Multicultural Differences Essay

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Viewpoints on Multicultural Differences
Throughout history, there have been various perspectives of multicultural differences. According to Meriam Webster (n.d.), culture is “the beliefs, customs, arts, institutions, and the thoughts or products of a particular society or group.” Unfortunately, African Americans, Native Americans, Italians, Irish, Jews as well as various other cultural groups have been profoundly discriminated against and negatively stereotyped (Good Therapy org.). With the frequent mingling of cultures in educational settings, the workplace, and in the social arena, we are bound to encounter cultural differences.
The early church was planted in a diverse cultural setting. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he instructed his …show more content…

What is it about the color of skin/ethnicity, language, culture, age, etc. that makes us so uncomfortable? Why after all these years have we not figured out a way to embrace diversity and live peaceably amongst one another? I believe it is because some choose to look at our differences from a corrupt lens. Sir Francis Galton, perceived differences between people to be a result of a genetic deficiency (Lee, Blando, Orozco, & Shooshani, 2014). Sadly, his proposal permitted the continuance of social injustices. Others view cultural differences uses from an anthropological lens. "Anthropologists began to study different cultures as primitive and interesting scientific curiosities, and others wanted to observe and record other cultures before they were destroyed by modern influences" (Lee, Blando, Orozco, & Shooshani, 2014, p. …show more content…

In some countries, seeking medical help for mental health issues is the reasonable thing to do, where other cultures may view it as taboo and believe those matters should be left to religion or the family. Another vital aspect of multicultural counseling is the relationship between the therapist and counselee. It is essential that both parties are aware of the existing cultural differences. As a professional counselor, I will continue to educate myself properly, so as to give the best counsel by building trust and rapport. A few other aspects to keep in mind is learning to become culturally sensitive to communication and steering clear of trigger words or speech that the client may find offensive. Also, being aware of spatial distance is necessary. Some cultures prefer close contact and others may find too close of a distance

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