Being Multicultural Minded As Multicultural Helpers

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Being Multicultural MindedAs Multicultural
Helpers

• TRI COLLEGE Counselor Education Workshop
• Concordia College
• Minnesota State University Moorhead
• North Dakota State University
• Presented by
• Matthew J. Mims, Ed.D., NCC, LPC
• Grace Ann Mims, Ph.D.,
• NCC, LPC, LMFT, ACS

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Understanding Cultural Collisions

• What seems to be logical, sensible, important,
  and reasonable to a person in one culture may
  seem stupid, irrational and unimportant to an
  outsider.
• People often believe that their culture is
  superior.

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• Feelings of apprehension, loneliness, and lack of
  confidence are common when visiting another
  culture.
• When people talk about other cultures, they tend
  to describe the differences and not the
  similarities.

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• Differences between cultures are often seen as
  threatening and described in negative terms
• Personal observations and reports of other
  cultures should be regarded with a great deal of
  skepticism.

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• Many cultures often exist within a single race,
  language group, religion or nationality,
  differentiated by age, gender, socioeconomic
  status, education, and exposure to other
  cultures.

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Ethnocentric

• We believe that our culture is the norm.
• We expect and assume that other cultures ought to
  be like ours.
• We think about, evaluate, and judge other culture
  according to our own.

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Ethnorelative

• We realize that reality is organized in many
  complex ways.
• We notice a wide variety of beliefs, values, and
  behaviors among cultures.
• No one culture is the norm or the standard for
  other cultures.

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Seven Patterns of Cultural Differences

• 1. Communication Styles
• 2. Time Orientation
• 3. Attitudes Toward Conflict
• 4. Self-Disclosure
• 5. Sense of Self
• 6. Decision Making Styles
• 7. Approaches to Suffering, Sickness,
   Life/Death

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Communication Styles

• Linear versus Circular
• Direct Versus Indirect
• Detached versus Attached
• Intellectual Engagement versus Relational
  Engagement

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Communication Styles

• Procedural versus Personal
• Non-verbal
• Facial expressions, gestures, seating
  arrangements, personal distance, sense of time

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Time Orientation

• Time as commodity, limited, linear,
  future-oriented
• Time as abundant, expandable, indefinite, global,
  present-oriented
• Values of punctuality, keeping to schedules,
  completing tasks on time versus values of
  relationship, appreciating present events and
  encounters, living in the now.

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Attitudes Toward Conflict

• Positive view - dealing directly with problems
  that arise demonstrates assertiveness and
  respect. Problems dont fester or escalate.
• Negative view - open conflict is embarrassing,
  demeaning, or disrespectful.

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Attitudes Toward Self-Disclosure

• To be or not to be.frank with emotions or
  reasons behind conflict, misunderstandings or
  about personal information
• Questions may seem natural or intrusive (e.g.
  What was the conflict about? What was your role?
  What was the sequence of events?)

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Sense of Self

• Individualism vs. Collective mentality
• Individualistic society each person is unique,
  special, independent I consciousness
• Collectivistic society each persons identity
  is only in relationship to the groupwe
  consciousness

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Sense of Self continued

• Values of individual initiative, independence,
  privacy, and freedom vs. values of the group,
  conformity, group cohesiveness, emotional
  dependency on and loyalty to group
• Nuclear families vs. extended families

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Decision-Making Styles

• Hierarchical versus Mutuality
• Delegation versus holding decision-making
  responsibilities
• Majority rule versus consensus
• Sharing opinion versus soliciting opinion
• Access to Resources
• Relationship building

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Approaches to Suffering, Sickness, and Death

• Fatalism vs. Choice and Participation
• Belief that everything in life is pre-determined.
  Acceptance of lifes circumstances is highly
  prized.
• Nothing can be done to change things.
• Belief that lifes outcomes can be negotiated,
  changed, enhanced by creative participation and
  choices

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Approaches to Suffering continued.

• Suffering, sickness and death are inevitable,
  cannot be fought against or resisted. Seen as
  punishments for evil doing. Ones lot in life.
• Suffering, sickness and death are a natural part
  of lifes process, can be altered, healed,
  delayed, or accepted as steps to a higher life.
  Seen as redemptive.

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Approaches to Suffering continued

• Trust in organic, traditional, natural remedies
  and healing power of the family
• Versus
• Trust in scientific medicine, technology, and
  expert knowledge of medical community.

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• Tips for Avoiding Cultural Clashes

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Avoid

• overgeneralizations that suggest that all or most
  members of a racial group are the same.
• Example Joe never speaks up because he is
  Asian.

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• qualifiers that reinforce racial and ethnic
  stereotypes.
• Example "Shes really articulate for an African
  American" implies that African Americans
  typically have low verbal ability.

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• racial identification except when it is essential
  to communication.
• Example "Judy, an outgoing student" is
  preferable to "Judy, an outgoing Asian female
  student."

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• language that has questionable racial or ethnic
  connotations.
• Example Phrases such as "culturally deprived,"
  "culturally disadvantaged" and "you people" have
  racist overtones.

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Be aware

• of possible negative implications of color
  symbolism and usage that could offend people or
  reinforce bias.
• Example Terms such as "black magic", black
  list, or "black market" can be offensive.

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• that objects characters and symbols may reflect
  different beliefs or values for different groups.
• Example The confederate flag may offend African
  Americans because it reflects the culture of
  slavery.

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• of rules regarding the distance between speakers
  during conversation.
• Example In some cultures, speakers stand close
  enough to touch often. In other cultures,
  distance is maintained to denote respect.

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• of rules of attentiveness during conversation.
• Example In some cultures constant maintenance
  of eye contact is a sign of active listening
  while for other cultures direct eye contact is
  seen as intrusive and disrespectful.

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• that cultures vary in what they consider humorous
  or taboo.
• Example Ethnic humor is often perceived as
  racial prejudice. Discussion of in group cultural
  rules and behaviors with outsiders is considered
  taboo within many cultures.

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• of different rules for taking turns during
  conversations.
• Example Some cultures discourage children from
  interrupting a conversation while other
  cultures perceive "breaking in" to reinforce or
  disagree with another's point to be perfectly
  permissible, indeed desirable.

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• cultures may use different standards for
  loudness, speed of delivery, silence,
  attentiveness and time to respond to another's
  point.
• Example Some cultures place high value on
  contemplation and tend, therefore, to feel little
  responsibility to make immediate responses during
  conversation.

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Dont assume

• that there is one right way (yours!) to
  communicate.
• Example Postures in one culture may be friendly
  but hostile in another.