Describe the knowledge needed to practice in a culturally sensitive manner.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

It is important to recognize some of the important ways that family cultures differ as they are transmitted intergenerationally, and it is also important to recognize the ways that family cultures evolve as they come into contact with other cultures. In addition, we must recognize that many families are made up of members of more than one cultural background, and children in these families often get pushed by the outside world to identify with only one cultural identity. The first step is to develop an intense understanding of the limitations of our own cultural perspective and a healthy respect for the integrity of all cultures. Starting from this position, we can set out to become as well informed as possible about the cultural groups represented by the families we serve. Even though we want to learn as much as we can about the cultural group, we must realize that there are many variations within all cultural groups. We need to think about how many variations there are within our own cultural group and how well or poorly generalizations about our own group apply to us. It is also helpful to hear different stories from members of the group, through books, videos, or personal conversations. It is particularly important to remember that there are social class differences among all cultural groups.