COUC 504 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY Cultural Background Paper 2025.pdf

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Cultural Exploration: Identification, Awareness and Impact

Carolyn N. Pearson

School of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University

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This paper delves into the cultural background of the author, and it’s influence on their personal

and professional journey as a counselor. The author investiaged how their cultural heritage

shaped family dynamics, identity development and social justice reform. Research from scolarly

background and various aspects of her life. By shedding light on these connections, the paper

shows how the author was able to develop a deeper understanding of cultural identity, social

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Cultural Exploration: Identification, Awareness and Impact

As expected, this assignment was quite intimidating for myself, as the only culture that I

have identified with growing up and throughout adulthood was related to nothing more than

being “white.” The exploration of my culture as a concept is especially difficult, as it seems that

as a white American was good enough and no further thought was ever needed (Hays & Erford,

2023). This prompt allowed me to dig deeper and research further as to where my family started,

When considering the aspects of cultural background, things such as religion,

geographical location, gender roles, and family dynamics, were all prominent factors on the

influence of my cultural identity (McGoldrick et al., 2005). I was born and raised in Savannah,

Georgia, and was the oldest of three girls. My maternal grandparents were from Florida and

Georgia, while my paternal grandparents were born and raised in Savannah, Georgia as well. I

am the oldest of four children, and was raised in a family who values privacy, and places a lot of

importance on what other people may think. Growing up in what is commonly referred to as the

“Deep South” meant that things such as “Southern Hospitality,” using the word “ya’ll,” and

using an excuse of a football game to throw a family get together, were all a part of my family’s

culture, all things that are commonly thought of when someone mentions the “Deep South” (Van

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Cultural Impact & Religion

I became aware of my genealogy a few years ago, through the common DNA tests found

online, but never did any further research or truly cared about my actual culture and how it

related to my background until this class began. I reached out to family members who had done

to England and Scotland, with ancestors having fought in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

I was told that our family came from Quaker and Protestant lines, and that religion was very

someone is struggling or going through something on social media. While reading through the

McGoldrick, et al. (2005) chapter on Anglo Americans, I realized that the practice of only

seeking out help when the problem could no longer be ignored, and being extremely literal with

communication was something that my immediate and extended family practiced.

Cultural Values

Although religion held significance, growing up in the South meant the values of

southern hospitality and family, including both immediate and extended relatives, were equally

vital. In my personal Southern upbringing, emphasis was placed on manners, respect for elders,

and politeness. Any deviation from these norms would prompt disciplinary action from any

family member witnessing such behavior. As an adult, I now can see that this may have stemmed

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from the positive front that my family always wanted to maintain, despite what may have been

going on behind the scenes.

Cultural Communication

Communication in my family was not something that came easily for some. I was always

loud, and rebellious.” I never wanted to fit the mold that had been set for me, and the concept of

“Children are seen, not heard” was very prominent in social settings. I fought against this

My grandparents were very old-fashioned in that my Nana followed my Grandaddy

everywhere and was the piano player for services when he was an evangelist and was at his beck

and call whenever he needed something. While my mother did not follow in these steps exactly,

traces of my grandfather’s influence are still evident in the way we were raised. I grew up

learning that the husband and father held the ultimate authority in the household, but thankfully

my family has progressed past this mindset. We now embrace a more contemporary mindset,

where women have their own identities, pursue careers, and contribute equally to household

Growing up in the South, my social circle consisted mainly of Caucasians and African

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demographic breakdown of roughly 50% Caucasian, 40% African American, and 10% Asian

American. I distinctly recall attending a sleepover at the home of one of my African American

friend’s home during middle school and feeling overwhelmed by the lively atmosphere, which

contrasted with the structured calmness of my own childhood household. Sleepovers at my home

sense of predictability. Consequently, due to the change in atmosphere and feeling out of place,

I ended up calling my mother feigning homesickness, and resulting in my departure from

Colombia. I distinctly recall a dinner where I eagerly finished all the food served to me, only to

be taken aback when my friend's mother promptly refilled my plate. After speaking with Cathy,

and telling her I was full, she took most of the food off my plate, still leaving a small amount. I

later discovered in Colombian culture, leaving a bit of food on your plate indicated being full, a

custom that was new to me (Evanson, 2018). This experience was a positive one for me, as it

opened the gateway for a different type of thinking and realizing that not all families do things

the way my family does them, and that doing something differently does not mean that someone

is doing it wrong.

As a millennial adult from the South, I have been able to recognize that I experienced

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went without as a child, I came from your typical middle-class working family, and never

experienced any sort of discrimination or setbacks due to either the color of my skin, or the

culture in which I was raised. However, I did grow up in a household that called certain areas of

the city “ghetto,” or used derogatory terms towards people who did not meet standards that were

privilege, white fragility, and that my thought processes played a role in both the minimization of

racism, as well as cultural racism (Cox, 2021).

opportunity to experience new cultures and people from all over the world. This decision

allowed me to move into the Autonomy status quicker than my family members, some of who

are still stuck in the Contact Status (Hays & Erford, 2023).

The first step for me was recognizing that there was a problem with my thought process,

and that I had opportunities purely based on my culture and upbringing, that others were not

privileged enough to have. This in and of itself seemed to be the root of systemic racism. Some

of my family has yet to recognize that white privilege, white fragility, and systemic racisms are

problems in our culture, and have not yet taken the steps necessary to broaden their knowledge

and make a change in their way of thinking (Dewar, 2020).

Having the ability to recognize and develop my cultural identity I feel has allowed me to

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to recognize that I will not always be able to relate to every future client nor have all the answers.

As discussed by Hays & Erford (2023), a culturally sensitive approach encompasses the

understanding of an individual’s backgrounds, beliefs and experiences that shape who they are as

a person, and without having the familiarity of one’s own cultural and racial identity may cause a

A study done by Malott, et al., (2021), demonstrated the importance of identifying and

being raised in a home full of white fragility and white privilege. Seeing as privacy was so big

within my family’s culture, I would have stayed in my lane, and would not have even possessed

the ability to identify that what was going on and being said could be identified as colorblindness

or covert racism. Without the understanding of these topics that have recently come from my

research and teachings within this course, I do not believe I would be able to recognize the work

that I still need to do and the steps that I will need to take to continue my pursuit of self-

awareness and ways to be involved within the social justice reform.

With this new knowledge, I know that I may have to personally seek out appropriate

training on social justice and client advocacy, as well as recognizing the signs of when someone

needs an advocate within the counseling realm, and identifying what steps I may need to take

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I chose this potential career field due to the simple desire to help others. Throughout my

studies, I have learned that this career field is so much more than that, and that the amount of

self-reflection, self-growth, and constant self-awareness is imperative to not only a personal

satisfaction within my job, but also benefits the entire counseling process for the client as well