How Cultural Influences Shaped Who I Am, How I See Myself, How Clients See Me
Cultural self-identification is a very important step for individuals towards fostering conducive interpersonal relationships, especially when the individual is part of a minority group in society. In regard to my own journey towards this goal, I have identified myself as Middle Eastern, despite the fact that I have lived in the USA for more than ten years. I still view myself in this way because I believe that my Middle Eastern culture has significantly shaped who I am today. My belief in this way reaffirms the social identity theory, which says that members of a minority group in society manage the accompanying stigma by either denying (‘passing’) their membership or reinforcing it (Bogart, Rottenstein, Lund & Bouchard, 2017). Clearly, I have chosen to cope with bias and racism through reinforcement. By affirming my identity as a minority, I am filled with a sense of pride, advocacy, and collective self-efficacy as a Middle Eastern living in the USA, and I would not have it any other way.
To explain how my culture has shaped me, I must begin by relating the ways that I interact with others with my identity as Middle Eastern. As a child, our parents insisted that our family is stronger together. In our culture, loyalty towards family and community is expected and viewed honorably. In these ways, my culture shaped my social loyalty toward those who share my values. I grew up learning lessons about familial loyalty and support. These lessons taught me the importance of sacrificing for family and even to avoid engaging in activities that may hinder me from being present in their times of need. My mother asserted the vitality of communicating, insisting that we spend time together in order to develop an understanding of each other’s needs and problems. An example of how she practiced these values was making sure that the family sat together during meals. According to her, eating together created an opportunity for the family to bond together, and she was right. Her values and lessons formed my character and devotion towards my friends and those who share similar ideologies. As a result, I am the person who always takes the time to reach out to friends and know their condition. I also make time to spend with them, which builds a better quality friendship. I believe that I owe my ability to create true and lasting relationships with others to these characteristics I formed as a child in the Middle East.
Equally important to the community, my culture instilled in me a strong sense of responsibility. I come from a culture that prohibits reckless behaviors, especially engaging in alcohol and other drug abuse. It is expected that an individual will maintain self-discipline and accountability of their actions. While growing up in the Middle East, my father and uncles were always mindful of their actions around my siblings and me. I have never seen my father engaging in alcohol consumption or any other irresponsible behavior. Having male role models like this, I learned that men should be mindful of how they conduct themselves. I revered my father and other men in my cultural setting, and I enjoyed attending social gatherings where men from my community met to discuss the welfare of the community. Their actions encouraged me to practice such a culture. These lessons in behavior ultimately formed the basis of my belief that an individual’s actions influence the actions of others. I feel a responsibility to act respectably, as I believe that showing self-discipline and accountability for my actions influence the way others choose to engage with me. By exhibiting these traits, others tend to respect my views and choices more.
In similar fashion to my family values, my culture has also driven home the concept of selflessness towards others, especially my family. My culture says that the welfare of the community is more important than my own welfare, and it is a custom to share whatever we have. My parents reinforced this by lending hands to those in need through religious ceremonies to celebrate and share with others in the community. During such a gathering, members from the community brought whatever they wished to share. Such donations included food, clothes, and other social necessities. I have participated in several such gatherings during my childhood and adulthood, teaching me to share regardless of the quantity that I have. I believe that it is the nature of humans to show humanity by engaging in charitable events and that sharing creates unity and love in any social grouping. As a result of these instilled values, I always help my friends during their times of need in whatever ways I can.
Additionally, my culture has taught me to work hard, be self-reliant, and be self-critical in my path to self-improvement. Referencing the aforementioned social gatherings where men from the community would meet, this manner of approaching community challenges taught me to be self-reliant. These gatherings were a space where members of the community could raise issues that concerned their families, taking a proactive approach to their problems. The members of the community discussed the issues brought up and developed solutions. During these meetings, members also developed plans to improve the various facilities in the community. I was able to take away from this experience a culture of reviewing my actions. I believe that this characteristic helps me to maintain positive relationships with others.
Similar to how my mother insisted that being courteous towards others is our God-given responsibility, my culture as a whole also insists on generosity towards others, particularly the less fortunate in the community. Experiencing community-held annual gatherings for the purpose of sharing with others in the community instilled generosity in me. I attribute my consistent attendance at charitable events in the USA to my mother’s teaching and to my culture.
Finally, I have learned from my culture to be careful of engaging in deeds that may tarnish my reputation and my honor or those of my family. In my culture, honor is the most important value of family and self. My community’s cultural teachings maintain that men and women should only engage in activities that do not compromise their integrity. For instance, my culture’s teaching maintains that boys and girls that are not relatives should not engage in social activities that undermine their integrity. In my culture, women must protect their integrity by refraining from being overly social with non-relatives. In my culture, the woman must learn to control her actions lest she disgraces the family. These teachings have taught me to prioritize my dignity in every situation. I have also learned to re-evaluate my intentions in public. [SB1] Therefore, these teachings have taught me that I must be mindful of the perception I create in others. I believe that maintaining a professional image in my appearance and interactions with others has enabled me to gain respect from my coworkers. Also, I realize that I may engage in actions without any immoral intent, but if such actions do not maintain a positive image, they may affect the way others engage with me. Therefore, I have become conscious and cautious about my behavior in public settings not to present a chance for others to engage with me in an unprofessional manner. [SB2] [EO3]
How These Cultural Influences Affect My Feelings about the Relationship between My Visible Identity and Self-Identification
I believe that identifying myself as a Middle Eastern minority living in the USA enables me to have greater self-esteem. According to Bogart et al. (2017), sometimes self-identification as a member of a minority group promotes a sense of pride, advocacy, and collective self-efficacy. In my opinion, the values held by my culture are superior to any other. It is my belief that my culture has trained me to be the best version of myself. By teaching me to be responsible and loyal to my social group, my culture has helped me to feel more confident in engaging with others in my circle. Whenever others express that they hold me in high esteem, I feel special and respected. Therefore, I believe that my self-identification supports me in building my interpersonal relationships, particularly with others from minority groups because they are relationships based on admirations of character instead of needs to alleviate social injustices. I also believe that greater self-esteem reduces the possibility of being a victim of racial or ethnocultural prejudice. In my opinion, the reverence I receive from others due to my cultural background and character is a form of social privilege which protects me against racial or ethnocultural discrimination.
The harmony between my visual identity and self-identity also makes me much more aware of my engagement with others. Self-identifying, or self-reporting, is subject to the time frame and contextual influences of social engagement, according to Warner and Shields (2013). The authors argue that these two factors influence the effect that stereotypes and personal beliefs have on self-identity. [EO4] I believe being aware of my identity as a Middle Eastern person influences the initial engagement I have with others. My visual identity is that of a Middle Eastern woman[SB5] . I acknowledge the social stereotypes about Middle Eastern people. By acknowledging these stereotypes, I have a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of my cultural background.[EO6] Additionally, it has helped me focus on the strengths of my culture that are more than the weaknesses. During my first time engagements with others[EO7] , my positive self-identity helps me to focus on promoting the positive cultural aspect of my ethnocultural background. Therefore, my positive self-identity and the self-awareness of my culture’s stereotypes help me to control the type of relationships that I build with others.
Moreover, I believe my self-identity as a Middle Eastern person allows[SB8] me to gain greater satisfaction in life[EO9] . According to Bogart et al. (2017), two kinds of research on self-identification revealed that less than thirty percent of people with a disability identified themselves as disabled. However, the authors also argue that those who denied their membership to this minority group experienced more discrimination compared to those with positive self-identification traits. Additionally, Bogart et al. (2017) note that a previous study found out that individuals who identified themselves as part of a minority group equal levels of perceived esteem and self-esteem as non-disable, unlike those who denied their identity[EO10] . For me, acknowledging my membership as a minority Middle Eastern person living in the USA enhances my resilience to ethnocultural prejudice. Therefore, acknowledging my culture’s stereotypes has empowered me to develop a positive self-identity[SB11] [EO12] . By not only accepting my visual identity but embracing it as well, I become less vulnerable to bigotry. Also, my self-identity helps me appreciate my diversity and the positive traits within my culture. As a result, the process of acknowledging and appreciating my visual identity and the culture of the Middle East has enabled me to feel more satisfied with my qualities as a human.
Further, I believe that having a self-identity that reinforces my visible identity is crucial for maintaining a healthy mental status. According to Sanchez, Shih, and Garcia (2009), inconsistency and instability in the concept of self can lead to psychological distress. I believe that individuals that do not accept their membership in minority groups are more likely to experience psychological distress. To back up my opinion, Bogart et al. (2017) refer to an earlier study, which found out that an affirming self-identity regarding disability resulted in lower psychological distress. By accepting my cultural background and visual identity, I promote consistency and stability in my sense of self, encouraging my psychological well-being.
Finally, I believe that having a reinforcing multicultural self-identity empowers me to engage in political and social activities that[EO13] [SB14] promote social justice. Multiculturalism promotes positive interracial interactions (Plaut, Thomas, Hurd & Romano, 2018), but the authors argue that multiculturalism can promote social injustice when it sparks hostility between members of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. In my opinion, having a reinforcing self-identity develops a sense of accountability and ownership of social injustices. Therefore, acknowledging my membership in the minority group of people of color and ethnocultural minorities spurs me to be active in social and political campaigns against ethnocultural discrimination.
The Cultural Description of My Social Circle and the Influence of Culture
I maintain a social circle, mainly consisting of individuals belonging to minority social groups. However, most are those in my social circle who have different ethnic backgrounds from Middle Eastern[EO15] . In my opinion, being a minority group member influences most of my social relationships. Members of such minority groups often understand the struggles of other minority groups such as mine. Maintaining a relationship with members of minority groups is easier for me than those belonging in majority groups. Although I have a few friends that are members of the majority social group in the USA, I believe that my relationship with them persists on mutual respect of values and characters. Most of my social relationships grow based on similarities of character.
The teachings of generosity and selflessness within my culture have the greatest influence in my social circle. I consider myself to be generous towards others but dislike anyone who would want to take advantage of my generosity[EO16] . Naturally, I prefer to create social relationships with individuals who share my views on generosity rather than those who would seek to take advantage of me. Fortunately, I believe that my ideas towards community service and sharing have attracted like-minded people into my social circle. I often make new friends in selfless activities, such as community cleaning. [SB17] I believe that give back to the community can be a draining activity, especially when those participating are few. I believe that those who participate in such activities must encourage others to continue giving back. Therefore, I often strike conversations with any new person I come across during community cleaning activities. Also, I regularly ask for contacts that I can use to follow up with them on more community service activities[EO18] .
As a whole, my culture’s insistence on social loyalty has influenced the social network that I maintain. My social circle is full of individuals I am intensely loyal to that I can depend upon in times of need. I have confidence that my friends would willingly reciprocate when I am in need. I believe that social loyalty is the key to forging unbreakable friendships, such as the ones I have created, which have lasted for more than seven years. These individuals are willing to share my experiences, help me overcome any challenges, and defend me against discriminatory individuals.
How My Areas of Privilege Affect My Work
As stated earlier, I believe that the reverence I receive from others is a form of social privilege. In my opinion, few members of a minority group in each social setting gain the admiration of the majority in the group. In my case, I have received appreciation from those in my workplace for the values I hold and the manner in which I conduct myself. This social privilege encourages me to continue associating with others with significant consideration for my conduct. I believe that creating a positive social circle helps me to deliver on my responsibilities efficiently.
New Self-Knowledge Gained from This Assignment
Engaging this assignment has helped me gain several insights into the view of my clients and myself. First, I have realized that I prefer to interact with individuals that are part of another minority group with the USA. I work as part of an organization that helps minority groups integrate into the American culture. Over the years, I have worked with numerous individuals in helping them overcome the challenges of migrating to the USA. Such challenges may include cultural shock, language barriers, economic barriers, etc. However, I had not realized how my work had affected my social circle. This assignment has made me reflect on the various relationships within my social circle. During the assignment, I found a pattern of histories behind my relationships. I realized that the majority of my friends are also part of minority groups. The assignment helped me to realize that my workplace can be a resource point of gaining more friends.
The second insight that I gained through this assignment is a better understanding of the benefits of accepting my visual identity instead of ‘passing’ my membership as a minority. I had always adopted a self-identity that reinforced my Middle Eastern visual identity, even before engaging in the assignment. However, I had no reason for choosing to reaffirm myself as a minority group member other than because it was my origin. I have always been confident in my skin. The assignment has only buttressed my confidence in my cultural and visual identity. By engaging in the assignment, I have discovered the various benefits of a reaffirming self-identity. I have also learned about the negative implications of ‘passing’ the membership to a minority. I believe that the knowledge acquired during this exercise will help me engage with my clients better, given that they are minority group members.
Additionally, the assignment has helped me understand the significance of my cultural upbringing to my values, character, and choices in my relationships. Before doing the assignment, I knew that my culture had made me the character I am. However, I had never analyzed the various characteristics that I gained from my cultural background. The assignment has offered me the opportunity to appraise the ideas I have about my character. Through this process, I have gained a vivid understanding of how my cultural background and the culture in the USA have shaped me. The exercise has made me realize that there are several cultural conflicts between my home country and the USA. Now, I appreciate that these cultural differences may dilute some of my characteristics. I believe that the assignment has made me more aware of the conflicting cultures. One example is that my culture teaches us to protect the family’s honor, which American cultures do not insist on its importance. I believe that being more aware will train me to be more protective of my core values.
The Kinds of Assumptions That Clients Are Likely to Make and Cultural Context
There are several assumptions that clients are likely to make about me based on my visual identity. First, I find that many clients assume that I am a Muslim. There is a common stereotype in the USA that all Middle Eastern people are Muslims. There are many occasions where a client has made such assumptions about me. In some cases, a client has greeted me using Islamic connotations. However, I am not Muslim but observe the Baha’i faith. Although the Islamic world is the most common religion in the Middle East, not all Middle Eastern people are Muslims.
The second common assumption is that I must have grown up in the USA because Middle Eastern women are not highly educated. I have realized that a common misconception in the USA exists that Middle Eastern communities do not allow girls to go through school. I have had several experiences where a client wants to know my state of birth. In several of those experiences, the clients have objected to my answer that I traveled from my home country. Most of those clients get curious to know whether there is a special story behind my education. However, I come from a country that fully endorses the education of the girl-child.
Also, clients often assume that I come from a community mauled by violent political struggles. Another common misconception about Middle Eastern culture in the USA is that it encompasses violent and unstable regions. I found that even my coworkers are more cautious around me not to discuss politics concerning the east. I, however, come from a peaceful, politically stable country. Therefore, the assumptions that people make based on my visual identity are often wrong and misleading.
Conclusion
This exercise involved a process of self-appraising my cultural background and its effects on my social and work engagements. My culture has shaped the majority of my core values. My mother was a crucial teacher of values during my childhood years. However, I often learned from my father through admiration of his qualities. The lessons from my cultural background have continued to shape my life in the USA. I believe that my cultural values empowered me to create a harmonious and beneficial social circle. These core values have also shaped my engagement process during interpersonal interactions.
References
Bogart, K., Rottenstein, A., Lund, E., & Bouchard, L. (2017). Who self-identifies as disabled? An examination of impairment and contextual predictors. Rehabilitation Psychology, 62(4), 553-562. doi: 10.1037/rep0000132
Hays, D. (2017). Assessment in counseling (6th ed., pp. 41-65). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Hoffman, L., Cleare-Hoffman, H., Granger, N., & St. John, D. (2019). Humanistic approaches to multiculturalism and diversity (1st ed.). New York: Routledge.
Plaut, V., Thomas, K., Hurd, K., & Romano, C. (2018). Do Color Blindness and Multiculturalism Remedy or Foster Discrimination and Racism?. Current Directions In Psychological Science, 27(3), 200-206. doi: 10.1177/0963721418766068
Sanchez, D., Shih, M., & Garcia, J. (2009). Juggling multiple racial identities: malleable racial identification and psychological well-being. Cultural Diversity And Ethnic Minority Psychology, 15(3). Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/44625982/Juggling_multiple_racial_identities_mall20160411-25228-21gpx2.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DJuggling_multiple_racial_identities_mall.pdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A%2F20200308%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20200308T051422Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=a73c333a3d29c50801837c62b8d2e61800d260781078f4fad498a158503b6596
Shapiro, B. (2003). A culture of fact. New York: Cornell University Press.
Svensson, Y., Berne, J., & Syed, M. (2018). A narrative approach to the role of others in ethnic identity formation. Cultural Diversity And Ethnic Minority Psychology, 24(2), 187-195. doi: 10.1037/cdp0000182
Warner, L., & Shields, S. (2013). The Intersections of Sexuality, Gender, and Race: Identity Research at the Crossroads. Sex Roles, 68(11-12), 803-810. doi: 10.1007/s11199-013-0281-4
[SB1]How does this correlate to your culture’s teaching that community (not necessarily just family) is important? Maybe add a sentence here to clear that up or reword
[SB2]This might be a good opportunity for a few sentences or paragraph about how your culture affects how your clients see you. I noticed that was in the headline, but I did not see anything about it in your essay in this section.
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[EO4]Connection between acknowledging stereotypes and positive self-identity
[SB5]I think you mean woman?
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[EO7]added
[SB8]Watch out for repetitive words
[EO9]Addressed. Shifted the argument to this paraghraph
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[SB11]How so?
[EO12]added
[EO13]okay
[SB14]Just FYI – when you are modifying a noun using “which” or “that”, you do not need to use a comma (this is because it is part of the same subject à verb à noun independent clause). I think “that” usually sounds better than “which”, although it isn’t wrong to use “which”. Only use a comma when “which” is joining two individual clauses
[EO15]added
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[SB17]If you meet them already doing self-less activities, how do you motivate them?
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