1
We talk a lot and talk pretty well about race,
but we dont listen enough. And Im hoping that
if we listen to each other, we can begin to
make this society of ours into less and less of a
country of strangers. -David Shipler, 1997
2

• Appreciation of our differences starts with the
  acknowledgment of our similarities
• -Peter Reese

3
What Is Culture?
4
What Is Culture?

• The customary ways in which humans live. For
  example diet, family forms and processes, social
  organizations, and religions.
• Info taken from The Four Skills of Cultural
  Diversity Competence, by Mikel Hogan-Garcia

5
Ethnic Group or Culture Group

• The cultural heritage, or aspects of culture,
  that a group shares and attempts to hand down
  from one generation to the next through learning.
• Info taken from The Four Skills of Cultural
  Diversity Competence, by Mikel Hogan-Garcia

6
12 Aspects of Culture or Ethnicity

1. History-time period and conditions under which a
   group migrated or immigrated.
2. Social Status Factors education, occupation,
   income
3. Social Group Interaction Patterns Intra-group
   (within group relations) and Inter-group
   (between-group relations)
4. Value Orientation standards by which members of
   a culture judge their personal actions and those
   of others.
5. Language and Communication Verbal and Nonverbal
6. Family Life Processes gender roles, family
   dynamics
7. Healing Beliefs and Practices attitudes and
   beliefs about health.
8. Religion spiritual beliefs and practices
9. Art and Expressive Forms art, music, stories,
   dance, etc.
10. Diet/Foods preferred food eaten by groups.
11. Recreation activities, sports for leisure, etc.
12. Clothing types, styles, and extent of body
    coverings.

7
Personal Culture Core Identity

• Includes everything an individual finds
  meaningful, beliefs, values, perceptions,
  assumptions, and framework about reality.
• Developed through social interaction with family
  and others in your environment.

8
Cultural Competence Skill Areas

• Awareness and Acceptance of Differences
• Self-Awareness
• Dynamics of Difference
• Knowledge of Clients Culture
• Adaptation of Skills

9
Self-Awareness

• It is impossible to appreciate the impact of
  culture on the lives of others, particularly
  clients, if one is out of touch with his or her
  own cultural background.

10
Self-Awareness

• Many people never acknowledge how their
  day-to-day behaviors have been shaped by cultural
  norms and values and reinforced by families,
  peers, and social institutions. How one defines
  family, identifies desirable life goals, views
  problems, and even says hello are all influenced
  by the culture in which one functions (Cross,
  1988, p.2).

11
Self-Awareness

• Requires self-knowledge of own culture in order
  to know when cultural limits are likely to be
  pushed, foreseeing potential areas of tension,
  and conflict with specific client groups.

12
Why Become Culturally Competent?
13
Ethnocentrism

• The belief that ones own group or culture is
  superior to all other groups or cultures.
• The tendency of most people to use their own way
  of life as a standard for judging others now
  also indicates the belief, on the part of most
  individuals, that their race, culture, society,
  etc., are superior to all others
• Info taken from nku.edu website

14
Ethnorelativsm

• These people have gone from being neutral about
  difference to being positive. They not only
  accept cultural differences, but are willing and
  able to adjust their own behavior to conform to
  different norms. They are able to empathize with
  people from different cultures. In many ways,
  they become what is known as bi cultural or multi
  cultural, effortlessly adjusting their behavior
  to suit the culture of the people they're with,
  "style switching," in other words. They do not
  give up their own or birth culture's values and
  beliefs, but they do integrate aspects of other
  cultures into it.
• Info taken from www.peacecorps.gov