Servicing an Ethnically Diverse Society:

Foundational Terminology

H311 Approaches to Cross-Cultural CounselingLecture 02-10-2009 Josephine Kim, Ph.D., LMHC, NCC

The first U.S. census in 1790: 4 million Americans

By 2000: 281 million AmericansBy 2010: Expected to reach 308 million Americans

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States(Kim, 2009)

Statistics: Ethnic Minority Populations

• In 2005, the minority population totaled 98.3 million.

• In 2006, the nation’s minority population reached 100.7 million.

• 45% of American children under the age of 5 are ethnic minorities.

• In 35 of the country's 50 largest cities, non-Hispanic whites are now or soon will be in the minority

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States(Kim, 2009)

DefinitionsCulture

Sets of shared world views and adaptive behaviors derived from membership in a variety of contexts:

Ecological setting (i.e., rural, urban, and suburban)

Religious background Nationality and ethnicity Migratory patterns

(Falicov, 1988)(Kim, 2009)

DefinitionsCulture

Social class Gender-related experiences Political leanings Minority statusOccupationValues

(Falicov, 1988)(Kim, 2009)

DefinitionsCulture

Derived from belonging to the same generation

Partaking of a single historical moment

Sharing particular ideologies

(Falicov, 1988)(Kim, 2009)

DefinitionsCulture-Specificity

Culture-specific:Characteristics pertaining to a particular group of ethnic people and their corresponding culture.

(Kim, 2005)(Kim, 2009)

DefinitionsRace

Race:A human population that is considered distinct solely based on physical characteristics; a social construct.

(Kim, 2005)(Kim, 2009)

DefinitionsRacism

Racism:The belief that race

accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others. Discrimination, bias, or prejudice based on race.

(Kim, 2009) (http://racerelations.about.com/od/skillsbuildingresources/g/racismdef.htm)

DefinitionsRacism

Discrimination: Treatment based on class or category rather than individual meritPrejudice: A preconceived preference or idea about certain diversity groupsBias: An unfair act or policy stemming from prejudice

(http://racerelations.about.com/od/skillsbuildingresources/g/racismdef.htm)(Kim, 2009)

DefinitionsInstitutional Racism

Institutional Racism:Occurs when structural systems within an institution (intentionally or unintentionally) deny rights or benefits to certain racial groups

(http://racerelations.about.com/od/skillsbuildingresources/g/racismdef.htm)(Kim, 2009)

DefinitionsEthnicity

Ethnicity:Belonging to a common group, often linked by race, nationality, and language with a common cultural heritage

(Kim, 2005)(Kim, 2009)

DefinitionsEthnocentrism

Ethnocentrism: Looking at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own culture, with the belief that one's own race or ethnicity is the most important or is superior to those of other groups; judging other groups in relation to their own particular ethnicity or culture, especially with regards to language, behavior, and customs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnocentrism

(Kim, 2009)

DefinitionsMajority Culture

Dominant/Majority Culture:The culture that consists of individuals who have the most influence in a society. The dominant culture, as regarded in the U.S., are White Americans of European descent.

(Kim, 2005)(Kim, 2009)

DefinitionsMinority

Minority : A group of people who are singled out from others in society in which they live for differential treatment because of physical or cultural characteristics, and therefore, regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination

(Mio, Trimble, Arredondo, Cheatham, & Sue, 1999)(Kim, 2009)

DefinitionsDiversity

Diversity:Variables such as age, ability, culture, spirituality, gender, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation, which are addressed within the context of multicultural counseling.

(Kim, 2005)(Kim, 2009)

DefinitionsMulticulturalism

Multiculturalism in Counseling :Refers to practices that integrate multicultural and culture-specific awareness, knowledge, and skills into interactions or practices in the helping process.

(Sue, Arredondo, & McDavis, 1992)(Kim, 2009)

What makes you different

from all of the others who

have oppressed and discriminated against me?

For the culturally-different client, it boils down to one important question :

(Kim, 2009)