Chapter 8: Diversity Issues in Group Work

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Chapter 8 Diversity Issues in Group Work

• Introduction to Group Work, 5th Edition
• Edited by David Capuzzi, Douglas R. Gross, and
  Mark D. Stauffer

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Social Identity Groups

• Social identity groups a collection of people
  who share physical, cultural, or social
  characteristics within one of the categories of
  social identity
• Categories
• Race ? Ethnicity
• Gender ? Sexual orientation
• Socioeconomic status ? Disability
• Age ? Religion

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Multiculturalism Diversity

• Multiculturalism the term used in relation to
  differences based strictly on race and ethnicity
• Diversity Aspects of difference among individual
  and groups

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Elements of Diversity

• Three elements that impact counseling and group
  work
• Culture
• Individual identity development
• Relationships between social identity groups
• Culture characteristic values, behaviors,
  products, and worldviews of a group with a
  distinct sociohistorical context

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Models of Identity Development

• Racial/Cultural Identity Development Model
• Conformity, Dissonance, Resistance/Immersion,
  Introspection, Integrative awareness
• White Racial Identity Model
• Contact, Progressive awareness, Attitudes,
  Personal responsibility, Shifting protective
  strategies, Autonomy.

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Models of Identity Development

• Oppression Model
• Stereotypes negative generalizations
• Prejudice judgments without adequate information
  or contact
• Discrimination behavior of individuals or
  institutions with differential/harmful effects
• Privilege unearned access to resources available
  to members of some groups

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Key Points

• Within each identity group category, specific
  identities are more esteemed and have more power
  than others in the context of a particular
  society.
• Dominant or agent group collection of social
  identities with more power
• Target groups social identity groups with less
  power

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Cross-Cultural Competencies and Objectives

• Counselor Self-Awareness
• Without adequate awareness of stereotypes,
  biases, and culturally based reactions that are
  part of life as cultural beings, counselors will
  unknowingly view culturally different clients
  lives, issues, and interactions from their own,
  rather than clients, perspectives.
• Awareness of Clients Worldview
• While cultural identification can be seen as a
  persons sense of belonging to a group, worldview
  is the sum total of his or her conceptions of the
  world that guide his or her meaning-making,
  decisions, and behavior.

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Culturally Appropriate Counseling Skills

• Relevant aspects of communication style
• Proxemics (personal space)
• Kinesics (movement)
• Paralanguage (voice)
• Low context (verbal content)
• High context (shared understanding)

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Groups as a Social Microcosm

• Main diversity themes in groups
• Power is distributed according to each persons
  social role in group.
• Power may be distributed according to numerical
  representation of social identity groups within
  the group.
• Members of social agent groups may have more
  power than those of target groups.

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Yaloms Therapeutic Factors

• Appropriate starting point for exploring
  diversity-sensitive group intervention
• Provides framework for much of the group
  counseling conducted today
• Pay attention to diversity and the differential
  effects on group members
• Otherwise the therapeutic factors might be
  counterproductive for some group members

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Yaloms Therapeutic Factors

• Instillation of hope
• Universality
• Imparting information
• Altruism
• Corrective recapitulation of family group
• Development of socializing techniques
• Imitative behavior
• Interpersonal learning
• Group cohesiveness
• Catharsis
• Existential factors

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Diversity Concerns during the Definitive Stage

• In a diverse group, acknowledgment of cultural
  differences in self-disclosure and expression of
  feeling is important.
• Self-determined levels of participation must be
  respected.
• Group members should be encouraged to tell their
  stories at their own pace.

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Diversity Concerns during the Personal
Involvement Stage

• Because of increased levels of trust, group
  members may begin to express deeper differences.
• Interactions may be challenging and there may be
  conflict.
• For diverse groups, challenge and conflict may be
  focused on power relationships, bias, and
  feelings related to social identity.

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Diversity Concerns during the Group Involvement
Stage

• Leaders of diverse groups should encourage
  members to explore the impact of diversity and
  culture on personal problem formation, problem
  resolution, and resiliency.

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Diversity Concerns during the Enhancement and
Closure Stage

• For members of some social identity groups and
  cultures, the goal of transferring new behaviors
  to their everyday lives may be counter-productive
  or even dangerous.
• Group members need to be encouraged to weigh
  potential consequences.

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Impact of Diversity upon the Group Leadership
Process

• Customary approaches to the following may not be
  appropriate
• Goals
• Group composition and screening
• Pre-group orientation
• Time and settings
• Process goals and skills