Chapter 5-6 Discussion

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Cultural Diversity: A Primer for the Human Services

By Jerry V. Diller

Chapter 6

Working with Culturally Diverse Parents and Families

Learning Objectives

6- 1 Recognize and define the meaning of community psychology.

6- 2 Identify and evaluate parenting styles within culturally diverse families.

6- 3 Prepare children emotionally and cognitively for racism.

6- 4 Support bicultural children and families.

6- 5 Build and assess the therapeutic relationship with bicultural families.

Open Letter to Barack Obama

Alice Walker characterizes the traits of Barack Obama and the values within the Black community that created the path to his victory:

Self-empowerment and pride

Resiliency and self-care

Retaining a sense of spirit and hope

An awareness of the various societal practices and institutions that have created obstacles for communities of color

Community Psychology (1 of 2)

An approach focused on making interventions at all systemic levels, including individual, social networks, support systems, communities, and within society as a whole

Community Psychology (2 of 2)

It also involves:

A focus on correcting issues of social injustice

Promoting well-being

A cessation of oppression for disadvantaged people

Prevention and mental health promotion, as opposed to merely treating symptoms

Acknowledging and addressing power differentials in society

Community development and empowerment

Social commitment and accountability as professionals

Case Study 1 (1 of 2)

Just Therapy by Charles Waldegrave

Therapy can be a vehicle for addressing some of the injustices that occur in a society.

It could be argued that in choosing not to address these issues in therapy, therapists may be inadvertently replicating, maintaining, and even furthering, existing injustices.

Case Study 1 (2 of 2)

Introduction: The New Zealand and Agency Context

In all our therapeutic work we have endeavored to relate to, and incorporate, the current issues that make up the New Zealand social and economic context.

Case Study 1: Just Therapy

Spirituality, Justice, and Simplicity

Therapy as a sacred process

Justice as recognizing the structures that create oppression and highlighting equity

Simplicity should be reflected in therapeutic exchanges.

What Is “Just Therapy?”

A modality that accounts for the gender, cultural, social and economic context of the client; broad contextual approach

Two Scenarios (1 of 2)

Scenario 1:

A Cherokee mother and Hopi father have different approaches to the problems of their son, who is acting out.

The issue corresponded to different ideas between the two cultures on the role of a father in parenting.

The issue was eventually resolved through consultation with an elder.

Two Scenarios (2 of 2)

Scenario 2:

A Chinese American husband and Irish American wife disagreed over the role, intentions, and affects of the mother-in-law in their relationship.

When the cultural dimension was added to the personal dimension of the problem, the couple was able to see how the problem could be amended.

Parenting

All parents face a similar task—that of creating a safe environment in which their child can move without harm through the various developmental tasks and stages that are part of growing up.

Creating a Buffer Zone (1 of 2)

Parents of color must create a safe environment in which their children can grow up safely despite racism.

Creating a Buffer Zone (2 of 2)

Parents create an environment in which the child is protected from negative attitudes and stereotypes.

The family is the primary sculptor of self esteem; consistent loving and nurturing interaction lead to good sense of self.

Creates a time and place for optimal personal growth, which leads to higher social functioning, cognitive development, and emotional health and stability

Parenting for Self-Esteem (1 of 2)

Three crucial ways in which parents (especially African American) develop or negate self-worth:

Disciplinary style

Physical punishment may erode self-esteem, while gentler discipline fosters greater emotional health.

Parental closeness or distance

Parent physical and emotional involvement leads to development of positive self-worth; conversely, children may blame themselves for parental absence.

Parenting for Self-Esteem (2 of 2)

Parents’ attitude toward race and life in general:

Wright (1998) describes working with children who seem “unusually vulnerable to perceived an actual racism.”

Preparing Children Emotionally for Racism (1 of 3)

Children need to feel the support of family, peers, and teachers.

Children need to understand the history of individuals who have struggled against racism.

Preparing Children Emotionally for Racism (2 of 3)

Counterproductive strategies include:

Verbal regiments (e.g., “Black is Beautiful”) are used to reinforce a message of positive self-esteem, but can make children question their validity.

Overly permissive stances due to guilt, or to make up for harshness the child will encounter, do not allow children to test themselves and build self-esteem.

Preparing Children Emotionally for Racism (3 of 3)

Counterproductive strategies include:

Overly authoritative parenting intended toughen children for the harsh reality they face can lead to abuse or to the child becoming abusive

Encouraging children to avoid aggressive behavior or to remain passive in the face of racism, as if such a stance would soften racial hatred

Instead, children should learn to manage righteous anger.

Preparing Children Cognitively for Racism (1 of 2)

Lewin (1948) offers advice:

Never deny a child his/her ethnicity or diminish its importance.

By putting off the discussion of racism, parents remove themselves as a valuable resource and make experiences with racism more devastating.

Help children develop positive ethnic identities based on values of the group.

Racial hatred should be presented as a social problem and not an individual problem, as children tend to take responsibility for most things that happen to them.

Preparing Children Cognitively for Racism (2 of 2)

Teach children that group membership is based on physical/cultural features and shared history in order to heighten intragroup solidarity and prevent intragroup fighting.

Ensure children do not fear multiple group allegiances or feel they have to choose between alternative roles and group membership.

Model positive feeling about ethnicity and group membership.

Bicultural Children and Families

Three prevalent myths about bicultural children (Kerwin & Ponterotto, 1995)

Bicultural children turn out to be tragic and marginal individuals.

In fact, they usually develop healthy and stable identities.

Bicultural children must choose to identify with only one of their parents’ cultural groups.

In fact, healthy development includes an integration of both cultural backgrounds.

Bicultural children are very uncomfortable discussing their ethnic identity with others.

In fact, children welcome the opportunity for discussion and exploration.

Bicultural Couples (1 of 2)

Characteristics of bicultural couples

Couples may approximate extremes.

Some are high-functioning and have advanced communication skills, others have poor interpersonal skills and little insight.

Communities of color are often more accepting of bicultural relationships than Whites.

With the exception of Asian communities

Bicultural Couples (2 of 2)

Characteristics of bicultural couples

Bicultural couples report frequent focus on race and ethnicity within their relationship based on the existence of a microcosm of race relations within the home.

Couples tend to be isolated as a unit, developing strong patterns of interdependence.

Couples navigate personality differences and conflicts, but also the complex difficulties of cultural differences.

Three Patterns of Cultural Tension (Falicov, 1986) (1 of 3)

Conflicts in cultural code

Differences in how marriage is perceived, including authority roles and the place of extended family

Three Patterns of Cultural Tension (Falicov, 1986) (2 of 3)

Permission to marry

Parental disapproval of the relationship and subsequent patterns of adaptation in couples who have not received emotional permission to marry

Partners either maximize or minimize their differences, either leading parallel lives or creating their own third culture.

Children are either asked to choose a cultural identity or are isolated from culture.

Three Patterns of Cultural Tension (Falicov, 1986) (3 of 3)

Cultural stereotyping

Stress leads to maximization of cultural differences and stereotyping between partners, where cultural material that was previously addressed is used as a defense against addressing other noncultural issues.

Children in these families need help negotiating the pull of the two competing cultures.

Bicultural Children (1 of 2)

Bicultural children represent their parents’ racial differences but are also unique individuals with unique racial conflicts.

Bicultural children:

Develop awareness at a younger age than monocultural children of color (by age 3‒4), and are more successful in developing racial identity when it is openly discussed in the home.

Bicultural Children (2 of 2)

Bicultural children:

Have unique issues in adolescence, when identification becomes more aligned with peers of color.

This can cause strain in relationships with parents, especially when one is White.

Can experience special difficulties in divorce and single parent situations, where anger is often demonstrated as racism

Adopted Children (1 of 2)

Adoption is a second source of biracial children.

Issues include:

Communities of color strongly disagree with adoption across racial lines and believe that Whites are not capable of dealing with racism.

Adopted Children (2 of 2)

Issues include:

White adoptive parents often do not understand the reality faced by people of color.

Confusing for adopted children of color to reconcile perceptions of their adopted parents that represent both nurturance and oppression

Therapy with Bicultural Families (1 of 2)

Therapy with bicultural families should employ strategies that help develop positive feelings about membership in both parents’ groups.

Therapy with Bicultural Families (2 of 2)

Interventions include:

Confronting devaluing or mixed racial messages

Noticing the existence of devaluing messages and addressing them in therapy

Freeing children from racialized loyalty binds

Giving children permission to have their own relationship with each parent

Fostering strategies for resisting racism

Teaching families to have conversations about race, with special sensitivity from White parents

Summary

African American writer Alice Walker’s open letter to President Obama

Bicultural children face not only prejudice and racism, but also the task of integrating two cultural identities.

Adolescence is particularly difficult for bicultural children.