Asian Families: an overview

-Asian American has collectively referred to Americans whose families originated in many different Asian countries.

-Geographically, Asia includes counties encompassing the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent (including Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam).  Pacific islanders sometimes get put into this group as well.

-There are about 32 primary different languages spoken.

-In 2000, Asian Americans were more likely than whites to have earned at least a college degree…but they were also more likely to have less than a ninth grade education.

-Asian families are different than western culture in the way the family unit is highly valued and emphasized throughout the life cycle. Asians embrace an “We” identity instead of an “I” identity.

-A lot of Asian countries have suffered trauma from war, political upheaval, etc.

-Asians are stereotypically seen as the “model minority” in that they are viewed to be high academic achievers and a group that doesn't create problems in society. This stereotype may actually increase family pressure and individual stress.  Asian women are stereotypically viewed as passive. Men are stereotypically seen as being controlling and physically attractive.

-The expression of mental health problems in Asian families seems to depend on the family’s level of acculturation.

-Some research has underscored six predictions of mental health problems among Asian Americans 1) employment or financial insecurity, 2) gender- Asian women seem more vulnerable, 3.) older age, 4) social isolation, 5) relatively recent immigration, and 66) refugee remigration experiences and post migration adjustment.

-Asian Americans have some of the lowest rates of utilization of mental health services. These low rates have been attributed to shame and stigma about using the resources, lack of financial resources, difference conceptions of illness and health, and lack of culturally competent services.

-Research shows that when they seek services, it is only when the problem is very severe and has stretched the family system to its limit.

-Asian Americans may turn to alternative treatments in the community (spiritual leaders, healers, natural remedies)

-The family unit—rather than the individual—is the most values. The individual is seen as the sum of all the generations of his or her family. What an individual does is a reflection on the larger family and ancestors.

-The Chinese have a saying. “The nail that sticks up will be pounded down”

-The dominant influence of patriarch still remains. Historically in China, a woman’s value is related to her giving birth to sons in order to preserve the family name.

-in 1979 the leadership in China instituted the “one-child family” policy (if you only had one child, you received better benefits from the government). Those who had daughters would often hide them with relatives and wouldn’t even name them.

In traditional Asian families, marriages are arranged by parents or grandparents to ensure the family prosperity and propagation of the husband’s family line.

-the primary relationships is likely to be the parent-child dyad rather than the husband-wife.

-Physical and verbal expression of love is uncommon.

-Divorce is relatively uncommon.

-the traditional role of the mother is to provide nurturance and support. The father’s role is to discipline.

-The strongest emotional attachment for women is usually to her children.

-Parents are expected to be cared for in their old age.

Asian American families in transition can be described into several major categories:

-Traditional families (usually consists entirely of individuals born and raised in Asian countries)

-Families in “cultural conflict” (usually has American-born children or children who were very young when they moved to the US)

-Bicultural families (well-acculturated parents who grew up in major Asian cities and were exposed ot urbanization, industrialization, and western influence. Many of these people come to the US as young adults. Some were born in the US but raised in traditional families)

“Americanized” or highly acculturated families (mostly parents and children who were born and raised in the US…may not identify with their Asian roots as much.)

-New millennium families (previously referred to as interracial.

Treatment

-The clinician needs to assess 1) the internal family system which includes understanding the individual members and family subsystems, and 2) external factors, which include the impact of community and other environmental stressors.

-Asian families undergo rapid social change and cultural transition, so it is important to get a full/relevant history.

-The clinician will need information on the neighborhood and larger community, including the availability of role models, housing conditions, economic climate, job ability, and education system for children and adults, etc.

-Family stress may be caused by Role Reversal in which the Asian parents become dependent on their English-speaking children, which can lead to anger and resentment.

-Asian American families value hard work, and economic stress has been significantly associated with depression

-Many traditional Asians do not accept western explanations of mental health. On page 280, there is a list of good questions to ask in the assessment phase in which the clients can discuss their cultural and religious perspectives on the presenting problem, past coping styles, and health seeking behaviors.

Phases to follow in therapy:

Beginning phase: engage the family

• 1.       Initial appointment should be made with the family’s “decision maker”
• 2.       A brief explanation of the clinician’s role and training background
• 3.       Address the family in a polite, somewhat formal manner.
• 4.       They may ask the clinician personal questions. The clinician must feel comfortable answering such questions
• 5.       Disclose familiarity with that culture to make the cultural connection. For the clinician who is not familiar, it is important to show interest.
• 6.       Ask non-threatening personal questions. Avoid direct confrontation, demands for greater emotional disclosure.
• 7.       Empathize with the client’s feelings of shame and encourage them to verbalize such feelings. Assure them of confidentiality.
• 8.       Establish credibility right away to ensure the client will return (use professional titles when making introductions, displaying diplomas awards, etc. , obtaining sufficient information about the client before seeing them the first time, offering a possible explanation of the cause of the problem, showing familiarity with the cultural background)
• 9.       Help the client understand the reasons behind questions in the assessment/evaluation process
• 10. For the first session, allow more than the usual 1 hour…especially if an interpreter is being used.
• 11. Some discomfort may occur around certain topics (sexual orientation, sexual intimacy, etc). After credibility is established, acknowledge that some difficult areas may need to be discussed.

Second phase: involving Family members in therapy.

-mutual goal setting  

Third Phase: Problem solving.

-focusing on the problems as presented by the family

-apply a psychoeducational approach

-assuming multiple helping roles

-indirectness in problem solving

-employing the reframing technique

-capitalizing on family strengths and community support

-utilizing intermediary/go-between functions

-understanding the family’s communication style

Termination Phase

Sue & Sue ch. 16 Counseling Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

Characteristics and Strengths

Asian Americans: A Success Story?

• Over half of Asian Americans have a bachelor's degree (30% of whites do)
• 20% have an advanced degree (10% of whites do)
• Lowest high school dropout rate (2%)
• Median income is $64,308 compared to $49,445 for whites
• Does not take into account the fact that more Asian-American families have dual income
• They also have an overall higher level of poverty than whites (especially Hmong, Guamanian, Indonesian, and Cambodian immigrants) 
• Asian Americans underutilize mental health services (cultural? inaccessibility of resources? etc.)
• experience of discrimination throughout history and current.

Look behind the success myths to understand the clients' historical and current experiences of being an Asian American.

Collectivistic Orientation

• Be aware of the cultural values. Many Asian American families may look enmeshed. Make sure to ask something like: "How does your family see the problem?"

Hierarchical Relationships

• Males and elders occupy a higher status. Definitely more traditional (and different groups vary- Filipino families are more egalitarian with Korean families more patriarchal, etc.)
• Determine family structure and communication pattern. 
• If structure is unclear- address the father first and then the mother to be most productive 
• Maybe having each person in the family address the therapist may be most effective. 

Parenting Styles

• They tend to be more authoritarian and directive than Euro-American families
• Shame, guilt induction, and love withdrawal are often used to control and train children
• Criticism rather than praise is believed to be effective in changing behaviors.
• Western-style/egalitarian parent-effectiveness training strategies may run counter to traditional child-rearing patterns.

Emotionality

• Large/public displays of emotion are not celebrated. It is seen as a lack of self control and maturity
• If a client shows discomfort in a session, instead of saying "you look uncomfortable" it may be more acceptable for the client if you say "This situation would make someone uncomfortable"
• Asian Americans may also may not be as verbal about love- showing it through actions instead of saying "I love you"

Holistic View on Mind and Body

• They may express emotional problems through somatic complaints because physical problems are culturally accepted. 
• Treat somatic complaints as real problems and ask "Dealing with headaches and dizziness can be quite troublesome; how are these affecting your mood or relationships with others?"
• Deal with the somaticism and the consequences of being "ill"

Academic and Occupational Goal Orientation

• Asian American children have higher academic performance but also have higher report of feeling isolated, depressed, and anxious and report little praise for their accomplishments from their parents. 
• Sometimes parents and children have different ideas about what the kids should do. In therapy you could work with the client to brainstorm ways to present other possibilities to the parents. 

Cultural Strengths

• Family orientation
• Collectivity
• Harmony in family relationships 
• Respect for elders

Specific Challenges

Racial Identity Issues

• Asian Americans are often placed in situations of extreme culture conflict and experience pain and agony regarding behavioral and physical differences. 
• Asian American college women report lower self-esteem and less satisfaction with their racially defined features than caucasian. 
• Individuals undergoing acculturation conflicts may respond in the following manner:
• Assimilation (wanting to be part of the dominant society and excluding the dominant group)
• Separation or enculturation (ID with Asian culture)
• Integration/biculturation (retaining may asian values and learning skills and values to adapt to dominant culture)
• Marginalization (Perceiving one's own culture as negative but feeling inept at adapting to the majority culture)

Acculturation Conflicts

• The issue of not quite fitting in with their peers yet being considered "too Americanized" by their parents is common. 
• Parent-child conflicts are among the most common problem. The larger the acculturation gap between parents and children- the more conflict.
• Reframe these differences and problems as due to acculturation problems
• Therapist can function as a culture broker in helping the family negotiate conflicts with larger society

Expectations Regarding Counseling

• It's important to carefully explain therapy and treatment because psychotherapy may be a foreign concept for many. 
• Be careful not to impose techniques or strategies
• What is expected by Asian clients in an active role by counselor in structuring the session and guidelines on types of responses that they will be expected to make.
• Clearly describe client's role in therapy process
• Therapist should direct therapy sessions but should ensure full participation from clients in developing goals and intervention strategies. 

Racism and Discrimination

• Assess the effects of possible environmental factors on mental health issues in Asian Americans and help insure that clients not internalize issues based on discriminatory practices. 

Guys, sorry!!! My family of origin presentation in combination with my under the same moon paper has been taking up all of my time yesterday, last night, and this morning. I didn't have a chance to finish the summary.


Acculturation Vs. Cultural Identity

In this article, J.R.P.C spends some time discussing “acculturation”/ “becoming more American” and the expectation that some well-meaning people put onto immigrants/minorities…under the assumption that it would be “better” or easier for them.

The purpose of the chapter: to revise and challenge the concept of acculturation and introduce the concept of cultural identity formation.

This is done through the authors presenting their personal and professional backgrounds and the ideas the conceptual ideas that led them to the creation of Transgenerational Cultural Identity Formation.

Three Different Cultural Backgrounds.

J. Ruben Parra Cardona

-came to the U.S. as a high school exchange student when he was 18.

-He expected to be something new and cool (like how Americans are seen in Mexico) but he felt like a ghost.

-He experiences overt bullying, racism, and loneliness. He felt like others were angry at him which started his process of self-hatred.

-Comparison to Americans started to take place, hated his ethnic identity, and started idealizing Americans.  

-After high school he went back to Mexico for his undergrad but then decided to return to America for graduate school in MFT. He had the experience of working with Kenneth Hardy which introduced dynamics of oppression and concepts of white privilege. This caused him to become more aware and take notice of discrimination and be able to link it back to his skin color.

-Gradually, he become more in touch with his “brownness” and the many ways that immigrants feel pressure to acculturate and blend in.

Richard S. Wampler

-Of Swiss-German decent that came to America several generations back.

-Grew up being almost unaware of cultural/ethnic diversity as his elementary school was all white 

11/12/14: Ingoldsby 2006

Families in Latin America

Intro

• This includes Mexico, Central and South American, and the Carribean.  
• 2 main undercurrents--Poverty and Patriarchal norms (Machismo).
• Women believe their purpose in life is to have children so they usually avoid birth control.

Mate Selection

• A study showed that US teens looked for independent factors like being sexy and having money as more important than liking children and such, whereas Guatemalans ranked more "collectivist" ideals as higher than the independent traits.  
• In Mexico they were mixed, and in Venezuelan mate selection characteristics were similar to the US.
• All throughout latin american, the higher the education level of the woman, the later her age of marriage is.
• There is lots of consensual unions and cohabiting in Latin America.  
• Overall, Latin American couples tend to marry earlier and be more endogamous (marrying within the same culture) than US couples.  

The Latin American Family

• Argentina
• Women are starting to get more education and going into the workforce, men are getting more independent (moving out of their houses before they get married).  
• Overall, they're currently less patriarchal with greater equality for women.  But the households are less financially stable.
• Brazil
• Predominant language is Portuguese. 
• Nuclear families, relatively small
• Divorce was legalized in 1988.
• Parents discipline their children sometimes with abuse and society doesn't recognize it as such.  
• Working towards more individuality in the culture.  
• Costa Rica
• Only half the population is a nuclear family with 2 parents.  
• Women sometimes go into the workforce
• Patriarchal values are strong
• Women don't know if they can be happily married and enjoy employment.  
• Mexico
• FAMILY is important!!!
• 75% are nuclear families, and the rest are extended families.  
• Marriage is popular
• Men aren't participating in housework as quickly as women are entering into the workforce.
• Machismo
• Peru
• 50% lives in poverty.  
• "Macho" double standard of sex--Men can't control themselves and women should keep themselves chaste.
• Having children is a mark of faithfulness in a wife and a way to keep the husband around.  But they used to do 7 children on average in a family--in 2002 it's down to 3 because of decreased fertility in urban women.  
• Lots of attempts to migrate to other countries for better opportunities once a man has left a family. 
• Venezuela
• Mother is stable decision maker, grandmother is focus of family--not father.
• Husbands and fathers are marginal characters--even when in formalized marriages.

Family Ideals

• Familism
• Places family ahead of individuals' interest and development. It highlights loyalty and cooperation.
• A sense of duty and strong belief in having children.
• Generally, no sex before marriage, have parents' approval on dating partner, and endogamy.
• Machismo
• Aggressive, masculine, strong, powerful physically.  
• A true macho shouldn't be afraid of anything.
• Should be able to hold their liquor
• Hypersexual--impotent and homosexuals are scoffed at.  
• To take advantage of a young woman is a sense of pride and prestige, not blame.  
• A married man should have a mistress and other casual encounters.  "The woman loves, but the man conquers"
• Avoid feminine traits.
• Female Support of Machismo
• Marianismo-women are semidivine, spiritually and morally superior to men.  

Street Children

     Effect of Machismo--Pushing kids to independence so early they live on the street.  

• Who They Are
• Ages 8-18
• They form their own community.   Don't really want to be back in their families. They beg and sell.
• Why They Leave Home

Family Violence

• Lots of family violence that isn't talked about.  
• Latinas are more tolerant of physical and emotional abuse in families.

Conclusion

• Times are changing in Latin America--people are becoming more egalitarian in their views and women are gaining power in relationships and marriage, but the change is slow.  

11/12/14 Falicov 2008 -- Transnational Journeys

Transnational immigrants are those that maintain multiple relationships (familial, economic, social, religious) that span geographic, cultural, and political borders.
-Current technology and communciation advances have made this possible when in the past, immigrants that came alone or with parts of their family had to either cut ties, maintain strained relationships, or return to their countries.

These families present different challenges in therapy as their situations are so unique and painful.

A family's migration narrative (helped by therapist's questions) need to pay attention to the past and the current complex interactions among all migration players.

Separations and Reunifications

Spousal Relationships

• The reunion of husband and wife is really difficult to adapt to! There are problems with trying to be close again or even problems with affairs. "Spouses grow apart and fall out of love, become jealous, feel envy, and may become depressed at both the decision to separate and the decision to reunite."
• A person's cultural changes as they stay in a country or go to another can also affect how relationships are affected.

Relationships between Parents and Children

• Sometimes sibling groups get separated and those who are left behind are jealous of the ones who went, etc. 
• Adjustment problems are also pretty common 

The Nature of Connections at Long Distance

• People who come to the states for work are most often sending money back home to kids or spouses. The longer someone has been in the US, the more money they are able to send back home. 
• People from home send pictures and CDs and try to keep the connection to home strong.
• To keep communication strong- therapists can suggest frequent phone calls and can 
• Routines and truths aren't shared always between people

11/5/2014 McGoldrick Chapter 5: African Americans

11/5/2014 McGoldrick Chapter 5: African Americans

Unlike other immigrants most African Americans came not by choice, the slave trade brought many of them.

At the time Africa was actually doing really well and was coming along as a civilization.

The Europeans who came over to the states weren't skilled in agriculture and there weren't enough indentured White servants to make plantations profitable.

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

• Somewhere in the 15th century people started to associate sinister qualities with "black" people who were from African and non-Christian, while those who were "white" represented Christianity and Europe.
• From 16th to 19th century it is estimate that Africa lost about 50 million to death and slavery
• Estimates of the mortality rate in the Middle Passage, the boat trip from Africa to American was 20-33%.
• With the Declaration of Independence six states banned slavery and in 1808 the federal government banned it as well, but permitted the institution of slavery to continue in the states it was already in and spread south of the Ohio river.
• In the South  only 25% of whites really practiced slavery, but most Whites supported slaver because they believed their prosperity depended on it and because it gave even the poorest of white people a sense of superiority.  
• Many uprisings, underground railroad, rebellions etc.
• 1863 was The Emancipation Proclamation and 1865 was the passage of the 13th amendment to end slavery and 1866 Gave African Americans full civil and voting rights.
• Although these laws had been past, they weren't honored in many parts of the country for many years, until the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

Demographics

• 2000 US census: 34.7 million (12.3% of population) are African American
• There is a real struggle between African Americans and other immigrants because of their experience and history with racism.

Migration to the US

• People are still migrating from the African countries, so therapist must be aware of this.
• From 1924 to 1965 migration of people of color was restricted as they were viewed as less desirable. 
• There was tremendous emotional toll on those who left their families in the South to try to create a better life somewhere else.  
• When working with immigration commons themes are :
• sense of loss of family and family fragmentation, social dislocation, economic advancement comes at great cost, difficulties assimilating, and anger.
• Ask about their migration, the good and the bad, etc.

Spirituality

• historically very important.  Address spirituality with African Americans as it may or may not play a role in their lives.

THERAPY ISSUES

Gender

• As with most, it is patriarchal, however there are a number of example of more fluid gender roles and is probably more egalitarian than anything.
• Still male violence persists
• Many African American families won't seek therapy services because they don't want to expose their men to the racist criminal justice system.
• Genograms can be helpful to explore inter-generational family stores about gender roles, marital ties, and power.  

Class

• Education and socioeconomic advancement are values of this community although many are still entrenched in mulitgenerational poverty.

Sexual Orientation/Heterosexism

• LGBT community still fights for recognition in the African community.
• Homosexuality is still taboo and hidden
• therapist should challenge their heterosexist assumptions and help them understand the impact of homophobia.

Response to Treatment

• There is still mistrust
• Important to let them share and get their stories out without judgment

Social/political/economic impact

• Typically have experience oppression in one or all of these areas and it has impacted emotional health

Grief/Rage/Loss

• Lots of this in reaction to micro-aggreasions, slights, insults, racism, etc
• Talk about it!

Awosan, Sandberg, and Hall article

Here is the Abstract from the article:

Past research on Black clients’ utilization of therapy focused on the barriers that prevent Black clients from attending therapy and the reasons for these barriers. However, few studies have been conducted that focus on how Black clients attending therapy actually experience these barriers. This study utilized both Likert and open-ended questions to examine the obstacles 16 Black clients face in their attempts to attend family therapy. The most frequently identified obstacles were related to concerns over family member response and cultural barriers to therapy. Participants also reported concerns about racial and ⁄ or cultural differences and a lack of understanding by non-Black therapists. The implications of this study addressed how to effectively meet the therapeutic needs of Black clients.

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-It is important to recognize the variations among Blacks as these differences relate to the underutilization of therapy. People of African descent are not all the same.

-Blacks are fairly united in their negative perceptions of therapy. Their ‘‘negative’’ attitudes toward therapy can be linked to shared experiences of racism and oppression in a White society. Some differences, however, do exist based on SES and other factors.

African Americans and Mental Health Services

-Clinicians need to understand a concept termed Eurocentrism in the literature. Eurocentrism is characterized as a perception in which European (White) values, customs, traditions, and behaviors are used as the exclusive normative standards of merit against which other races and events in the world are viewed

-In order to understand the reluctance of many Blacks to engage in therapy, it is crucial to understand the perceptions and experiences in therapy of this population

-The difficulty for many Blacks in attending an institution that considers Black culture, values, and practices to be inferior or not normal has been indicated as one of the reasons why Black clients underutilize therapy and discontinue therapy after a few sessions.

-Misdiagnosis of Blacks in the mental health services has a profound connection to the pathologization of Black culture.

most non-Black clinicians lack empathy or understanding of Black culture and system values

-Stereotype or overpathologize Black people. Racist assumptions and multicultural ignorance of some clinicians have led to the misdiagnosis of Black clients. Consequently, the fear of being misdiagnosed, stereotyped, or pathologized keeps many Black people from seeking mental health services,

Mistrust

-historical acts of betrayal and oppression such as the Tuskegee syphilis study, among others, has laid the foundation of great and valid distrust

-most Blacks employ what is known as cultural mistrust in their interactions with Whites.

-this concept of cultural mistrust undeniably influences Black clients’ self-disclosure to White therapists and attitudes about therapy in general

-Black clients assess for levels of comfort and safety in the initial stage of therapy by observing the salience of cultural and ⁄ or race identity with the therapist and cultural understanding or sensitivity of the therapist

-Blacks are attuned to pay closer attention to the ways non-Blacks perceive their skin color and ⁄ or culture. The trust is therefore an essential element in obtaining and maintaining therapeutic services.

-Mistrust can hinder Black clients from disclosing ways that racism is connected with many problems they bring to therapy. Blacks fear how a White therapist, or therapist of color whom they perceive as being aligned with Whites by virtue of being members of the same social class, would react or respond to these problems in therapy.

Risk of Self-Disclosure in Therapy

-It can be dangerous for Black clients to self-disclose to White therapists whom they perceive as representing the oppressor. Self-disclosure in an environment that Black clients perceive as unsafe, and to White therapists whom they have some level of cultural paranoia for can impede the therapeutic process by making it less beneficial and effective for Black clients.

-It is crucial for White therapists to consciously and consistently address issues of power, privilege, racism, and oppression.

-the person with the most power also carries the greatest responsibility in that relationship.

-therapists need to embrace their responsibility and work to reconcile their own lack of historical cultural understanding and cultural sensitivity toward Black clients.

The Field of Marriage and Family Therapy and Black Clients

-MFT has struggled to recognize and focus on the topic of race and culture.

-New research is being done

Current Study

-This study is one of the first in the field of MFT to seek the perspective of Black clients who did attend family therapy, particularly regarding obstacles they face in their effort to utilize therapy.

Obstacles Relating to Lack of Family and Cultural Support for Therapy

- Concerns relating to a lack of family and cultural support for therapy were the barriers participants identified as the most difficult to overcome.

- The results of this study indicate that some participants see therapy as a sign of weakness or associated with being ‘‘crazy,’’ which is supported in extant literature that there is a stigma of therapy in Black culture

- Reactions of friends and family, suggesting there is real fear of stigmatization or rejection by family members or the larger community

- the cultural belief that a strong family should be able to resolve issues without professional help.

- belief that family problems should be kept within the family and not be exposed to the public.

Obstacles Relating to Working With Non-Black Therapists

-most Black clients prefer Black therapists to White therapists

-Studies suggest that African Americans would likely come to therapy if they know that the therapist they would see is African American.

- ‘‘lack of cultural understanding of therapist’’ was indicated by participants as a somewhat difficult obstacle to overcome in their attempt to seek family therapy.

- Need for Black clients to feel that their therapists have an ‘‘adequate knowledge of African American life’’ and do not need to ‘‘struggle to accept or understand them’’

- a therapist’s lack of cultural competency, awareness, and sensitivity toward Black culture and families can impede trust in therapy between Black clients and White therapists.

- ‘‘negative views about therapy’’ was significantly correlated with both ‘‘risk of being blamed by my therapist for my problems’’ and ‘‘fear of my therapist being racist.’’

Implications for Clinicians

-Black clients are often wary of working with White therapists.

- family therapists can address this concern of Black clients by taking active steps, both in and out of session, to adopt a multicultural perspective and approach in therapy.

- Racial awareness as ‘‘the ability to recognize that race exists and that it shapes reality in inequitable and unjust ways’’

- individuals who are racially sensitive ‘‘actively challenge attitudes, behaviors, and conditions that create or reinforce racial injustice’’

-Self of the therapist work is important

- family therapists must learn how to discuss race in session.

- the therapist would need to discuss with the client how it may be hard for him to feel safe enough to be honest.

- a culturally sensitive therapist would not place the responsibility on the client to speak up when the ‘‘white’’ comes out of her toward the client, but would instead use her inherent power as a therapist (and the accompanying responsibility that flows from it) to monitor herself through self exploration and supervision

- Taking extra time to process issues of confidentiality and privacy can show Black clients that a therapist is aware of past exploitation of Blacks both in and out of therapy.

- Clinicians need to understand the origin of barriers and how to address them in therapy.

- Most participants were highly religious. A therapist can effectively utilize a strength-based perspective by asking clients how spirituality and religion can serve or has served as a positive resource in their efforts to deal with life’s problems.

10/13/2014 Conger and Conger

10/13/2014 Conger and Conger: Understanding the processes through which economic harship influences families and children

Intro

• Lower SES is related to health disparities.
• Economic hardship and disadvantage impair the functioning of parents and threaten the physical, intellectual, social and emotional health of children and adolescents.
• Links between lower SES and physical health, social-emotional well-being, and cognitive functioning for both children and adults.
• There is a clear connection between poverty and mental health.
• Two theories which explain the process through which economic problems affect parents and children.

Theories of Economic Stress and Investment

• Social Causation Perspective: Argues that the social and economic circumstances in people's lives directly influence their emotions, beliefs, and behaviors.

The Family Stress Model of Economic Hardship (FSM)

• This model says that financial difficulties have an adverse effect on parents' emotions, behaviors, and relationships, which, in turn, affects their parenting abilities or strategies.
• FSM proposes that economic pressures include:
• unmet material needs involving necessities such as adequate food and clothing
• The inability to pay bills or make ends meet
• having to cut back on even necessary expenses
• More financial pressure, more emotional distress.
• The FSM is pictured below

The Investment Model (IM)

• Proposes that economic resources increase the investments parents make in their children's development, which create academic and social opportunities that benefit the child.
• So this model is more about the advantages that you get with more money.

Empirical Findings Related to the Family Stress and Investment Models

The Family Stress Model of Economic Hardship

    The following are a bunch of studies that support this model

• The Iowa Youth and Families Project (IYFP)
• all married parents with economic hardships, had negative impact on children
• The Family and Community Health Study
• tested a variety of races and single, married households
• The New Hope Project
• studied if financial assistance and job training would improve the life conditions of poor families.
• The Panel Study of Income Dynamics
• looks at younger children, ages 3-5.
• The Finnish Replication Study
• replicated IYFP, but in Finland.
• The Riverside Economic Stress Project
• A Review of the Findings
• basically "all generated findings reasonably consistent with the overall model".

The Investment Model

• Not many studies test the actual proposed meditating  role of parental investments in the connection between family income and child development.  

Overview and Discussion

• Overall "we expect that the FSM and IM are not incorrect, but they more than likely are incomplete". 
• 
  

Social Class- Implications for Family Therapy

Even if unacknowledged, society in the United States IS divided by social class.

A contradiction in American Society is that there isn’t an “acknowledged” division in class, and yet… the American Dream is ultimately having the ability to move up in class.

Myth:

What each person has or does not have is the direct result of her or his effort and perseverance.

 -This causes those with economic privilege to feel self-righteous and deserving of all that they have…and that hard work alone produced their success. For the economically disadvantaged, this causes everything they don’t have to be the result of not giving as much effort or persistent and ultimately their fault.

Three myths

1.We’re a classes society

2. yet we akk gave an equal chance of upward mobility

3. therefore we are all individual responsible for what we have or do not have

These myths obscure our understanding of the realities of how class shape our society. This leads to further myths,..

“Blessed are the poor”

-Judeo-Christian heritage help shape the myth that poverty is synonymous with virtue. Aka: lack of material wealth underpins spiritual abundance and is the pathway to spirituality.

-This is isn’t the reality of what people believe or strive for.

-being poor is to be loathed and treated poorly by those with privilege and to be marked as inferior and the poor come to loath themselves.

-poor people learn to devalue themselves like the broader society devalues them.

-It is more accurate that the poor are cursed.

“I’m Middle-Class”

-Most people identify themselves as middle-class but the factors that cause them to define themselves as middle is different than their actual class location.

-Wealthy people justify themselves as middle-class by looking upward at those who have more than them and see their “deprivation” rather than abundance.

-the poor say there are middle class in response of the shame of poverty and wanting to distance themselves from that.

-Both poor and rich promote the myth of middle class.

-Most Americans are somewhere between being neither rich or poor, but middle-class is a myth because of the extreme diversity of circumstances and opportunity that may exist between two families that both consider themselves middle class.

“All Black People are Poor and All White People are Rich”

-Most Whites see the face of poverty as Balck and for Blacks, Whites are wealthy.

-This myth is fueled by the mass media that portray reality in these terms.

-Extremely famous/successful black people are usually seen as exceptions.

“Only the Poor Receive Welfare”

-The reality is that an array of government programs exist that provide support to Americans of all socioeconomic levels.

Implications for Family Therapy

-The field of family therapy hasn’t given much attention to class issues

-Class is like the air we breath, we cannot see it or touch it but it is all around us and influencing our lives and relationships at all times

-Factors shaped by class: parenting styles, political affiliations, approaches to finances, temporal orientation, perceived locus of control.

-Therapists need to be in tune with how class has shaped the lives of their clients

Exploring Class Stories

-We all have a class story

-Class is often seen to be a product of income, but also reflects a complex interaction of factors like income, education,  occupation, and wealth (assets that result from an accumulation of income.

-Class stays can change throughout our lives, but class identities tend to remain more constant.

-Therapists need to explore their own class stories and identity

-recognize gaps between class status and class identity

Naming Class

-therapists need to bring awareness to class dynamics and integrate them into the therapy process (aka: find ways to talk to your clients about class)

-you can ask questions and have your client identify their class identity and status

Confusing Class biases and Prejudices

-it important to be aware of our class-based biases

-we are more likely to harbor negative biases against the poor, but it can be against any class

-media tries to convince us that our worth is determined by our material possessions

-We shouldn’t remain silent when prejudices and biases are voiced.  

-devaluation of the poor can be implied or explicit

-We can challenge our client’s stereotypes by questioning in ways that are not threatening and cause them to examine the stereotypes they are expressing. Through this, we can introduce another way of seeing things in addition to the client’s view

*For Clinical Examples, read the articles.

Re-visioning Class in Family Therapy

-FIRST STEP: Acknowledge that class matters!

There are a few more points on this one that I am working on typing up...

10/14/14: Principles and Practice SSA

Principles and Practices in Responding to SSA

Best Practice Standards

Essentially, be very respectful and careful to not ostracize any gay or lesbian clients.  Explore their sexuality with them.  Understand that the church doesn't condone acting on homosexual feelings, but still loves these individuals.  Lots of statements like:

1. Understand that experiencing SSA or identifying as LGBT does not constitute a mental illness
2. Strive to understand the unique problems and risks that exist for youth who experience SSA or gender dysphoria, including those who identify as LGBT. 
3. Understand and be able to differentiate between (1) the qualitative experience of same-sex attraction with varied and complex etiology and varied levels of persistence; (2) the persistence of such feelings in what might be termed an enduring sexual orientation; and (3) a subjective social identity that is adopted or formed around an individual’s sexuality. 

Specific Therpuetic Practices

• Why are clients in therapy?
• Help clients write a personal history
• Instead of "what's wrong with me?", change it to "what's wrong?"
• Extensive sexual history interviews.  Be cautious of making inferences.  
• Explore the distinctions between attraction, arousal, aversion, desire, intention, orientation, behavior, and identity in considering sexuality and sexual identity. 
• Treat any underlying conditions, or symptoms of the struggle-anxiety, depression, etc.  

Consideration for Spouses:

• It's NOT the spouse's fault. 
• Help spouse to not force intimacy, it'll make things worse.
• Individual therapy for spouses is really helpful.
• Psychoeducation about SSA

Considerations for Parents and Families

• Encourage love, empathy, and support.
• Help families try to understand and be curious about it.  Don't prejudge it.
• Remember, SSA doesn't constitute one's whole personality.  There are other facets of themselves to still relate to.
• Don't preach or blame!
• Explore how families will deal with holidays and big family gatherings with the partner of their SSA child.  
• Remember, family is a safe base for ALL its members.  

Hardy 2001: Soul Work - It's not our job to change the world, or is it?

This started out with a story of when the author was pulled over by a police officer.  The police officer was very demeaning.  For example, he'd say things like "Listen here boy" "You gettin' smart with me boy?" and other things like that.  He wouldn't refer to the author by his first name.  The cop used excessive force (e.g. calling for multiple cops to come back him up when there wasn't any problem.  Telling the author "Now you're gonna behave" once that happened) and was really demeaning.  He even referred to him as a nigger.  He got sassy with the cops and they beat him with their nightsticks until he blacked out.  He said he thought he was going to die.  He was taken to prison and charged with things like disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, and "making terroristic threats against a police officer."

Survival Mentality
As a bit of background, the author was an executive director in AAMFT and was considered to be successful in his field, at yet he would come home and be a nervous wreck.  He had a ton of anxiety about what it would be like in prison.  His Dad would tell him to try and make a deal so that he wouldn't go to jail.  Admit to anything to avoid jail time.  That was the mentality in his family.  Don't mouth off to a white man.  If you do, they need to feel some sort of justice, even if what they are doing isn't just.  His Dad said "I had fashioned a life of caution and prudence, a ice dedicated to making myself inconspicuous to offending no one.  If I witnessed injustice, I rationalized it:  It hadn't been that bad."

The Anatomy of Silence
Talking about working with a hispanic client and the frustration that came with the power imbalance from the client's work.  The client said he always felt undervalued by his boss and even had his boss tell him "I come up with the ideas, you're here to haul the fertilizer."  The hispanic client felt voiceless.  Large groups don't have voices because their voices have been taken from them or they don't choose to use their voices.

The author was found not guilty on all charges, but he considers himself one of the lucky ones because he could afford 2 lawyers to help him with his case.

10/8/2014 Color Lines by Eubanks

10/8/2014 Color Lines by Eubanks

So when the author was a young child, found a picture of a man in the back of his parent's closet .  He didn't find out until later that the white man in the picture was his grandfather.  So he grew up identifying himself and his family as black, however, his mother was actually half white.

He talks about how when his mother was growing up she had potential to pass as a white person, her black mother had passed away and her white grandfather could have moved them and they could all have "passed as white".  But grandpa decided not to move and hide their mixed racial identity and although his mother's birth certificate said "white" she grew up identifying as black and going to black schools.

He also grew up in the American South in the 1950s and 1960s "where the idea of race and identity determined who you were and your place in the world--you were either black or white".  Also "Claiming mixed status meant you were either trying to be white (implying that black was inferior) or trying to pass for white (a dangerous business few spoke of openly) and doing so carried the risk of being labeled a racial traitor."

His mother never tried to "pass", in fact she got very upset when she saw one of her old school-mates who was working in a job a black man could never get.  She was so angry because "she saw this man as a traitor of the highest order.  He had turned back on the philosophy of racial uplift he had been taught at Tuskegee; the oppressed had assumed the role of oppressor."

So later he gets his DNA tested and he was really impacted by this.  The study he was part of showed that we are all so similar DNA wise and that most all of us identify as a race, but we are all mixed and have lots of "races" that are part of us.

So then he talks to his son about getting tested and he does.  However, his son isn't all the excited about the results.  Again the test showed nothing too crazy, but his son really didn't think about race the same way his father had.  He told his father, "they don't change the way I think of myself or the way I view the world.  When people ask me, 'what are you?' I generally tell them that I am American.  And given how diverse my background is, it's in my way of thinking, a background that could only come about in America.

Crazy fact: Alabama removed the constitutional prohibition against interracial marriage only in 2000, with 40 percent of Alabamians voting to keep the prohibition in place.

With Hispanics moving into America, it has made the "white" and "black" racial identities difficult as they fit into neither category.

The Touch of Human Kindness: Women and the Moral Center of Gravity

I've finished reading this article and I still can't decide how I feel about it.  Much of this article seemed to be a commentary on the feminism movement swinging too far the other way and actually devaluing women and men.  I'll write some of the best quotes in here, but most of it will be my thoughts.  I think this talk was given at a devotional or something like that.

There is a shift taking place.  "And so today, many people are skeptical about the very idea of "belonging" to a family.  After seeing family bonds as valuable ties that bind, some now see those ties as sheer bondage.  It feels like vast forces are eroding our foundations of personal peace, love, and human attachments.  Whatever held family relationships together suddenly feels weaker now.  At times it feels like a kind of ecological disaster, as if a vital organism somewhere in the environment is disappearing."

The moral influence of gender-specific gifts is being devalued in 4 main ways.

1. Motherhood is being devalued
1. This is pretty straight forward.  Motherhood is the spirit of self-sacrifice and that doesn't seem to be valued anymore.  Feminists are almost making the choice to be a mother out to be a negative.  Almost as if that women is choosing bondage.  This isn't true.  Really, men and women are suppose to be interdependent.  There were lots of good quotes on motherhood that I'm just too tired to type.  Sorry!
2. The gifts of sexual behavior is being devalued
1. This one was tough for me.  It almost seemed to reinforce the idea that women are the gatekeepers for sexuality.  It went on to say that wasn't the case, but then seemed to follow it up with all sorts of "Women, by demanding that a man can be chaste and now allowing it to be otherwise, you can change the world"
3. Society has stopped prizing women's innate yearning for permanent marriage bonds
1. Women are no longer demanding more permanent relationships from men and this has caused men to not want to be in permeant relationships.  The authors said that men naturally don't want to be in relationships and women should demand that of them.  I don't agree with that.
4. We are devaluing the gift of women for nurturing human relationships.
1. Women are great at nurturing human relationships.  Pitting women against each other makes this tough.  We aren't playing into the strengths of women.

There were more stories and examples in there, but that's the general idea of it.  It was pretty wordy, but that's the meat.

Sax, 2007-Boys Adrift

Essentially this guy wrote this book (we're reading the intro) about how boys today are so unmotivated when it comes to school or basically anything except their friends and video games.  There's extreme apathy for school and even if they end up going to a 4-year college--only 42% do--most won't graduate and do anything with it.  Girls, on the other hand seem to be pretty motivated on their own.

He has spent 7 years trying to understand the phenomenon and thinks there are some factors that contribute like the way we do school nowadays and such, but overall it's just weird that boys don't want to do school when girls do.  It might be from the media--Tom Sawyer, Ferris Beuller--examples of boys who didn't want to go to school, but they were at least motivated by other things.  Boys today are perfectly content to sit in front of the TV playing video games all day.  It's bizarre.  That's where the article ends.  It was pretty repetitive.

10/1/14 Sue and Sue Chapter 24: Counseling Women

10/1/14 Sue and Sue Chapter 24: Counseling Women

Chapter 24: Counseling Women

Intro

• Women compromise more than half the population, however, due to the patriarchal structure of US society, women have been historically subjected to prejudice and discrimination as well as a disadvantaged status.
• Feminism: is a frequently misunderstood term, refers to efforts directed toward gender equality--equal economic, social, and political rights and opportunities for women.
• current feminist are fighting for reproductive rights, parental leave and quality child care, psychosocial safety, ending wage disparity, sexist power structures, and other forms of discrimination.

Specific Challenges

• Societal Pressures
• 
  
• Implications
• Discrimination, Harassment, and Victimization
• Implication
• Educational Barriers
• Implications
• Economic and Employment Barriers
• Implications
• Ageism
• Implications
• Depression
• Implications
• Gender Bias in Therapy

Embracing Gender Strengths

10/1/14 Gardiner 2008

Culture and Issues of Gender and Sexuality

The chapter starts with two case studies about siblings that grew up differently and asks the question about whether or not each person got to choose their different interests or were they "assigned" to them (a boy who plays rough and tumble games who becomes an engineer and a girl who plays with barbies who did well in school and wanted a career, but had a family because she was raised to see her future role that way). Or was the other family experience so similar (a boy and girl in thailand who wore similar clothes, both went to university, one became an engineer and the other a teacher --not clear which was which)?

Sex and gender are different. Sex= biological aspects of femaleness and maleness. Gender= acquired behavioral and psychological aspects of being a woman or a man. 

The relationship between biological sex characteristics and gendered social behavior is more complex than the old nature vs nurture discussion. 

A person's sex is determined by 4 different criteria: chromosomes, hormones, gonads, and external genitalia. But the book says there are exceptions to just male and female. sometimes a female can carry the XY chromosomes of a male but show all "female" physical characteristics. Also, a female with the XX chromosomes may have a hormonal imbalance that causes her to have muscle patterns and genitals similar to males. So, this can even be tricky. Once a nurse declares the gender after birth, the first major decision of a child's life is made for them. 

Gendered behavior is a social requirement. IDing someone as male or female provides us with one the most basic social clues as to how this person is likely to behave toward us and how we are expected to behave toward that person. 

Theoretical Perspectives on Gender Differences

Biological Perspectives

boys and girls of any species have biological and physiological differences (chromosomes, hormone production, reproductive capabilities). But we don't know how these link with social behavior. Society determines a lot/most of how the different genders act and what's okay.

Evolutionary Perspectives

Many gender differences may be explained by an organism's motivation to pass on genes by producing offspring. Women can only produce so many children in a lifetime, so they put more energy into creating an environment that promotes the survival of a maximum number of children (food prep, home maintenance, protective network). However, men can produce an unlimited number of children. Men strive to produce as many as possible and they have to compete with other men to do this. The focus being on physical strength and aggressiveness. 

Ultimately, they have the same goal-- to create children and they can do this by mating with a healthy partner with healthy genes. We both enhance our evolutionarily attractive characteristics (strength, sexual prowess, wealth and status for men and youthfulness and health for women to show they can bear many children). 

Socialization and Learning Perspectives

From birth on we are all socialized into our culture and we learn to conform to the roles that culture says is consistent with our sex. 

In a study done, they had adolescents draw pictures of the ideal woman and the ideal man. In most places the ideal woman was taking care of children, but in more masculine cultures they were business women. In more feminine cultures the men were also drawn taking care of children. 

Infancy and Childhood

parents are the primary source of socialization for young children.

Gender Socialization

Most female stereotypes are of being more passive and nurturing while male ones are more aggressive and dominant. 

Also, male stereotypes are more overt than female stereotypes and children are more familiar with them in general than female ones. 

Stereotypes are already established in children at 8 years old and start affecting their behavior. (Interesting- age of accountability)

The feminist argument is that these stereotypes socialize women into lower-status roles and dependency due to power differential. This feminine idea is defined by men to preserve male privilege. By conforming to this feminine ideal, women become attractive and gain the recognition of powerful men. 

This isn't the same in all cultures. In polygamous cultures this is a big deal because men are fighting for women and the competition is strong. However, in monogamous and polyandrous societies the number of partners is limited and there isn't the same competition. In Nyinba, Tibet for example, men are taught cooperation and sharing since they will one day share a common wife and children with 1 or more men. Socialization of girls in societies like this focuses more on independence and assertiveness (not obedience and submissiveness)

Cultural Influences on Female and Male Socialization

it's impossible to view socialization of behaviors outside of a cultural context. Cultures define the basic values and ideals as well as the agents who teach the values and the settings in which they are taught. 

Gender Relationships in Childhood

Peers also play an important role in socialization

Gender segregation early indicates large differences in normative expectations for women and man. Mixed-sex peer groups may indicate greater equality between genders in adulthood. This isn't in all cultures and cases, but most often the case. 

Preference for same-sex playmates is universal, regardless of cultural norms. This is true among various cultures with varied gender socializations. 

The games they tend to play reinforce some social stereotypes- like girls playing cooperative and interpersonal games, while boys play competitive sports. 

This lends to there being a biological difference in gender. 

Adolescence

Markers of Sexual Maturation

There are distinct cultural markers that indicate a readiness among women and men to find a sexual partner.
The transition to adulthood is often a spiritual event with initiation ceremonies. But this isn't always marked by a single event.

Gender, Sexuality, and cultural Taboos

Once young men and women are sexually mature they are prepared to experience their first sexual encounter. Cultural norms determine a lot of this as well. Chastity norms are usually more strict for girls than boys across cultures. 

In some cultures communication about sex is pretty taboo and surrounded by myths. 

In some societies (like China) there are strict taboos and laws about sex- like only heterosexual intercourse within a monogamous marriage being legally and morally permissive. India as well- and these are protected by law with consequences. 

In most cultures the concepts of gender and sexuality are closely related. 

And this goes hand in hand with deviant sexual behavior (homosexuality, etc.). 

Early and Middle Adulthood

This section discusses how gender influences the lives of adults in different cultural environments.

Status and the Division of Labor Within the Family

Historically and culturally, women have been in charge of the home and childrearing while men have been in charge of work outside the home. However, industrialization and economic pressures have changed this. This has changed traditional family roles. 

This increased participation of women in the workforce hasn't changed gender roles all that much. 

This creates a bit of a problem because now women have double the responsibility- they have to work in the world and take care of the home. 

Division of Labor in the Workforce

Men and women are also often segregated into different occupations in the labor force.

These segregations are often based on gender stereotypes (for example women are more often teachers or nurses- because they are more nurturing jobs and men are more often in jobs that require more strength, or assertiveness like laborer jobs or executive positions). This segregation also happens with statused jobs (men having higher status jobs and women, lower).

Gender Relations in Social Status, Religion, and Public Policy

The social/economic stratification can be reflected in family relationships. If economic power= social power then the family member with the most social power will be most dominant in the family and a powerful influence. This means they make decisions, assert their needs and control resources. Since men typically fill this role they tend to shape relationships with their spouse and children. 

The section goes on to discuss different countries where policies affect gender equality.

Later Adulthood and Old Age

Divorce and Widowhood

In India, divorce is never an option, but if a man in unhappy in his marriage he can take a second wife. On the other hand, if a wife is widowed, she is an outcast and is not allowed to remarry. Some women choose to burn themselves alive at their husband's funeral because widows are still honored if they die within a reasonable time frame after their spouse. 

There are like 3 other case studies you can read about in other countries. 

When viewing divorce, it's obvious that the culture shapes gender roles and behavior within a family. The option of divorce, when socially accepted, gives women power to negotiate equal status in the family. 

Gender Roles and Status in Old Age

In a lot of societies, age is associated with a gain in community status. They also hold spiritual and religious responsibilities. 

In societies where status is based on age and role, older women gain considerable power. 

9/23/14-Wu & Keysar 2007

Sorry this is so incredibly late!  Cultural Genogram took wayy longer than I thought it would.  grr...

The Effect of Culture on Perspective Taking

Abstract:

Perspective taking: Considering the mental states of others to understand their actions.  

Basically, people in collectivist cultures do better at being tuned in with other people and perspective taking as they interact with them than in cultures like the US which are much more independent. 

 Article:

Since actions are ambiguous, we are constantly perspective taking to see if we can figure out what others are thinking or intending.  Only at age 4 do children start to realize that other people have different thoughts and beliefs from them.  

INDEPENDENCE AND INTERDEPENDENCE

Collectivist countries tend to be more interdependent.  Their identity is defined by relationships with others.  Individualistic countries define themselves by their own achievements.  

When remembering events, Chinese people told it from a 3rd party perspective, while Americans told it from a 1st person.  We project emotions onto other people, Chinese project reactions to emotions to other people.  (?)

CULTURE AND PERSPECTIVE TAKING

There were two hypotheses--one claimed Chinese would be worse perspective takers, and one claimed they would be better.  (The first one didn't make logical sense to me, but whatever)  So this study is going to figure out which is right.  

So this was the experiment^^.  The left is the view the "subject" has, and the right is the view the "director" has.  The director will say "Move the block one slot up", and because the subject knows that the director can't see all the blocks he can see (because of the black squares blocking it from view), he should move the one that can be seen by both sides.  This was the test for whether you were taking in the other perspective or not.  

Americans got hung up on the blocks that their director couldn't see, which dramatically slowed down their rate of response.  The Chinese did much better at ignoring the hidden blocks and moving the correct ones.  So it turns out that the Chinese did better at perspective taking because they have been raised in a culture to take in other people's perspectives.  

9/23/14- Talwar 2012

The abstract for this article was actually pretty good so I included it below. I also included some interesting points and observations from the article. 

ABSTRACT:

“Body dissatisfaction is a highly prevalent experience among women across the world; however, there is minimal research relating to this topic for the different ethnic groups in New Zealand. In this study, 45 New Zealand female university students who identified either as Tāngata Whenua1 Māori or New Zealand European completed questionnaires measuring body dissatisfaction and ethnic identity. Although there were many similarities between the groups, there were also interesting differences. Body mass was related to body concerns more so among European than Māori participants. Furthermore, strength of Māori ethnic identity was shown to be associated with lower levels of weight concern.”

The article talked about some things regarding body image and body dissatisfaction…

-Body dissatisfaction is so prevalent among females in western female populations that it’s even seen as normal.

-Body image standards seem to vary across different ethnic groups Here’s an example: Large bodies in pacific communities tend to represent wealth, status, and good health. In Westernized societies, it’s the opposite.

-Something interesting that research has found is that women tend to pick ideal figures that are thinner than what men tend to find attractive, and women seem to think that men prefer thin ideals. So basically, the perspective of most women is totally distorted.

-Research found that across different ethnic groups, body dissatisfaction immerged at different levels of body mass, telling us that a lot of body image is cultural.

-Cultures differ widely on the ideal body sizes

-Thinner ideals may be increasing in Pacifc female populations.

Pretty much what I got from this article is that body image can be heavily influenced by ethnicity and culture. Also, exposure to other cultures/ideals can shift a culture’s ideal. Overall, though, those who have a strong sense of ethnic identity and culture tended to have better body image and less dissatisfaction with weight. 

9/24/14 McGoldrick Chapter 1

9/24/14 McGoldrick Chapter 1: Overview of Ethnicity and Family Therapy

Cultural background: our ethnicity but is also profoundly influenced by social class, relition, migration, geography, gender, oppression, racism, and sexual orientation, and family dynamics.

• We still live in communities that are segregated.

The Meaning of Ethnicity page 2

Having a sense of belonging, of historical continuity, and of identity with on'es own perople is a basic psychological need.  

Ethnicity: the concept of a group's "peoplehood"  is transmitted from generation to generation.

• evokes deep feelings, often polarizing
• We will not be culturally competent until we let go of the idea the America is primarily from European descent.
• America is very ethnocentric (even all the world maps, we are at the center.)

African Americans

• community is a bigger part of their identity.

DSM IV was the first to finally recognize cultural influence in some of the diagnosable problems.

• typically we don't go very far back into getting race and ethnic information.

The Complexity of Ethnicity page 6

• Each of us is a "hodgepodge" of ethnicity, we are all migrants, moving between our ancestors cultures.  
• We all belong to a variety of groups and different cultures.  EXAMPLES page 6
• Each generation has a different culture!!  Culture changes with historical events, geography, socioeconomics, religion.
• We try to get people to label themselves: African American, Hispanic, White, etc.  But this is TOO SIMPLE!  We are complex  and we need to acknowledge that.
• "Bill of Rights" for racially mixed people
• Identify myself differently than stranger expect
• Identify myself differently than my parents identify me
• Identify myself differently than my brothers and sisters identify me
• Identify myself differently than different situations
• to create a vocabulary to communicate about being multiracial
• to change my identity over my lifetime and more than once
• to have loyalties and identify with more than one group of people
• As therapist we must help clients understand their ethnicity is a fluid, ever-changing aspect of who they are.
• Ethnicity can become a toxic topic, and people may avoid it, but you can't let clients do this!
• Ethnicity is tricky because so much of people's past cultures is associated with poverty, pain, hurt, and often the pain continues in their homeland.  
• so many immigrants want to forget their past, forget the migration, the difficulties and move on and assimilate as soon as possible.
• As they assimilate the lose their sense of themselves!  
• Families may even fight about assimilating and trying to "pass" for the dominant ethnicity.  
• Example of a man who tried to ignore is ethnicity and past page 12.
• We cannot judge other because their culture is different that us.  CASE STUDY page 10.  Family was given a hard time for not being as nice or kind to each other, but that was their culture.
• Therapists must work to see the limitations of our own view so we can open our minds to the experience of others. 
• Cultural Competence means to have an appreciation for the hidden cultural aspects of our psychological, spiritual and social selves, a profound respect for the limitations of our own cultural perspective, and an ability to deal respectfully with those whose values differ from our own.
• We all want and need a place to call home.
• Those who try to assimilate at the price of forgetting their connections to their heritage are likely to have more problems than those who maintain their heritage.
• We often see people in therapy who are disconnected from their history, Help them reconnect!!

Stereotyping



Our Evolving Concept of Ethnicity

The Changing Face of Ethnicity in The United States at the Start of the 21st Century

Factors Influencing Ethnicity

Race and Racism

Religion

Social Class and Socioeconomic Status

Cultural Differences in Worldview and Basic Values

Migration at Different Phases of the Life Cycle

• Young Adult Phase
• Families with Young Children
• Families with Adolescents
• Launching Phase
• Later Life

Cultural and Racial Intermarriage

Clinical Intervention from a Cultural Perspective

Cultural Attitudes toward "talk" and therapy

Cultural Difference in what is viewed as a Problem

Not Romanticizing Culture

Ethnicity Training

Conclusion