MSW WEEK 4 CULTURE DISCUSSION

INTRODUCTION

By now, you have familiarized yourself with some of the language used by social workers to describe, guide, or frame their practice. In real-life situations, what does it mean to engage diversity, equity, and inclusion in practice? How do social workers approach the practice of cultural awareness as they develop their competence in working with social diversity? How do cultural values and beliefs influence personal perceptions of groups viewed as “other”?

It may help to first realize that cultural awareness and humility are not an end state—they are an ongoing, lifelong process. And, no matter who you are, it is important to recognize that you have a culture. When participating within your own culture, you may think, “But this is not culture. This is just the way things are done around here.” Humans do tend to be ethnocentric, meaning that they assume people believe and think like they do unless shown otherwise. As a social worker, however, your goal is to move beyond ethnocentric assumptions with an ever-present awareness that diversity exists, as well as valuing those differences.

This week, you reflect on aspects of your own culture to build a bridge toward broader cultural awareness. You then focus on a population or group of interest for your own practice.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will:

Analyze cultural differences

Recommend ways to enhance knowledge and skills related to cultural awareness

Identify a social work population

Analyze social problems as they relate to social work practice

CULTURE

You are socialized within a culture the moment you are born, both through your family and your broader community interactions.

As humans develop and mature, they learn the unwritten rules of social behavior and interaction as they watch and participate in their social environment. An individual’s culture is often influenced by nationality, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, and geographic location.

By recognizing you have a culture in the context of a larger culture, and that your distinct culture exists along with other distinct cultures, how could that help you see the nature, value, and strengths of those other cultures? In this Discussion, you consider similar questions.

TO PREPARE

Consider the different aspects of culture such as: language, communication style, art, customs/traditions (e.g., holidays, weddings, funerals), values, stories, religion, food, social habits (e.g., eye contact, how close one stands, how one greets or says “good”), gender roles, clothing, music.

Reflect on the first time you remember someone else displaying a different cultural characteristic than your own. Where were you? What did you notice? How did you respond?

Read Standard 1.05 from the NASW Code of Ethics:

1.05 Cultural Awareness and Social Diversity

(a) Social workers should understand culture and its function in human behavior and society, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures.

(b) Social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients' cultures and be able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are sensitive to clients' cultures and to differences among people and cultural groups.

(c) Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical ability.

(d) Social workers who provide electronic social work services should be aware of cultural and socioeconomic differences among clients and how they may use electronic technology. Social workers should assess cultural, environmental, economic, mental or physical ability, linguistic, and other issues that may affect the delivery or use of these services.

Explain the information a social worker would need to know about an individual’s or family’s culture in order to effectively deliver services to them.

Describe potential consequences of a lack of cultural awareness on the social worker’s part.

Larissa Flor Garcia Halbert

Description of my culture

The main way I define my culture is through my values, being raised by parents from different cultural backgrounds and having influences from going to church. I am a Brazilian-American dual citizen with some disconnect from my Latinx heritage since we moved to the US when I was 2 years old. I was raised in an organized religion but eventually gained an independent sense of spirituality. My parents displayed acceptance of each other’s backgrounds and fostered a sense of support in our family. All of these factors cultivated my values of open-mindedness, freedom to express myself individually, respect for my parents, expressing emotions, and having a sense of right and wrong.

Describe your first memory of a cultural difference

My first memory of a cultural difference was related to religious difference. I attended church regularly as a youth and was at a weekly kids church event when I met a friend. He told me that he liked to come to these events but he didn’t practice the religion of the church we were at. I asked him if he practiced another religion and he told me that his family practiced hinduism. I remember being scared for him, because I was taught that my religion was the only one that was “right.” However, as my value of open-mindedness is foundational to my culture, the conversation opened. I asked him more about his religion and what they practice and he welcomed the dialogue.

Information a social worker would need to know about an individual’s or family’s culture in order to effectively deliver services to them

In order for a social worker to effectively serve a client(s), they should help them to feel valued by understanding and being sensitive to their culture. A social worker is aiming to help a client meet their goals, and their goals can be directly influenced by the culture they belong to. This information includes race, ethinicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, political and religious beliefs, immigration status, and mental/physical abilities. Culture extends as well to norms, roles, values, strengths, rituals, traditions, and more (NASW Code of Ethics). It’s essential to know what the culture of the individual or family is, so that the mission of social work can be upheld - to serve, respect people’s dignity, uphold social justice, be competent, have integrity, and cultivate relationships (Barsky, 2018).

Describe potential consequences of a lack of cultural awareness on the social worker’s part.

If a social worker lacks cultural responsiveness, the client may feel that their voice is not being heard. They may feel that the social worker has assumed an expert role, and feel guarded by it. This can risk their willingness to engage and receive services they could potentially benefit from. Their goals may get lost in translation, literally or figuratively, and they might not see having a social worker as a benefit to them (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2018).

Works Cited

Barsky, A. (2018). Cultural Competence, Awareness, Sensitivity, Humility,

and Responsiveness: What’s the Difference? New Social Worker, 25(4), 4-5.

NASW. (n.d.) Code Of Ethics. Socialworkers.org. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English