Personal Narrative: My Cultural Identity Development

INTRODUCTION

Identity development is a concept that includes numerous factors and influences. More specifically, cultural identity development innately is also incredibly complex and multifaceted. There are innumerable ways that an individual's cultural identity can be impacted and influenced. For some, their cultural identity does not emerge or blossom until later years, whereas for others, it becomes a fundamental aspect of their growth and development. Personally, my cultural identity was not one that I began to pay much mind to until I went to college 1,400 miles away from the only community I knew. Understanding the development and the growth of my cultural identity proves to be challenging, exciting, and rewarding. In taking interest

My experience of overwhelming homogeny growing up, sheltered me from the reality of racial discrimination and oppression of other cultures. Further, my general whiteness does not provide me with any relatable experiences of oppression or racism. Conversely, I can assume that my clients who are culturally diverse might automatically assume that due to my whiteness I am not relatable or lack empathy towards them. This assumption of a lack of multicultural competency is hurtful, but understandable considering my outward appearance. My whiteness and the stigma that I may receive due to my whiteness though, is simply not comparable to that of those who are of color and have experienced life-long oppression and discrimination. Even further, I lack membership to any subcultures as defined by Herzog, Mitchell, and Soccio (1999). Subgroups tend to be groups that deviate from the "norm" of society and the dominant culture (Herzog, Mitchell, & Soccio, 1999). I feel that this might also prevent me from being relatable to my clients and thus inhibit my overall multicultural competency. I have knowledge about subcultures and the intersectional nature of membership to various subgroups and cultures, although due to my lack of membership I question the validity of my