Jennifer is a Caucasian American female who is moving away from her friends and family to attend college. Leaving one’s friends and family is a situation that many may struggle with. There were certain aspects of Jennifer’s life that could eventually impede her from fully adapting to her new college environment. The most significant aspect is the fact that Jennifer has not been away from home a lot with the exception of two vacations. Though vacationing can be a good way to become more cultured, she has never been away from her family, or far from her home town. Jennifer is from Winslow, Maine (usa.com). The city of Winslow is a predominantly Caucasian American area, and the areas she has visited on vacations are not far from there and have similar demographics. Jennifer also went to a smaller high school so she would have to get use to the large and diverse campus population. Jennifer’s roommate could have helped her make a smoother transition because she is familiar with larger peer groups due to her high school population. Jennifer also states that she is not as outgoing as should would like to be so meeting new friends will be difficult for her. Jennifer did not join any groups on campus right away so she was not able to make friends as fast as Kerri, which caused her to spend a lot of time alone.
Jennifer grew up in the New England area and did not experience life outside of New England very often; she had not experienced many cultures other than her own. Since Jennifer has had limited experience with other cultures, she has not had to deal with her racial identity development because she had only been exposed to her race. Jennifer seemed open minded at first because even though Kerri was African-American, they beca...
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...ess. Jennifer shows that she is not really willing to adapt to her new environment because she continues to only stay in contact with her friends back home. The majority of Jennifer’s issues deal with her egocentric and individualistic thinking. Jennifer feels that everything should revolve around her which is why she cannot understand why Kerri wants to hang out with other people. She specifically says she doesn’t understand why black people have to hang out together all the time. It is Jennifer’s thinking that will stop her from having a healthy social life at this particular college.
Works Cited
Cook, D. & Helms, J. (1999). Using race and culture in counseling and psychotherapy. Needham Heights, Massachusetts: A Viacom Company.
World Media Group, LLC. (2012). Winslow, me population and races. Retrieved from www.usa.com/winslow-me-population-and-races.htm
In conclusion, this book helps to understand what it is like to be someone who is different. Michaela kept working hard even when everything was against her and because of that she achieved her dreams. This book shows young people that they can do whatever they put the mind to no matter their race or
This scholarly article discusses a study done on biracial identity development in children. The article discusses “the similarities and differences between Black and White racial identity development in the United States and address special challenges for the biracial child.” I hope to use it as a source when discussing the struggle to form an specific identity
In this memoir, the meaning of language is intertwined with the search for self-identity. This book was focused on an experience of perusing her own heritage by the use of DNA and genomics. In Raquel’s instance, or Rachael as her friends refer to her as, language has become a force of conflict and discrimination. Raquel wants to fit in with her peers and uses language as a means to relate. “Rachael, if you call me nigga one more time, I’m going to have to fuck you up” (pg. 71). It is this conversation that causes racial tension between Raquel and her friends. She tries to explain that they are all women of color, regardless of how much darker their skin is than hers. Her friends can’t seem to understand why she likes all that “black shit” (pg. 71) referring to her like of hip hop music. Another issue regarding culture and ethnicity occurs with Raquel’s encounter with Simon, who uses discriminatory comments as a joke. Raquel, who finds great offense to it, takes this use of vulgar language personally. The role of language within this novel displays the hardships and struggles of growing up as an immigrant adolescent in the United States. It emphasizes the racial discrimination and adaptation aspect as well. However, despite all of the hatred and uncertainty Raquel possesses, she begins to develop resilience,
It has been said that the physical variations in the human species have no meaning except the social one that humans put on them. Society has placed stigmas on race dating all the way back to the 1600s. Still in the 21st century the American society is still trying to work through racial boundaries. With such stigmas being placed on them, biracial individuals often self-identify or be identified by others differently, depending on the social context. A biracial individual’s racial identity development is contingent upon many factors, both internal and external. With the dramatic increase in the number of individuals with a bi or multiracial background it is important for us to recognize the complexity of the racial identity development of this culture. It is critical to understand the hardships as well as the advantages of being biracial, to help them avoid any negative behaviors which could yield lifelong consequences. The healthy development of one’s racial identity is imperative for a biracial child to be able to achieve and maintain a positive psychological and social adjustment throughout the lifespan.
Counselors today face the task of how to appropriately counsel multicultural clients. Being sensitive to cultural variables can be conceptualized as holding a cultural lens to human behavior and making allowances for the possibility of cultural influence. However, to avoid stereotyping, it is important that the clinician recognize the existence of within-group differences as well as the influence of the client’s own personal culture and values (Furman, Negi, Iwamoto, Shukraft, & Gragg, 2009). One’s background is not always black or white and a counselor needs to be able to discern and adjust one’s treatment plan according to their client.
Race and ethnicity can influence a client’s experience of self and others in a variety of ways. A client’s personal race and ethnicity can influence his or her experience within the context of therapy through the set of beliefs he or she brings into the room. This set of beliefs and customs influences how he or she views therapy and whether there is motivation to be there. If the client’s culture does not usually seek therapy for their problems, or even believe in mental illness, it is likely the client will have apprehensions about trusting or speaking to the clinician. If the clinician is not aware of this possibility, the clinician may wonder why the client is in therapy if he or she will not speak or allow rapport to be built. A responsible clinician will take this into consideration.
Racial and ethnic identity are crucial elements in the framework for individual and communal identity in our society. Deep values through religion and family create a sense of racial and ethnic identity and are manifested in sensible ways for many distinct minority populations in the United States. Individuals with these beliefs have different cultural values that are undesirable in mainstream American society. For others, on the other hand, especially white Americans, ethnic and racial identity are virtually invisible because societal normality is usually constructed around their ethnic, racial and cultural values. We commonly refer to them as the “standard American culture.” In Native Speaker, the protagonist, Henry Park, is unable to define himself in American society. This essay will discuss Park’s cultural self and his path to discovering himself in relationship to his family, friends, and the United States, as well as drawing in personal experiences that relate to Park’s.
Establishing an identity has been called one of the most important milestones of adolescent development (Ruffin, 2009). Additionally, a central part of identity development includes ethnic identity (ACT for Youth, 2002). While some teens search for cultural identity within a smaller community, others are trying to find their place in the majority culture. (Bucher and Hinton, 2010)The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian chronicles Junior’s journey to discovery of self. As with many developing teens, he finds himself spanning multiple identities and trying to figure out where he belongs. “Traveling between Reardan and Wellpinit, between the little white town and the reservation, I always felt like a stranger. I was half Indian in one place and half white in the other” (p.118). On the reservation, he was shunned for leaving to go to a white school. At Reardon, the only other Indian was the school mascot, leaving Junior to question his decision to attend school he felt he didn’t deserve. Teens grappling with bicultural identities can relate to Junior’s questions of belonging. Not only is Junior dealing with the struggle between white vs. Indian identities, but with smaller peer group identities as well. In Wellpinit, Junior is th...
In Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, the main character Arnold, also known as Junior, has many health issues, and notably stands out in the crowd. It does not help that he is a poor Indian boy that lives on a reservation, and that he decides to go to an all-white high school. Many of his experiences at school, and on the Reservation, impact his identity. Experience is the most influential factor in shaping a person’s identity because it helps gain confidence, it teaches new things, and it changes one’s outlook on the world.
Especially in high school, you see and interact with many people on a day-to-day basis. Some are your close friends you know really well, while others you barely know. Therefore, one of the struggles of high school is getting to know people you don’t usually see outside of class. Having to interview Marissa Braddock, someone I don’t see outside of class, gave me an opportunity to learn new things about her. Being involved in multiple athletics, being extremely committed to family, and having dreams and aspirations to travel when she’s older reveals Marissa to be a very well rounded girl.
3) Surgeon General's Report: "Mental Health- Culture, Race, Ethnicity" . A supplement to "Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General 1999."
Culture can be defined as behaviors exhibited by certain racial, religious, social or ethnic groups. Some factors in which culture may vary include: family structure, education, and socioeconomic status (Kodjo, 2009). Some may think cultural competence is something that has an end point, however, when the big picture is seen, it is a learning process and journey. From the writer’s perspective, the client-therapist relationship can be challenging. Culturally competent therapists must realize that behaviors are shaped by an individual’s culture. Many changes are taking place within the United States cultural makeup. Therapists and healthcare professionals are being challenged to provide effective and sensitive care for patients and their families. This type of culturally sensitive care requires the professional to be open and seek understanding in the patients diverse belief systems (Kodjo, 2009).
Smith, T. B., Rodríguez, M. D., & Bernal, G. (2011). Culture. In J. C. Norcross (Ed.), Psychotherapy relationships that work (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Race, Racism and Discrimination: Bridging Problems, Methods and Theory in Social Psychological Research Bobo, Lawrence D. Fox, Cybelle http://www.jstor.org/stable/1519832
This is the other part of the story, the one no one asks about or knows about. It’s the part of the story my parents never wanted to hear about. The part of the story that turned me into what I became.