnar, V. (2001). How Blacks Use Consumption to Shape their Collective Identity. //Journal of Consumer Culture//, //1//(1), 31-45.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">McCreanor, T., Greenway, A., Barnes, H., Borell, A & Gregory, A (2005). Identity formation and contemporary alcohol marketing. //Critical Public Health//, //15//(3), 251-262.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Patterson, B. (2008, July 08). A-Z of Generation Y. //The Herald Sun//
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Pattillo-McCoy, M. (1999). Black picket fences: Privilege and peril among the Black middle class. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Shankar, A. & Fitchett, J. (2002). Having, Being and Consumption. //Journal of Marketing Management//, //18//(5-6), 501-516.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Shankar, A., Elliott, R. & Fitchett, J. (2009). Identity, consumption and narratives of socialization. //Marketing Theory//, //9//(1), 75-94.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Smith, M. (2007). Inconspicuous Consumption: Non-Display Goods and Identity Formation. //Journal of Archaeology Method & Theory//, //14//, 412-438.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Tokuhama, C. (2011). Consumption, a Modern Affliction: Branding Culture, Youth Identity and College Admission. //Journal of College Admission//, //Winter//, 33-48.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Wolburg, J. & Pokrywczynski, J. (2001). A Psychographic Analysis of Generation Y College Students. //Journal of Advertising Research//, //41// (5), 33-52.

__Learning Engagement an Reflection__

 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Page: Farkiol – Warning: May cause artificial insemination **


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Comment: Psychotropic Drugs - Do or Don't __**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Interesting review of psychiatric drugs, what are the risks of not taking prescribed medications?

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">There are certainly side effects to psychotropic drugs however a competent doctor would weigh up the risks of not taking medication. These risks could include suicide attempts, self -harm, harm to family, inability to maintain work or just living a miserable existence.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Drugs like Lithium, antidepressants, anti-psychotics and SSRI's are taken by those suffering schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">However if sufferers where to stop taking their medication it is almost certain they would deteriorate and relapse becoming ill and likely hospitalized for their condition.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">A number of psychiatric conditions have a biological basis and therefore are corrected through the use of these drugs, although doctors don't fully understand how these medications work.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">All medications have side effects be they blood pressure, heart medications or panadol. In all cases one has to consider the risks of not taking the medication, as side effects can generally be managed once noticed.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Medications certainly have a place in making those suffering from psychiatric conditions maintain a better quality of life. But I am sure you would agree that as a society we do not want to over prescribe these drugs. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Great Work. Julie L


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Page: A review of issues impacting on the Mental Health of Indigenous Australians **


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Comment: Indigenous Mental Health - what is our government doing? __**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Thank you for raising the awareness of the mental health status of indigenous Australians. Much of the public health initiatives on mental health have failed to inform our society of the staggering statistics of suicide and self-harm among indigenous groups, especially in remote communities.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Australia's report card on indigenous health in general is poor to the extent that their health status is that of developing nations. We need to ensure that governments endeavour to raise indigenous health status comparable to every other Australian.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Your artefact represents authentically the notion of wholistic care in terms of indigenous communities. As a society we need to engage in practices that are culturally sensitive encompassing the traditional beliefs, needs and lifestyles of indigenous communities, if we are to increase postive outcomes from mental health problems.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Great Work!