September 29th, 2009 — Uncategorized
To address this need, Swartz Kulstad and Martin identi?ed ?ve primary domains of culture and context. Taken together, the ?ve domains provide a nice structure for building a better understanding of client issues .
Ethnocultural orientation is the ?rst domain of culture and context . Ethnocultural orientation is a multidimensional domain that includes gauging the extent to which a person af?liates with his or her culture of origin and the dominant culture. This concept has also been referred to as acculturation . People born in another country who reside in the United States for more than a visit are no doubt challenged with trying to reconcile their beliefs, values, and understanding of social norms with what is required in their new home. A few words of the language creep in. The availability of familiar homeland foods is limited.
The entertainment re?ects and teaches the dominant culture. Obedience to the laws, education for the children, employment, housing-all require an active connection to, and understanding of, the dominant culture.
Even with the decision to engage the dominant culture, some individuals experience great stress when traditional ways of dealing with life situations do not yield predictable results. Integration requires fundamental shifts in a person’s identity and behavior, thus threatening a sense of continuity and equilibrium. However, according to SwartzKulstad and Martin , people who successfully adapt at the psychosocial level and exhibit positive mental health in a dominant culture are able to act within the expected standards of the dominant society while maintaining a clear sense of their beliefs and values. At the same time, they are able to maintain salient aspects of their culture of origin in such a way that they do not lose traditional psychosocial support systems. In other words, adaptation to the dominant culture does not require abandonment of the culture of origin, but rather ?exibility in being able to employ positive aspects of both cultures in the process of adapting to a new environment.
September 29th, 2009 — Uncategorized
However, as described by Christopher , Simon’s presenting problem stimulated deeper personal re?ection: I confess that initially this case placed me in a dif?cult position with respect to my own values. Having spent a number of years critiquing Western culture and learning about the moral visions of non Western traditions, my tendency was to focus on the limitations of assertiveness and the individualism it manifests and supports. Moreover, I was troubled to see someone from a cultural tradition as rich as Simon’s almost eager to forsake this heritage to become Western …. I … felt a sense of reservation about helping Simon with his stated goals.
This case illustrates an interesting potential contextual dilemma associated with cross cultural counseling. That is, how does the therapist handle a situation in which he or she values a client’s culture to a greater degree than the client? Take some time to re?ect on John Christopher’s dilemma. How would you be affected by a similar situation? Are there any particular ethnocultural perspectives, philosophies, or behavior patterns that you ?nd more desirable than your own? Putting It in Practice 13.5ing and decision making. Religious orientations are as varied as the countries from which Asian Americans have come, including such diverse belief systems as Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Janism, and many branches in each.
Much has been written about the Western mind or worldview and the Eastern mind or worldview in religious and philosophical literature. Although the following quote may not help the interviewer with any particular Asian American client, it may serve as a guide in our quest to be more authentically multicultural:
A Cup of Tea
Nan in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era , received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring.
September 29th, 2009 — Uncategorized
Gender Roles
Machismo and marianismo are central notions that tend to dictate interpersonal relationships, especially between the sexes. Machismo denotes masculinity as evidenced in physical prowess, aggression, attractiveness to women, and consumption of large quantities of alcohol, thereby commanding respect from others. This respect has many important dimensions in Hispanic culture. The term respeto refers to respect accorded persons in the culture based on age, social position, sex, and status. A person who shows appropriate respeto is seen as someone who has been well educated or well reared.
Marianismo, or traditional Hispanic womanhood, is based on the Catholic worship of the Virgin Mary. It connotes obedience, timidity, sexual abstinence until marriage, emotionality, and gentleness. According to Comas D
September 29th, 2009 — Uncategorized
Consider Chief Sitting Bull’s response to the American policy of assimilation in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: I am a red man. If the Great Spirit had desired me to be a white man, he would have made me so in the ?rst place. He put in your heart certain wishes and plans, in my heart he put other and different desires. Each man is good in His sight. It is not necessary for eagles to be crows.
Cultural decimation and assimilation still have direct counseling rami?cations, especially if the counselor represents White European culture. While genocidal policies in the 376 Interviewing Special PopulationsUnited States are now mainly historical, contemporary struggles regarding land use and impingement on tribal sovereignty are relics of the same policies. White European counselors bear little responsibility for past events. However, they can still be perceived as representative of a dominant culture encroaching on the rights of Indian people. From a relationship building perspective, establishing trust may require extra sensitivity.
The danger of overgeneralization notwithstanding, here are a few speci?c cultural variables that can be used to help orient an interviewer working with Indian clients.
Tribal Identity
Asking an Indian client about his or her tribe is an important component of an initial interview. The client may choose not to tell you very much, but nearly all Indian people identify themselves as belonging to a tribe, band, or clan . Although it may reveal your unfamiliarity with the tribe named, interviewers should not be shy about asking for the correct pronunciation and spelling. Even Indian counselors do not know the names and practices of every existing tribe . No matter how much or how little tribal identity exists in a given individual, it is an important component of Indian culture . Asking about tribal af?liation and identity begins an important process between the counselor and the Indian client. After clients identify their tribes, an easy follow up question is: “Tell me the things you value most about being Assiniboine.” When non Indian interviewers pretend to know too much about Indian life or tribal issues, they risk damaging rapport with Indian clients. Respectful questioning about tribal af?liation is more appropriate and much less presumptive.
