Cultural Reflection

Culture plays a paramount role in our lives. “It is what shapes who we are and how we view the world” (Thorp & Sanchez, 1998,

There are all kind of feeling that are transpiring throughout my mind when think of the term cultural analysis. In executing the communication concepts of African American cultural, I found that the Chinese and African American cultural are strongly tied to their beliefs and family concepts. I define myself through my culture as being an African American male, thought out religions, education, and family is very essential in my culture. Also, being limited to making lifestyle changes, and the different ways we communicated with each other are how I define myself through my culture. Being African American my perception of my culture is that we as a community are high in health, crime, education, and public housing, which implies welfare, government assists, black on black crime, and drug abuse. Being an African American, other cultures have a better chance at getting better jobs, education, and opportunities in life.

During this class, Ministry, Culture, and Contextual Analysis we were instructed to observe a faith tradition unlike our own, to expose ourselves to a cross culture awareness and experience, and interpret what we observe.

The cultural assignment allowed me to gain a new perspective on the differences of others. I have grown up in a household of dissimilar belief systems. My mom is a dedicated Christian while my dad is unassociated with any religious beliefs. Though, he grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness. There differing belief systems have been the cause of various conflicts within their relationship. I often wondered if people with contradicting beliefs could effectively and peacefully discuss their belief systems. This cultural experience showed me that a peaceful discussion is possible between individuals of dissimilar beliefs.

As way of illustration, growing up in South Orange County, California - one of Orange County’s youngest cities - allowed me to interact with diverse ethnic groups around the globe. Such groups involved were Latinos, Caucasians, Asians, Middle Easterners, and Jews who made me who I am today. In fact, more often than not, many were nationalists from other countries seeking the American Dream. For example, growing up I had the luxury of immersing myself with Israeli’s, Italians, Germans, Koreans, Spaniards (Mestizos…); and other forms of foreign lineages that gave way to allowing me to learn their customs, values, and beliefs.

I took this class in order to gain knowledge of how to navigate a world with countless cultures. In the near future I will be studying abroad in Costa Rica and will apply these newly learned concepts to my travels. I also hope to travel throughout my life, so I am very much in need of tules to enter new cultures. I think the most important concept to base this class around is the platinum rule. With my personality, before taking this class, I would have assumed I should treat everyone the way I would want to be treated. In a new country I would great everyone with a smile, be outgoing and bubbly and just an overall kind person in order to connect with those around me. After taking this class I realized that that might not be the best way to approuch a new culture. It is important to remember the platinum rule: Treat everyone the way they want to be treated. Now that I know this rule, I will make sure that when I enter a new culture I will figure out before hand the “general” personality and traits of the culture I am going to. This leads me to another important concept, generalization. Before taking this class, hearing the word “generalization” I would assume someone was stereotyping and therefore disrespecting a person and their culture. After taking this class I realized that generalization and stereotyping are two very different concepts. There are so many cultures and they all have so many components to them, in order for us to prepare to go into a new culture, it

In June of 2017, my family and I went to Kenscoff, Haiti on a missions team. The team consisted of my dad, mom, two sisters, two brothers, my aunt and uncle, their two kids, my aunt’s dad and his sister, and two of her friends and her friend’s daughter. My aunt and uncle were in the process of adopting a five year old boy, from there and wanted to visit him and take some family members and friends along to meet him. This was also their two oldest kids’ first time meeting their younger brother, Jorgenson. Although, the men did most of the labor such as making concrete steps, the girls and I played with the kids from the créche. The place where my aunt and uncle’s son was living. Overall, I had a really great experience that sparked a period of personal growth and helped me to gain a new understanding of different cultures and the reasons why situations are the way they are.

Although not the last time I would face intolerance, that experience of being judged because of who I was would be the last time I allowed myself to feel alone or defeated. In Russia, South Korea, and the United States I have studied history, with a large focus on minorities and the constant barrage of discrimination they face. During my studies on the minority political movements in Orlando, Florida I learned about the way underprivileged communities would band together in order to build functioning centers of commerce and culture while progressing their conveyance into the overall political scene. Even though the political and cultural advancement of

1. Culture is perceived as a way of thinking that influences the behaviors of a group of people.

Each and every one of our multicultural journeys toward cultural competence is overwhelmingly diverse. The personal identities that every human being represents are a unique way of displaying how understanding cultural diversity is essential. The multicultural aspect expresses how society contains distinct cultural and ethnic groups that live alongside one another. These groups may also display distinct behaviors, morals, values, language and more. With that in mind, becoming aware of our personal worldviews and false assumptions about human behavior can lead to the elimination of biases and the opportunity to become culturally competent. Understanding and being open-minded to culture differences is essential to me. Not only as a professional health practitioner, but more so as an individual who was raised in an African culture. I learned how to function within my culture norm as it pertained to spirituality, striving for social justice and learning how to be open-minded toward other cultures as I continue to advocate for my own.

Growing up into the young adult that I am today was full of experiences which I am always exhilarated to have lived in a culturally disparate communities with a distinct way of living, where I learnt about the separate values and culture. My birthplace is my Ghana, it is one of the most permissive countries in the world that encourages peace among the different religions, and famously known for our rich culture. One of the most respected and feared tribes in Ghana due to their bravery during the times of colonization by the British and other countries is the Ashantis who never allowed themselves to be persuaded or conquered effortlessly.

I define my culture by my race, family size, faith, and region. I am a first generation Middle Eastern American that practices Islam. I was raised by a single mother that raised my brother and I on her own. In addition to that I grew up in Virginia which had an impact on how I was raised. My mother was very strict in instilling values in me because the Western lifestyle is different from how it is overseas especially relating to sex and sexuality. My culture has taught me various lessons about sex and sexuality regarding virginity, female genital mutilation, pre-marital sex and heterosexuality.

This paper will cover multiple topics. Those topics will include reflective practice and career goals with the author. Following this, a literature review regarding cultural influence on learning styles, and potential ways to improve on cross-culture class needs. Then there will be a case scenario examining an ethical lapsing scenario involved with cross-culture, and how it can be addressed. The author will finish by going over their personal biases with and possibly during the scenario.

Understanding our personal biases and acknowledging our own intersecting identities is a powerful tool in the counseling world. Through exploring the four developmental domains laid out by the multicultural and social justice counseling competencies (MSJCC) counselors are able to better identify their own identities and those of their clients resulting in a stronger client counselor relationship.

Culture plays a paramount role in our lives. “It is what shapes who we are and how we view the world” (Thorp & Sanchez, 1998, p. 3). Culture includes things