preview

Cultural Diversity In The United States

Decent Essays

INTRODUCTION In less than forty years, the United States we know today may look a little different. The latest prediction states that America’s population will climb from roughly two hundred and fifty million to four hundred million come 2050 (Passel and Cohn. 2008). A majority of this exponential growth is attributed to immigrants. Caucasian citizens have remained the majority in America since the very beginning. However, in 2050 Caucasian individuals will be the new minority within the United States. These future predictions of the United States show the importance of professionals understanding how to work with culturally diverse individuals. Within this paper the audience will learn the importance of understanding, as well as tips, to …show more content…

Within Paul Pederson’s article, he defines culture as this, “ the construct culture broadly defined, goes beyond national boundaries, ethnic boundaries, or both” (Multiculturalism as a Generic Approach to Counseling, 1991). Cultural diversity, although generally similar to the definition of culture, it’s own complete definition. Cultural diversity is best defined as, “differences in race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual identity, socioeconomic status, physical ability language, beliefs, behavior patterns, or customs among various groups within a community, organization, or nation” (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US), 2006). Pederson also points out that, just because individuals share similar backgrounds or even a nationality does not necessarily mean they share the exact same cultural beliefs (Multiculturalism as a Generic Approach to Counseling, 1991). For instance, an individual may have an Asian background but that does not mean they automatically share the same cultural beliefs as another individual who comes from Asian decent also. With so many different outlooks on the word culture, having a full understanding on it can seem somewhat impossible. However, with the drastic make-up of America changing, the need of understanding has become even more …show more content…

They suggest going thorough certain Cultural Competence Assessments as a way to expand the facilities cultural knowledge, or cultural competence. The authors define culture competence as, “a term that describes what happens when special knowledge about individuals and groups of people is incorporated into standards, policies, and practices” (Working With Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families, 2008). They stress the necessity of staff being culturally competent for a number of reasons. Some of their reasons include; “Understanding and appreciating a client’s cultural background expand treatment opportunities, enhancing the sensitivity and capacity to treat clients from other cultures improves a program’s ability to treat all clients, and cultural competence is increasingly a requirement of funding and accreditation bodies” (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US),

Get Access