CH13

Amok

A Malaysian disorder characterized by wild, homicidal aggression. It's typically found among males who were previously quiet and withdrawn. Precipitating factors can include sleep deprivation, stress, alcohol, and extreme heat. It's one example of a culture bound syndrome listen in the DSM-IV-TR (2000).

Susto

A belief in which a frightening incident causes a person's soul to leave his or her body. The result is depression and physical malady. The customary treatment in Mexico and Central America includes ritual healings in which the person's soul is called back to the body.

Color-blind

A benign position that race should not and does not matter. Included in this stance, is a denial that racism continues to benefit white individuals (Gushue & Constantine, 2007).

Melting pot

A concept that implied, over time, cultures should melt down, adding their own flavor and color to the "American soup," while losing their distinguishing features in the process, is a concept directly related to the acculturation process.

Pan-traditional

A cultural orientation or level of assimilation in which individuals have been exposed to and perhaps adopted mainstream values but have made an intentional effort to return to their culture's traditional values.

Traditional

A cultural orientation or level of assimilation in which individuals practice their culture's traditional customs, worship methods, and think in their native tongue.

Marginal

A cultural orientation where individuals are neither connected with their own culture nor mainstream society.

Assimilated

A cultural orientation where individuals are oriented toward the mainstream social culture and have little interest in their own culture's traditional practices.

Bicultural

A cultural orientation where individuals are relatively comfortable and conversant in two sets of cultural values.

Multicultural counseling

A helping role and process that uses modalities and defines goals consistent with the life experiences and cultural values of clients, recognizes client identities to include individual, group, and universal dimensions, advocates the use of universal and culture-specific strategies and roles in the healing process, and balances the importance of individualism and collectivism in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of client and client systems (D. W. Sue & D. Sue, 2008, p. 42).

Culture-bound syndromes

A list of culturally specific syndromes listed in the DSM. Examples include Amok and Windigo.

Stereotype

A standardized and oversimplified mental picture or idea about members of a group.

What's good about you?

An informal self-esteem assessment and intervention activity. To initiate the activity, the therapist obtains client consent or assent and then says, "I'm going to ask you the same question 10 times. The only rule is that you can't use the same answer twice. So, I'll ask you the same question 10 times, but you have to give me 10 different answers."

Spirituality

As described by Sue, Bingham, Porche-Burke, & Vasquez (1999), for most indigenous cultural groups and individuals born and raised in Asia, Africa, or Latin America, is a life force that undergirds their existence (p. 1064).

Ethnic matching

Client and therapist are intentionally matched based on having similar or the same ethnic/racial background. It's an example of a cultural adaptation associated with positive treatment outcomes (Griner & Smith, 2006).

Language matching

Client and therapist are intentionally matched because they speak the same language. This is a cultural adaptation that appears very important to enhancing positive treatment outcomes (Griner & Smith, 2006).

Cultural knowledge

Gathering knowledge about other cultural perspectives in an effort to more deeply understand and appreciate those perspectives.

Drapetomania

In 1851, physician S. A. Cartwright claimed discovery of two mental diseases peculiar to Africans. It was believed that this disease caused slaves to have uncontrollable urges to run away from their masters. "Whipping the devil out of them" was considered the cure. It's an historical example of multicultural insensitivity.

Dysaethesia

In 1851, physician S. A. Cartwright claimed discovery of two mental diseases peculiar to Africans. It was believed this disease affected individual's mind and body causing disobedience and disrespect. Extra hard labor, causing blood to finally reach the brain and give liberty to the mind was considered the cure. It's now considered an example of multicultural insensitivity.

Cultural adaptation

Specific types of therapy presentation and process modifications designed to make therapy more culturally sensitive and accommodating. Examples include: language matching, use of an interpreter, ethnic-specific services.

White privilege

The invisible privileges accorded to the dominant culture. In the United States, middle- and upper-class white people enjoy readily available unearned assets. One effect of membership in the dominant culture is unconsciousness or obliviousness to your cultural advantages (McIntosh, 1998).

Culture-specific skills

The use of specific skills that have been shown to be useful or effective in working with specific cultural groups.

Scientific mindedness

Therapists who use this form hypotheses about their clients rather than coming to firm and premature conclusions. These therapists also develop creative ways to test their initial hypotheses about minority clients and then act on the basis of the data they obtain and not their prejudices or prejudgments.

Dynamic sizing

Therapists with this skill know when to generalize and be inclusive and when to individualize and be exclusive. This means knowing when to apply general knowledge about a culture to an individual and when to focus more on the individual than the culture.

Culture-specific expertise

This involves acquiring knowledge about one's own culture and about the client's culture. It also involves the application of that knowledge in a culturally sensitive and effective manner.

Acculturation

This term refers to "a process of giving up one's traditional cultural values and behaviors while taking on the values and behaviors of the dominant social structure"

Ethnic-specific services

Treatments that try to respond to clients' cultural needs (e.g., culturally sensitive greetings are used, Chinese clients are offered tea as well as coffee). Some research showed that ethnic clients stay in treatment longer when offered these.

Collectivist

Values and norms are shared. The self and the personality are defined in terms of group memberships; the group needs and values are more central than those of the individual.

Addressing

acronym to help therapists gather a range of information related to multiple dimensions of client identity: Age and generational influences, Developmental disabilities, Disabilities acquired later in life, Religion and spiritual orientation, Ethnic and racial identity, Socioeconomic status, Sexual orientations, Indigenous heritage, National origin, Gender.

Multicultural competencies

defined by the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD) are organized into three broad categories: 1. Counselor awareness of own cultural values and biases. 2. Counselor awareness of client's worldview. 3. Culturally appropriate intervention strategies. Within each of these categories there are three subheadings: (a) beliefs and attitudes; (b) knowledge; and (c) skills.

Affirmative therapy

therapy with LGBTQ clients that is openly supportive, validating, and affirming of varieties of sexual identity and sexual behavior.

Individualist

value is placed on an individual's personal liberty and self-interest. Autonomy is regarded as a virtue and personality is viewed as separate from family and culture.

Cultural awareness

Being aware of one's own cultural heritage, biases, and reactions to other cultural groups.

Multiculturalism

Broadly defined as the valuing of diverse perspectives.