#module five

I chose this picture because this was a tough semester, regardless of everything going on outside and in my personal life, I survived Summer A semester!

Part 1: Final Reflections

1a. After looking over my initial blog post, I’ve realized that I met and went beyond my goals for this class was to understand what the field of cross-cultural psychology is about and why this field of psychology is important. I’ve noticed at what point I found answers to questions I didn’t know I had, for instance, how can I use the knowledge gained in this class in a clinical setting. This question was answered when we completed the case study and had to incorporate the cultural background of our clients. For the most part, the tone of my blog post has the same pattern but as the class moved further along, I see the change in writing as it reflects more knowledge and critical thinking.

1b. After looking over the entries of my peers, I have learned we all have very similar experiences in life. We’ve had microaggression said towards us, we strive to be better as human beings, and we want to connect with others but didn’t know how or want to step outside our comfort zones to interact with those different from us. I learned that educating people that are from other groups will allow them to develop a different perspective so we all can begin to understand each other. 

Part 2: What did you learn?

2a. The most useful thing I learned in this class is the incorporation of culture in effectively treating mental issues as we practiced within the case study assignment. I found this to be useful as I am always searching for ways to relate the courses I take to real-world practice. This was especially useful as I plan on working with clients who’ve experienced trauma in their lives. I’m understanding how culture and family have a huge influence on the client’s treatment plan and what support groups I could gather for them to increase their results. Within this aspect of using culture to help clients, surprisingly the article by Duran et. al. (2008), discusses the envisioned that I would include in my practice. Since there is an emphasis on integrating culture in an individual’s healing process it is important to also address their spiritual needs and heal their soul wounds. The article talks about how the psychic and spiritual suffering further generations will face if it’s not effectively dealt with. Culture and the culture’s history can affect the present mental well-being of the culture’s descendants (Duran et. al, 2008). This an interesting and surprising thing to read as I assumed there was no research on this type of method, and I was delighted to see that other people have the same ideas as I do.

2b. The most upsetting thing I learned in this course came while I watched the video ‘The Difference Between Us: Race – The Power of an Illusion’ (2003). The DNA tests and the research of different racial groups was upsetting as certain individuals decided the fate of Jew, Blacks, Italians, etc. They determined that their race was the reason they deserved the consequences of hate. Racial identity, a social-political construct, was and still is a way to control people and who has power.

2c. Going forward, I can use this information to remember to remain aware of my bias and how my culture influences how I react and respond to others. I can use this information to challenge current individualist methodologies of treatment. Using this information, I can be the change I hope to see within the field of psychology by promoting cultural psychology and creating conversations surrounding topics relating to culture.

2d. Future directions in cultural/cross-cultural/multicultural psychology should include additional research on groups that do not primarily consist of white Americans. It should create a conversation on the benefits of using cultural psychology methods to help clients and identify ways specific to each culture that these methods can be used. It should also identify similar methods that overlap in effectively helping different cultures. Yes, psychology’s and psychologists’ responsibility to engage in social justice as it’s within one to the goals of psychology, to control/modify inappropriate behavior. There cannot be healing in hate, we need to actively identify social justice issues and work to create communities that do not enable these issues. These issues are also the main reason why people seek treatment, to be effective we must stop the problem at the source.

References

Duran, E., Firehammer, J., & Gonzalez, J. (2008). Liberation Psychology as the Path Toward Healing Cultural Soul Wounds. Journal of Counseling & Development, 86(3), 288-295. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6678.2008.tb00511.x

Travis Scott

Virgil Abloh

SoccerBible

Here is my DS106 assignment for Module 5, I tackled a small part of the giant creative conglomerate that is DONDA

https://kumu.io/gideonibemerejr/donda