RESEARCH AND EVENTS 1
Cultural Immersion Project: Research and Events
Charity Morton
School of Behavioral Science, Liberty University
Author Note
.I have no known conflict of interest to disclose
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to
:Email
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Abstract
Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States and have their own values, beliefs,
and behaviors. Their patterns of immigration play a role in their story, and religion and
spirituality play a crucial part in Latino identity. Their history of oppression also impacts them
and potentially leads to psychological issues. Utilizing culturally sensitive treatment approaches
helps this community, such as using cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and depression and
treating posttraumatic stress disorder with prolonged exposure therapy and applied relaxation
therapy. Immersing oneself in another culture is a great way to learn more about them. By
attending events, analyzing how one feels after the experience, and reflecting on what was seen
and heard, an individual can learn more through immersion than any article can explain.
Keywords: Latinos, culture, immigrants
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Cultural Immersion Project: Research and Events
Latinos are 18 percent of the population in the United States (Canizales & Vallejo, 2021).
Despite this, this group faces discrimination and oppression due to the lack of understanding of
their culture, and many counselors do not know how to provide effective interventions for them
that are culturally sensitive. With the increase in Latinos in the United States, multicultural
knowledge is essential, especially for counselors. This paper provides insight into immigration,
religious beliefs, prominent attitudes and values, prominent practices and behaviors, and
oppression in the Latino culture with an overview of the immersion experience of two cultural
events in the Latino community.
Immigration
The border flow depends on crises, natural disasters, and demographic shifts. In the
1980s, there was an increase in immigrants from Mexico because of job opportunities and the
steadiness of the US economy (Hanson et al., 2023). Although, since then, there has been a
decrease in the demand for migration from Latin America. Many immigrants came from Mexico
compared to Central American countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, likely
because it has a higher population and shares a border with the United States. Immigration from
Latin America and the Caribbean was primarily motivated by problems in their home country
and the opportunities in the United States. In the 1850s, because of the Gold Rush, Chileans
traveled to California; during the 1920s, Cubans headed to Florida for work; and during
Mexico’s revolution from 1910-1920, they fled to the United States, resulting in a surplus of
labor (Martinez Negrette, 2020). In addition, World War I, coupled with a rise in migration, led
Midwesterners to find cheap labor by recruiting workers from Mexico with promises of higher
wages. The Bracero program enabled this by allowing Mexican men into the United States on
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labor contracts to work in areas with labor shortages. With immigration waves from Latin
America in the 1960s, they were only 0.5 percent of the population, but since 2019, they are now
6.5 percent (Hanson et al., 2023). In addition, Mexico provides the most amount of Latin
American migrants, and its highest point of migrants was in 2010 at 3.9 percent but fell to 3.5
percent in 2019. After the 1960 migration wave, both Cuba and Mexico were the dominant group
of migrants from Latin America. After the revolution in 1959 in Cuba, there were 78,000 Cuban
immigrants in the United States, but by 1970, there were 455,000, likely due to the fear of being
sent to jail or having land taken away. Regarding Mexico, from the 1960s to the 1970s, the
migrating purpose was to work in agriculture, and they had the opportunity to go back and forth
across the border depending on the job season for farming because, at this time, the border was
not as strict. The border became more controlled when the Immigration Reform and Control Act
in 1986, along with the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack. In addition, with the impact of
COVID-19 in 2020, there was a significant increase in unauthorized migrants from the US-
Mexico border because of the restrictions and economic issues. Hispanics are currently the
largest group of US immigrants, but research shows that may not be true in a few years due to a
decrease in labor flows and the tightening of border rules. With the after-effects of the pandemic,
immigration from Latin America has a significant increase in migrants asking for asylum, but
many of them are not accepted. In addition, the pandemic rules that closed the borders in 2020
and 2021 prevented many immigrant workers from entering the United States, possibly
tightening the labor markets more.
Religious Beliefs
Religion is a crucial component in the Latin community, with over half identifying as
Catholic and 22% identifying as Protestant (Nguyen, 2020). In this community, it is common to
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use religion to help with the stress of migration, forming ethnic communities in the United
States, and protecting cultural values and ethnic identity. Latino communities have Spanish-
speaking programs to help preserve Latino identity. Latinos report high levels of religiosity with
high levels of commitment to religion. Older Latinos usually have higher devotion to religion
compared to the younger generation. In addition, older individuals pray at least once a day and
participate in church and outside church activities for the community. A research study came out
after COVID-19 and discovered that in the Latino community, individuals who believed that
God had a role in the affairs of the world did not trust the COVID-19 vaccine and science but
rather had higher comfort in the idea of placing their life in God’s hands (Upenieks et al., 2022).
According to Vazquez (2019), Latinos find hope in their religion and often use it to cope with
stress. Attending mass and praying help them feel closer to divine beings, such as God, Jesus, or
the Virgin Mary. Older healing traditions such as curanderismo, espiritismo, Santeria, praying
the rosary, making altars, and candle lighting are also common. In addition, Catholic practices,
such as making mandas, which are pleas to the Virgin Mary or saints, and ritualized pledges
called juramentos, are used often (Nguyen, 2020). In the Latin community, individuals approach
sickness with prayer and faith (King et al., 2022). Espíritu is trust in spirituality. It is a crucial
core value in this culture and provides comfort for this culture throughout their life.
Common Attitudes and Beliefs
FamilismoHis a crucial value in the Latino culture (Ortiz, 2020). Compared to European
American and other cultures, Latinos demonstrate a higher level ofHfamilismo. It encompasses a
closeness to one’s family, interdependence, cohesiveness, family obligations, and providing
strong family support. It is a connection among family and supports them emotionally and
physically. It is the idea of supporting others, being responsible for each other’s well-being, and
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putting others before themselves, no matter what. Because Latino culture is family-orientated,
the care for others and theHfamilismoconcept often extends to close friends.HPersonalismois a
connection to others and trusts in close relationships. This value encourages Latinos to join in
behaviors that foster amiable and purposeful social relationships. Research shows that the
warmth and ease that comes withHpersonalismoencourages trust in relationships and connection
between others. This community communicates this value by asking about family, reminiscing
on memories, and enjoying celebrations together. This culture is prominently collectivistic and
values relationships. Parents raise their children to develop loving and respectful relationships
from an early age. Friendliness towards others is another crucial value and is also known
asHsimpatia.With this value, individuals often avoid interpersonal conflict, prioritize positive
behaviors, and avoid negative behaviors in conflict. Harmony, social support, and hospitality are
vital in this culture. By incorporating these values in interpersonal relationships, Latinos can
have pleasant and rewarding relationships and interactions. In addition, spirituality and religion
are vital in Latino culture, are a part of their identity, and provide a sense of purpose. Often,
when there are life struggles, religion and spirituality offer comfort. The parents' goal while
raising their children is to celebrate life and focus on the blessings of life to help combat life's
challenges. Often, Latinos express religiosity through behaviors that show their relationship with
God, saints, or other spiritual beings.
Prominent Practices and Behaviors
With etiquette, embracing, long handshakes, and kisses on the cheek are typical, as well
as having small talk before delving into significant topics in a meeting (Jenvdhanaken &
Rangponsumrit, 2020). In addition, expression is significant in this culture, and eye contact is
crucial. “Salud” is a common expression said when someone sneezes. Regarding death, because
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Latinos are mainly Catholic, deaths often happen at home with family and friends around
(Hidalgo et al., 2020). The reserved mourning time is during the open casket and the reciting of
the rosary. Wearing black and dark colors is how the family shows respect for the dead. Family
members and friends often do group prayers for the deceased soul and mass at the church with a
graveside service following where a priest uses holy water to bless the grave. Another ritual is
praying the rosary for nine days after burying the deceased, going to mass for the dead on their
birthday, and celebrating a year after the death with celebration and candle lighting. Depending
on the generation, some mourning periods last for years. Some families claim to sustain their
relationship with the deceased through dreams, storytelling, and altar building with pictures of
the dead and keepsakes.
Regarding health and illnesses, folk remedies are common in Latino culture (Acorda et
al., 2020).HSobadoresandHcuranderosare common healers that individuals of this culture go to
for help with their illnesses.HMal ojo, empacho, caida de mollera,andsustoare common
illnesses. The healers use prevention measures, such as using amulets and touching the child’s
head after giving a compliment to protect children fromHmal ojo. Common folk remedies to
treatHmal ojoare using a raw egg over the child’s head or cracking an egg in a glass of water. In
addition, herbal remedies, such as teas, rubs, and ointments, are standard.H
Historical and Current Oppression
Oppression is all too common in the United States and often leads to psychological
distress (Chavez-Dueñas et al., 2019). This trauma comes from oppressive laws, policies, and
practices. Nativism, racism, and ethnocentrism play a part in ethno-racial trauma in this
community. Nativism is the opposition towards minorities because they believe they are “un-
American” and ruin the national culture. Individuals holding to nativist beliefs often have
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stereotypes about Latinos, such as that they refuse to assimilate, do not care about learning
English, force their cultural values on America, take jobs away, are at fault for the higher taxes,
abuse social services, and are in the country illegally. Because historians trace Latino's racial
heritage back to three different racial groups, Indigenous, Black, and White, mixing the three
groups after the colonization of the Americas is also known asHmestizaje. Research shows that
individuals with darker skin and few European features experience significantly more racial
oppression. In addition, research shows that compared to other minority groups, Latinos are more
affected by oppression (Andrade et al., 2020). Throughout U.S. history, ethno-racially motivated
practices were evident. With the lynching of Mexicans in the Southwest, segregation of Latinos
during the Jim Crow Era, and riots throughout Los Angeles, Latinos have experienced
oppression throughout history that also has been touched by nativist laws, practices, and
immigration rules (Chavez-Dueñas et al., 2019). The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965,
the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, and the Immigration Reform
and Control Act were the bases for the Criminal Alien Program implemented to find and deport
immigrants with criminal convictions, causing fear in the Latino community. As of recently,
there has been an increase in laws and policies that target the Latino community. In 2015, there
were 1,500 anti-immigrant measures, compared to only 300 in 2005. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement often uses different methods to arrest and deport documented and undocumented
immigrants, some of which produce fear in immigrants. In addition, with the 2016 election, more
fear impacted this community with the increase in immigration arrests due to the executive order
that gave agents the liberty to detain any undocumented immigrant they met. In addition, with
this, hate crimes against immigrants significantly increased. Threats and immigrant hate speech
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were also prevalent during this time and influenced the fear and terror the Latinos felt, which
also affected them psychologically.
Treatment Approaches
Anxiety and depression are prevalent today, especially in the Latino community. There is
a lack of multicultural knowledge on techniques for Latino depression and anxiety. Because of
this, Patriarca et al. (2022) sought to provide cognitive behavioral treatments (CBTs) that are
culturally sensitive. Studies show that interventions associated more with an individual's cultural
characteristics have a higher chance of working. Using 279 participants, researchers explore
parents' acculturation and enculturation as moderators of anxiety in youth after CBT treatment.
Acculturation is feelings of belonging and finding one's identity in the majority culture, but
enculturation is feelings of belonging and identity with one's heritage culture. Researchers
assigned participants to three groups. One group was individual CBT, the second was CBT with
decreased parent psychological control and increased parent acceptance, and the third was CBT
with reduced parent use of negative reinforcement and increased positive reinforcement. The
study sought to analyze parental involvement in CBT because of its relation to the Latino value
ofHfamilismo,where family is crucial and the primary source of support.HResearchers defined
parent psychological control as parental demands to act and think in a specific way, while
researchers defined parent negative reinforcement as parents permitting youth to evade anxiety-
inducing occurrences. Results showed better outcomes in treatment when parents were involved
compared to individual CBT treatment. In addition, parent acculturation moderated results, but
enculturation did not. With lower levels of parent acculturation, anxiety levels improved with
parent involvement in CBT and negative reinforcement. With higher levels of parent
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acculturation, anxiety levels improved with parent involvement in CBT that targeted
psychological control.H
Another study by Vera et al. (2021) sought to improve the treatment for posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) in Latinos. Previously, Latino's experience with PTSD treatment was not
beneficial due to barriers. Research supports using prolonged exposure (PE) to treat PTSD aids
in reducing PTSD symptoms, but minorities have been unable to receive the benefits non-Latino
Whites experience. Researchers used 98 participants and assigned them to two groups.
Researchers adapted both groups to be culturally sensitive for Latinos, with one treatment group
being prolonged exposure (PE) therapy and the second being applied relaxation (AR) therapy.
Participants in the PE group had 90-minute sessions weekly for up to 15 weeks. The first session
was an overview of PE and breath training. In the second session, participants learned about
reactions to trauma exposure and possible PTSD symptoms. The third session discussed applying
imaginal exposure, and the rest of the sessions included homework, a discussion of feelings, and
the imaginal exposure homework. At the last session, the dialogue is about what the client
learned, their progress, and future plans. Participants in the AR group had 60-90-minute sessions
weekly for up to 15 weeks. Counselors primarily use AR treatment to teach clients relaxation
skills, identifying stress, and applying relaxation. The first session in AR therapy discusses the
importance of having coping methods to reduce stress. The other sessions focus on helping the
client with muscle relaxation skills, rapid relaxation, and cue-controlled relaxation skills. In the
last session, the counselor discusses relapse prevention strategies and future plans with the client.
Results showed a significant decrease in PTSD symptoms and anxiety and depression symptoms.
Based on the results, PE and AR treatment for Latinos with PTSD is effective.
Events
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The two events attended were at Thomas Road Baptist Church on Sunday, September 17,
2023, and were a part of the Spanish ministry in Thomas Road Baptist Church. The first event
was a small group study in Spanish with about ten people attending. The group goes through the
Bible, discussing various biblical topics. Because the session was in Spanish, much of the group
time, it was challenging to understand what was happening, but it was still an enjoyable
experience. Especially with the smaller number of people attending, more opportunity to develop
a relationship with some members presented itself. The second event was the primary Spanish
service on Sunday afternoons. This event had more attendees and opportunities for fellowship
and to meet different people from various countries. In addition, this service was faster-paced
with more of a “normal” service type of feel regarding the set-up of the events, such as singing,
announcements, and preaching. During both events, Google helped translate the words from
Spanish to English and helped understand the preaching. Sitting next to strangers in both events
presented the opportunity to meet new people and learn more about their culture. Everyone was
kind and hospitable. It felt familiar to the church experience back home. It felt as if everyone was
family looking out for each other. While the service lasted about an hour and a half, the time
before and after the service was most special because it was a time for fellowship and what
seemed like “family time” amongst the church. Being immersed in this experience allowed me to
understand the significance of one’s “heart language” and how that shapes identity. It was an
enjoyable experience in both events, and it was slightly abnormal to hear people laugh and have
fun during a church service, but it was refreshing. It is a testament to their culture and what they
deem as important. They are family and relationship-oriented, not time or task-oriented.
Throughout these experiences, the goal was not to be a passive observer but an active
participant. It was a different church experience when compared to the main Thomas Road
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Baptist Church service; it felt more like a family get-together. At first, it was awkward because it
was a new experience, but the similarities between this service and the church back home in
Hawaii revealed themselves. Because of how similar it felt, it made me miss home. In addition,
because of this, it was easy to engage with others. In addition, it was easy to slip back into the
habit of giving hugs rather than handshakes and referring to the older ladies as “auntie” or “tita.”
Because of how welcoming the atmosphere was, the experience was less nerve-wracking. It was
easy to slip back into old habits of hugging others and staying after the service for another hour
to fellowship with others because that is how it is back at the church in Hawaii. It is sad knowing
that others do not have the chance to experience this type of church service because it is more
relationship-centered, rather than the typical rushed church experience where everyone sits in
their church row, does not talk to anyone else, and immediately leaves after the service. It makes
one wonder how many more people would attend church if it was the same warm, caring, and
supportive atmosphere that members of this community get to be a part of.
Throughout the events, there seemed to be an importance of food. There was bread and
coffee before the service and lunch after the service. It gave the church a chance to get together
and fellowship over a common factor. There were more conversations at the food table. It
showed how food brings a family together and helps individuals stay connected to their culture.
As individuals handed out the food, it seemed to form a connection among the members as they
bonded over the meal. In addition, another aspect is that there were fewer handshakes and more
hugs and kisses on the cheeks. It happened all over the room during the beginning of the service
and especially during greeting time. Many members excitedly shouted for joy as they saw their
friends enter the room and embrace them with big smiles. It seemed more like a sign of respect
and strengthened the bond between two individuals. Lastly, the aspect of time was another
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fascinating factor. The service did not start immediately on time like most church services, such
as the main Thomas Road Baptist Church service. It began once a majority of the church body
arrived. In addition, after the service, rather than everyone immediately leaving and rushing for
the door like most services, everyone stayed back to talk and spend time with loved ones. The
concept of time in this community seemed to be more relaxed and flexible in comparison to the
standard Western concept of time, where punctuality is vital.
Conclusion
The Latino community is a wonderful culture with its own beliefs, customs, and
behaviors with a rich history and value in their cultural story as they go through oppression and
their fight against it. Utilizing treatment options as counselors that are culturally sensitive to this
population ensures effectiveness in therapy for this community. Lastly, by immersing oneself in
a culture that differs from one’s own, such as the Latino community, they are sure to experience
and learn about a beautiful group of hospitable and loving people.
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