Importance Of Culture In Social Work

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Culture
Culture is an aspect that inevitable to avoid in life and in all professions. Culture can be defined as “customs, habits, skills, technology, arts, values, ideology, science, and religious and political behavior of a group of people in a specific time period,” (Barker). According to Mattaini, Meyer, and Lowery, “the concept of culture is broad and made more adaptable, moving from the association primarily with ethnicity and race to systems and communities” (77). In relation to systems, culture is especially important in the Social Work system. It is dire for culture to be understood because it represents a major part of the lives of people. Culture can affect communication, perception, behavior (body language), protect, and is a bond which ties our people together. It is important for all people, especially social workers, to learn how to be culturally competent, which can be defined as the “possession of knowledge, values, and skills necessary to make services culturally relevant, thereby increasing their effectiveness” (Clark).
Key components of cultural competency
Social work requires for social workers to have a high degree of cultural competency. The four key components of cultural competency are awareness, knowledge, attitude and skills. …show more content…

Self-awareness is the “conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires” (Dictionary.com). Having self-awareness in the field of Social Work is important because it can help with reducing bias, which is an important aspect that should be avoided. Also, having this characteristic is important because it aligns with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) code of ethics and values, as well the empowerment and advocacy of individuals (such as a social work client), language and communication, leadership, education, diversity, cross cultural skills, and service

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