Personal Reflection- An Examination of Cultural Identity PDF

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Personal Reflection: An Examination of Cultural Identity

Tiffany M. Cotton Grand Canyon University BHS-330: Cultural and Social Diversity in Behavioral Health Dr. Antwynette Shields July 25, 2021

2 When it comes to our cultural identities, we must first understand what the term cultural identity is. The textbook definition refers to the different degree individuals identify themselves as belonging to subgroups of various cultural groups or categories (Hays & Erford, n.d.). The development of our cultural identity stems from both the intrapersonal and interpersonal processes we engage in to build on our race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and many other areas in our lives. This is affected by our cultural upbringing and the society we surround ourselves with today. Along with our own personal characteristics we must take into consideration the outside factors of other cultures and other outside factors. No matter if a culture is widespread or kept within a small region, is young or old, or has changed over time or stayed the same, every culture can teach us about ourselves, others, and the global community (Society & Society, 2021). Growing up in the southeastern part of the United States you can say my cultural experiences have been basic, at least to many. It wasn’t until I was in my late teens I was exposed to the other cultures. You would think it wouldn’t be such a shock to travel to the northern part of the United States to get a culture shock, but in my case it happened. I was born and raised a southern bell, we are polite, honest, trustworthy, and kindhearted. Traveling to New York when I was younger was a bit of an eye opener. I experienced a set of people that seemed to have a very different set of characteristics than myself. They seemed very self-absorbed, blunt and many were all over rude. Learning how others live just in our country has been a fun experience. To top all the off I did not realize just how culturally diverse my own family is. I am Panamanian and Russian, and I have met a good bit of my family from Panama and their cultural identities has proven to be a lot different than mine.

3 By being exposed to other cultures and having the personal characteristics that I believe I have now will benefit me going into the behavioral health field and the education field. It has allowed me to realize the differences that my current students have from me and not only adapt my understandings to them but if I do not understand where they are coming from, I will do my own research so I can understand them better. Being able to always keep an open mind when it comes to others and have the knowledge and understanding that everyone is different is a trait that anyone going into any career field needs to have but especially behavioral health and education. My ultimate career goal is a school psychologist I must possess that trait more than I would to just be an educator. Not knowing where it will take me in my career, what school district I will end up and what group of children I will encounter depends on it. It will allow me to always be able to put the student/client first without ever jumping to conclusion or being judgmental when it comes to their issues. Everyone has a different cultural identity, and their personal characteristics play a big role in that identity. Not every person you come across is going to be just like you, they may have similar characteristics which draw you closer to them when you encounter each other. It also allows you to be able to understand them a bit better, if you are similar in characteristics. I also believe that as we evolve as a person our cultural identity evolves as well. The more you encounter others that have different characteristics and cultural identities than you do the more you my tweak your own cultural identity. It is not something that is set in stone, it can evolve just as we do. We grow in our knowledge and understanding of others and adapt ourselves to get along with them.

4 References

Cox, J. C., Sadiraj, V., & Sen, U. (2020). Cultural Identities and Resolution of Social Dilemmas. Economic Inquiry, 58(1), 49–66. https://doiorg.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/ecin.12727

Hays, D., & Erford, B. Developing multicultural counseling competence.

Society, N., & Society, N. (2021). Cultural Identity. Nationalgeographic.org. from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/topics/resource-library-culturalidentity/?q=&page=1&per_page=25....