Pastoral Relationship with People with Intellectual ... - Theses

134more clearly understand the notion of a God whose love and care specificallyaddresses the life situation of people such as those who are the focus of thisextended reflection. At the same time, those who exercise pastoral care in thiscontext can develop models of care that are specifically shaped by thecircumstances of the people in question.Speaking in opposition to the abiding notion of pastoral care beingprincipally concerned with notions of personal fulfilment, pastoral theologianAlastair Campbell asserts, “[t]he intensity of the one-to-one encounters ofprofessional practice appears to create a blind spot with respect to the sociopoliticalcontext of care.” 371 The creation of a dichotomy between the personaland systemic role and vision of the pastoral carer bears a significant consequence.It neglects to account for the sense in which the socio-politically constitutedenvironment can affect the lives of those being cared for within that settingaccording to prevailing and imposed environmental factors. Such factors caninclude institutional values, dominant relational forms, and hegemonic styles ofmanagement and control. Neglect of such systemic factors diminishes thepossibility of the development of a model of pastoral care that is shaped to thespecific contextual needs of the person or persons in question.Regarding this extended reflection serious consideration of systemicissues invites pastoral care to not only be observed as relating to the person bothas an individual human being and as a person living with an intellectualdisability, but also as a person who is affected by living in an institutionallyconstructedsystem of care.Taking into account the socio-political context in which people liverequires an accounting for the values that undergird that context and the sense inwhich those values influence the lives of those who live in that place. AsBrowning points out, our present epoch is characterised by a growing disparitybetween public or systemic values and those of the individual. Previous epochscould point to unifying moral and social influences, such as those of the Christianchurch within Western Judeo-Christian societies. However, today, the Christianchurch, in various Western societies, including Australia, holds only a marginalinfluence on the values of wider society. Therefore, there is the emergence of a371 Campbell, Professionalism and Pastoral Care, 53.