Term
| BECOMING CULTURALLY COMPETENT |
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Definition
- Having all of us become culturally aware of our own values, biases and assumptions about human behavior
- Having all of us acquire knowledge and understanding of the worldview of culturally diverse groups and individuals.
- Having each of us begin the process of developing
appropriate and effective helping, teaching, communication and intervention strategies in working with culturally diverse groups and individuals.
- Understanding how organizational and institutional forces may either enhance or negate the development of multicultural competence.
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Term
| Definition of Cultural Competence |
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Definition
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is the ability to engage in actions or create conditions that maximize the optimal development of client and client systems.
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It is the acquisition of awareness, knowledge, and skills needed to function effectively in a pluralistic democratic society
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(ability to communicate, interact, negotiate, and intervene on behalf of clients from diverse backgrounds),
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and on an organizational/societal level, advocating effectively to develop new theories, practices, policies and organizational structures that are more responsive to all groups.”
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Term
| BECOMING CULTURALLY COMPETENT #1 |
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Definition
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Having all of us become culturally aware of our own values, biases and assumptions about human behavior.
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What stereotypes, perceptions, and beliefs do we hold about culturally diverse groups that may hinder our ability to form a helpful and effective relationship?
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What are the worldviews they bring to the interpersonal encounter? What value systems are inherent in the professional’s theory of helping, educating, administrating, and what values underlie the strategies and techniques used in these situations?
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Without such an awareness and understanding, we may inadvertently assume that everyone shares our world view. When this happens, we may become guilty of cultural oppression, imposing values on our culturally diverse clients.
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Term
| BECOMING CULTURALLY COMPETENT #2 |
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Definition
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Having all of us acquire knowledge and understanding of the worldview of culturally diverse groups and individuals.
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What biases, values and assumptions about human behavior do these groups hold?
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Is there such a thing as an African American, Asian American, Latino(a)/Hispanic American or American Indian worldview? Do other culturally different groups (women, the physically challenged, gays/lesbians, etc.) also have different world views?
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Term
| BECOMING CULTURALLY COMPETENT #3 |
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Definition
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Having each of us begin the process of developing appropriate and effective helping, teaching, communication and intervention strategies in working with culturally diverse groups and individuals.
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This means prevention as well as remediation approaches, and systems intervention as well as traditional one-to-one relationships.
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Equally important is the ability to make use of existing indigenous-helping/healing approaches and structures which may already exist in the minority community.
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Term
| BECOMING CULTURALLY COMPETENT #4 |
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Definition
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Understanding how organizational and institutional forces may either enhance or negate the development of multicultural competence.
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It does little good for any of us to be culturally competent when the very organization that employs us are filled with monocultural policies and practices.
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In many cases, organizational customs do not value or allow the use of cultural knowledge or skills. Some organizations may even actively discourage, negate, or punish multicultural expressions. Thus, it is imperative to view multicultural competence for organizations as well.
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Developing new rules, regulations, policies, practices, and structures within organizations which enhance multiculturalism are important.
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Term
| ETHNOCENTRIC MONOCULTURALISM defined |
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Definition
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Ethnocentric monoculturalism is the individual, institutional and societal expression of the superiority of one group’s cultural heritage over another’s.
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In all cases, the dominant group or society has the ultimate power to impose their beliefs and standards upon the less powerful group.
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Term
| ETHNOCENTRIC MONOCULTURALISM overview |
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Definition
- belief in superiority
- belief in inferiority
- power to impose
- embedded in institutions
- invisible veil
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Term
| ETHNOCENTRIC MONOCULTURALISM #1 belief in superiority |
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Definition
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There is a strong belief in the superiority of one group’s cultural heritage (history, values, language, traditions, arts/crafts, etc.). The group norms and values are seen positively and descriptors may include such terms as “more advanced” and “more civilized”.
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Members of the society may possess conscious and unconscious feelings of superiority and that their way of doing things is the “best way”.
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Term
| ETHNOCENTRIC MONOCULTURALISM #2 belief in inferiority |
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Definition
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There is a belief in the inferiority of all other group’s cultural heritage which extends to their customs, values, traditions and language.
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Other societies or groups may be perceived as “less developed”, “uncivilized”, or “primitive”. The life style or ways of doing things by the group are considered inferior.
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Term
| ETHNOCENTRIC MONOCULTURALISM #3 power to impose |
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Definition
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The dominant group has the power to impose their standards and beliefs upon the less powerful group. All groups are to some extent ethnocentric; that is they feel positively about their cultural heritage and way of life. Yet, if they do not possess the power to impose their values on others, they hypothetically cannot oppress.
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It is power or the unequal status relationship between groups which defines ethnocentric monoculturalism.
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Term
| ETHNOCENTRIC MONOCULTURALISM #4 embedded institutions |
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Definition
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The ethnocentric values and beliefs are manifested in the programs, policies, practices, structures and institutions of the society.
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For example, chain-of-command systems, training and educational systems, communication systems, management systems, performance appraisal systems often dictate and control our lives. They attain “untouchable and godfather- like” status in an organization.
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Because most systems are monocultural in nature and demand compliance, racial/ethnic minorities and women may be oppressed.
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Term
| ETHNOCENTRIC MONOCULTURALISM #5 invisible veil |
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Definition
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Since people are all products of cultural conditioning, their values and beliefs (worldview) represent an “invisible veil” which operates outside the level of conscious awareness.
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As a result, people assume universality; that the nature of reality and truth are shared by everyone regardless of race, culture, ethnicity or gender.
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This assumption is erroneous, but seldom questioned because it is firmly ingrained in our world view.
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