Powerpoint assignment for psychology?

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psy_7543-unit_4-assignment_1-aaonja_cruz.pptx

Mind vs Matter

Aaonja Cruz

Therapy Counselor Supervisor

Coming up with a title can be very tedious. It took considerable pondering on my behalf. Yet it is theorized that the title for this Power Point is suitable

for the content and context.

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Case Study Overview

This is a case study of Sandra who is a therapy counselor and a supervisor at Biggens, a group home in her community. She is constantly clashing with a trainee, Maria, who happens to be transgender and Hispanic. Maria is an intelligent person who often has concepts that differ from Sandra’s. Sandra has made every attempt to smooth things out but the two still argue frequently. This chronic pattern of behavior has led to disciplinary action by Sandra and complaints to human resources by Maria. Both employees are very productive, enjoy their positions at work but do not know how to move beyond the conflict. Sandra realizes that in order to build an effective team she has to have Maria on board but does not know how to accomplish it. She knows that by using Maria’s energy and skills the company will benefit and she will look better.

In the workplace, conflict and dispute doesn't exist without a preexisting perception problem. When a perception problem exists between two people,

each believes that they have incompatible interests; Identifying the source of the conflict before it turns into a dispute - such as an argument, or a lawsuit - is essential to maintaining productivity(Chang, 2016).

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Main Points of Cultural Difference

Sandra Maria
Ethnicity-White Ethnicity-Hispanic
Sexual orientation-heterosexual Sexual orientation-Transgender
Socioeconomic status (middle class) Socio economic status (Poor)

Identify common concerns with each cultural identity here. Be careful to avoid stereotypes.

Analyze how cultural differences contributed to the conflict in this case.

Ethnicity

There may be concerns regarding people whose first language is not English. In some cases, language can be a genuine impediment to doing a job and

an employee must be assisted to improve his or her language skills. From a different angle, when someone speaks English well, it can be easy to forget it is not

native for them. Professionals have to be careful with slang and colloquialisms that non-native speakers might not understand. Likewise, in bilingual workplaces,

employees must be careful not to say anything in one language that they would not say in another. It can be damaging and disrespectful if a second language

becomes a code to keep coworkers from understanding conversations. America is full of both U.S. born and immigrant workers with many different ethnic

backgrounds. They come with different perspectives, social styles, approaches, senses of propriety and communication styles. As cultures mix in the workplace,

employees and managers can get frustrated when communication becomes difficult or when social styles don't mix easily with a company's culture. Different

cultures can be more, or less, deferential to authority or have higher or lesser degrees of autonomy in the workplace, which can differ from a company's needs.

Resolution often requires open exchanges and a process of learning on the part of employee, co-workers and managers. Everyone needs to understand and

respect the perspectives of others in order to find a workable common ground(Mayer, 2000).

Sexual Orientation

Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act legally forbid discrimination against men or women in hiring and the workplace, social

attitudes have taken longer to change. However, the sexist attitude of someone can cost his company a lot of money and agony if the EEOC or the Texas

Workforce Commission got involved. Companies could also face civil suits for discrimination and sexual harassment. Smart employers not only have policies on

sexual harassment and gender discrimination, but also provide training on these issues to ensure a respectful, comfortable workplace in which everyone feels

valued and has equal opportunity(Schwartz, Field, & Domenech, 2010).

Socioeconomic status

Although Hispanics, particularly Mexicans, appear to have protective attributes that counter the effects of low socioeconomic status, Hispanics with

higher socioeconomic status have better health than those with lower socioeconomic status. Therefore, it is still important to advocate for policies to improve

the social and economic circumstances of Hispanics in order to improve the health of this population. Policies to increase educational attainment, to improve

employment opportunities, and to reduce violence and environmental pollution in Hispanic neighborhoods will all greatly benefit the health of

Hispanics(Lebaron, 2003).Cultural differences contributed to the conflict in this case due to the myriad of different backgrounds, sexual orientations and

socioeconomic status. With such a combination , the workplace brought about a wide array of personality differences. Those differences go way beyond

personalities. This type of environment led to feathers being ruffled so to speak. Whether the issue involved offenses to core values or simply the irritation of pet

peeves (after all, the two had personality clashes). Therefore, it is of vital importance that perceptions and respectful communication are shared.

Identify two relevant biases you have and at least one strategy for improving your cultural competency around each of those biases.

The first bias that I have is the assumption by others that everyone should be heterosexual, and the second bias is that the poor and working class are

easier to get along with than middle class.

In order to improve my cultural competency around either of these biases necessitates the acknowledgement of differences in others. Everyone is not

the same. For instance, the first bias mentioned for sexual orientation is the recognition that that person may be transgender is okay, but assuming

characteristics about that person because of his or her sexual orientation is being biased. Knowing that , for instance, in this study that Maria’s second language

is English is fine, but basing an assessment of her ability to perform her duties at work is not. When differences in individuals are used to generalize them based

on what one thinks of them as a group, it becomes a bias. Additional improving of these biases calls for pondering how these biases may have formed and

whether there is any logic or reason to them, and, finally, as professionals we can depend upon one another to assist in improving our working environment.

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Best Practice for Working With Cultural Identity

Self-Reflection

Draw upon available resources

Build rapport

Acknowledge differences

Describe the best practice in more detail here. Elaborate as needed your analysis of how the best practice could help you navigate the relationship

and conflict.

According to Allen(2007), this situation would call for self-reflection by the employee and her supervisor on areas of multicultural knowledge, attitudes,

and skills, with process-oriented assessment between the supervisor and the employee of competence in these areas as a basis for setting goals. Best practices

would include evaluation of employee multicultural assessment competence and the supervision process by both the supervisor and the employee. There is

contention also that it is crucial that psychologists continually draw upon resources available to them and ethical guidelines when making decisions about

culturally and linguistically diverse clientele; ethical practice is a process that is continually evolving and demands more than simple adherence to a set of rules.

Psychologists must be able to go beyond knowing ethical guidelines and instead question, think, and reason in an ethical manner(Schwartz, Field, &Domenech,

2010).The building of rapport and acknowledging differences is also crucial when working with people of color, TGNC, regardless of racial or ethnic background.;

some TGNC people of color have experienced blatant racism(e.g., macroaggressions toward TGNC people of color can range from making historical

assumptions about their racial or ethnic identity (What country are you from?” or (You don’t look Hispanic). These types of biases are common and the

best practice for avoiding these is to continuously reflect on our own unconscious biases and learn about diverse views that are held by people of color, and

valuing the perspectives and experiences of others(Lebaron, 2003).

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Conclusion

We all have diverse concepts.

Cultural differences abound in everyone.

Utilizing best practices is crucial to the minimization of bias.

Cultural conflict manifests at various levels.

Differences can be minimized or provoked.

There are key factors in resolving conflict issues.

Conflict is a normal part of human interaction(Schwartz, Field, & Domenech, 2010). It is even necessary to a certain extent. Our concepts are diverse and

cultural differences are inevitable as we derive from diverse backgrounds. The utilization of best practices is crucial to minimizing the biases that we all maintain,

whether conscious or unconscious. Cultural conflict can manifest at multiple levels, and can include discrimination, segregation, and exclusion(Chang,

2016).Regardless to what the root of the problem is, it is the manner of how differences are handled that either diminish or provoke a situation(Allen, 2007). In

conflict resolution, tolerance and patience are key factors; Learning about one another requires opening up to the possibility of difference. This is the only

approach that will allow us to gravitate to a truthful appreciation and understanding of how every culture is unique. This will allow us to be encouraged to build

the admiration and tolerance needed in the face of those differences.

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References

Allen, J.(2007). Clinical supervision issues in professional psychology. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38(3), 248-258. Retrieved from: http://web. ebscohost.com.library.detail/detail?vid=88sid=b5ff77bc-6378-4a6ab679286479158- fb%40sessionmgr105&hid=1078cbdata=JnNpdGU9ZWlhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1za XRl#AN=2007-07614-0048d-=pdh

Chang, S.,C. (2016). Affirming psychological practice with transgender and gender nonconforming people of color. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 3(2), 140-147. Retrieved from:http://www.web.ebscohost.com.library.capella. edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=13&sid=b5ff77bc-6378-4a6a-b6792864791485fb %40sessionmgr105&hid=107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl #AN=2016-27472-002&db=pdh

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References(cont’d)

Lebaron, M.(2003). Bridging cultural conflicts: A new approach for a changing world. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Mayer, B. (2000). The dynamics of conflict resolution: A practitioner’s guide. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass.

Schwartz, A., Field, L.D., & Domenech, M.M. (2010). Cultural and linguistic competence: Welcome challenges from successful diversification. Psychology Research and Practice, 41(3), 210- 220.Retrievedfrom:http://www.web.b.ebscohost.com.library.capella.e du/ehost/detail/detail?vid=10&sid=b5ff77bc-6378-4a6a-b670- 2864791485fb%40sessionmgr105&hid=107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWh vc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=201011935-005&db=pdh

We should all embrace diversity in everyone. After all, none of us are responsible for our existence, what color we are, state of mind, etc.

It is my belief that the world would be a very monotonous place were we all the same color, sex, or same mind set. It is through those differences that we all

learn diverse concepts about other peoples and parts of the world unknown to us. Everyone should simply embrace the concept: I AM, and let it so be.

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