Socioeconomic Factors: Literature Review The research and application of psychology is influenced by external factors, such as what we discussed in the previous assignme

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Multiculturalism Scenarios Case #1: Marta Marta was awaiting her first session with her assigned psychologist. Upon the initial intake – when information is taken on family history, as well as brief examination of comprehension and competency – it was determined that Marta had little comprehension of English and was unable to read or write. Because she was unable to comprehend the basic of an intellectual examination she was deemed “retarded” and court ordered to be placed in an institution. Case #2: Anna Anna was waiting for her first session with the psychologist. She knew that she was required to be evaluated as an inpatient because of her indiscretion (and subsequent criminal charges) regarding shoplifting. During the initial criminal investigation and arraignment, it was found that Anna may not be competent to stand trial. She was ordered to undergo evaluation and potential competency training. During the initial intake, it was determined that English wasn’t her native language so an interpreter was found to assist her with the intake process. With Anna’s consent, her parents were also present since they would be able to help with interpretation and fill in some of the family history where Anna may not be able to do so. Examination Of the two brief stories, which do you think would be accurate? The first story may have occurred some 65 years ago, during a time when the understanding of another's culture, tradition, and even language was not a priority and could even lead to misinterpretation of a person's abilities. The second case is more typical based on current standards regarding providing appropriate services to individuals within the context of understanding multiculturalism. Multicultural Terms The American Psychological Association's (APA) (2014) Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists provides some basic definitions of terms as they relate to their guidelines. There are several terms used in relation to multiculturalism: race, ethnicity, diversity, culture-centered, and culture are some of the most prominent. The APA (2014) describes culture as the "embodiment of a worldview through learned and transmitted beliefs, values and practices, including religious and spiritual traditions" (para. 2). The term worldview does help in understanding the variations of perceptions that may be present. From a social psychology perspective, for example, cultivation theory provides us with

the understanding that an individual's choice in mass media (e.g., what news channel they watch) may influence their worldview. It may seem that this goes beyond a cultural perspective, but then again it may be the individual's culture that influences their choices in mass media. Furthermore, culture as a set of belief systems are dynamically influenced by the customs and social norms of a particular group in which an individual identifies with. Culture may be tied to one’s ethnicity, but any group with which a person identifies can be considered to impact his or her culture. Race and ethnicity are two terms that seem to have several different contexts, from the social to the demographic and physiological. In essence, the APA (2014) describes race as the physical characteristics of an individual. It alludes to a problem with this description because it is the physical characteristics that are where generalizations are made and stereotypes are inferred. The APA describes ethnicity, like race, as something that is not easily defined. The term ethnicity, in a broad sense, is related to the individual's culture of origin. For example, if a person’s father was from Mexico, then that person may describe his or her ethnicity as Mexican. The cultural traditions and practices (e.g., holiday traditions) may be associated with that ethnicity. However, as explained by the APA, a person may have "multiple ethnic identities" (para. 5) and identify with more than one depending on the circumstance. According to the APA (2014), culture-centered is more an understanding of practice in which "psychologists recognize that all individuals, including themselves, are influenced by different contexts, including historical, ecological, sociopolitical and disciplinary" (para. 7). This definition can be expanded beyond psychological practice to any type of interaction with others. Basically, what this implies is that all of us, because of our personality and our cultural backgrounds, have unique perceptions (i.e., worldviews) and that needs to be taken into consideration. This also implies with psychology that we also have to understand not only cultural traditions and viewpoints, but the stereotypes that may impact a person as well. Let's move on to defining multiculturalism.

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