Multicultural Psychology Final Exam

causes of immigration crisis

• Wars and conflicts

• Climate disasters

• Poverty and inequality

• Too many people, not enough resources

What are the solutions of immigration crisis?

Activism, UN recommends migration management, education, mental health support

What are the patterns of the United States response to immigration across time?

- Denial of entry to people with mental disabilities after Revolutionary War (Nielsen, 2013)

- 19th century responses to immigration

- Can we assimilate them? Stereotypes

- We thought immigrants brought diseases

- Chinese Exclusion Act 1882

Definition of immigrants

voluntary leaving of one's country

Refugee

forced departure outside of one's country

What are the stages in a refugee career

1. Predeparture – reasons refugees leave home
2. Flight – traveling away from homeland
3. First asylum – first place they settle
4. Claimant – country that grants asylum (may not be final)
5. Settlement – formal acceptance in a new country
6. Adaptation – adjusting to life in the host country

Models of acculturation (Berry)

(ASMI)

1. Assimilationist – gives up original culture, adopts host culture
2. Separationist – keeps original culture, rejects host culture
3. Marginalist – rejects both original & host cultures
4. Integrationist – combines aspects of both cultures

Models of acculturation (LaFramboise)

(AAFAM)

• Assimilationist: only host culture

• Acculturated: keep new + original culture

• Fusion: mix both cultures

• Alternation: switch cultures

• Multiculturalist: original culture accepted with others

What are the myths about immigrants and immigration?

• They commit crimes

• They hurt the economy

• They overuse healthcare

Distinction between trauma and stress

• Trauma: Facing life-threatening situations (e.g., war, drought).

• Stress: Challenges of adapting to a new country (acculturation, resettlement)

stressors of migrant acculturation

• Language barriers, customs, values, navigating different norms

• Financial stress: Public assistance, unemployment.

• Family/social stress: Loss of support, deaths, role conflicts or reversals.

What is a stereotype?

• A generalization about a group

• May have a small bit of truth

• Can be positive or negative

What is discrimination?

A negative behavior toward a group or its members based upon their categorization

What is prejudice?

A negative judgment/feeling about a group or its members based on their category.

How do stereotypes develop?

We overreact to rare events, excuse unfairness, and our actions shape what we believe — especially with race, LGBTQ+ people, and women in school.

What is the stereotype threat?

Fear of confirming a bad stereotype about your group

Can make you do worse on tests

Commonalities between marginalizations

• They affect regulation: need to control emotions

• a person must appear “okay” and not show anger or bitterness

Differences between marginalizations

Separate facilities, No shared culture, Physical or health disadvantages

Levels of racism and other bias

Discrimination backed by institutional power

• Prejudice + power = racism

• Supported by schools, courts, etc.

• People of color can also be racist

Overt, intentional racism

• Open, hostile acts against racial minorities

• Done consciously and unapologetically

• Ex: Murders at Emanuel AME Church

Overt, unintentional racism

• Thoughtless or careless behavior, not intended to harm

• Examples: saying “gay, lame, or gypsy, asking a person of color “Where are you from?”

Covert, intentional

• Discrimination that is deliberate but hidden

• Allows the person to deny being racist

What are the benefits of having a cultural identity?

• Protects against the effects of racism

• Provides purpose, meaning, and belonging

• Helps connect with people across races and cultures

Nigrescence: Pre-encounter stage

• Low awareness of race (low race salience)

• Anti-Black or neutral views

• Limited knowledge of Black history

• Prefer European culture

• Avoid “too Black” activities

Nigrescence: Encounter

Some kind of event that happens in a (black) person's life that shakes up and unsettles identity

Ex: Assassination of MLK, Racist incidents, George Floyd,

Nigrescence: Immersion- Emersion

• Liminal: Between identities, not fully one or the other.

• Outward expression is strong, foundation is weak.

• Weusi anxiety: Worry about being “not Black enough.”

• Immersion: Guidance from someone who understands race better.

Nigrescence: Internalization stage

Calm, steady, confident, Personality returns

(R/CID) Model: Conformity stage

You try to fit into the dominant group and may accept or repeat negative stereotypes about your own group or others.

(R/CID) Model: Dissonance

start to question their own and the dominant culture's beliefs

(R/CID) Model: Resistance and immersion/emersion

rejection of the dominant culture, you're not connecting to other groups/marginalized groups, only your group

(R/CID) Model: Introspection

reflection, where you start to have negative attitudes towards the dominant group

(R/CID) Integrative awareness

you start to recognize there is good and bad in all groups and have security in your own identity

Contact (Helms, 1984)

Color blind- don't see race, we are all just human, "I don't see you as black or asian, I just see you as my friend"

Disintegration (Helms, 1984)

Exposure to ideas and people of different origins

3. Reintegration (Helms, 1984)

Retreat to white comfort zones- go back to places and not have to think about race

Pseudoindepence (Helms, 1984)

when white people recognize racism and want to help, but don’t fully understand their role

5. Immersion-emersion (Helms, 1984)

Start to ask- what is white culture? Whites need to change

(begin to immerse yourself in that question)

Identity Confusion (Cass, 1979)

"I might be gay."

The person begins questioning their sexuality.

Identity Comparison (Cass, 1979)

"Maybe I am gay—how would that affect my life?"

They start weighing what it might mean and may feel isolated.

Identity Tolerance (Cass, 1979)

"I probably am gay."

They seek out other LGBT+ people but may still struggle with self-acceptance.

4. Identity Acceptance (Cass, 1979)

"I am gay, and I'm okay with it."

They feel more comfortable and start building supportive LGBT+ connections.

Identity Pride (Cass, 1979)

"I'm proud to be gay."

They embrace their identity strongly and may reject negative societal attitudes.

Identity Synthesis (Cass, 1979)

"Being gay is one part of who I am."

Sexual identity becomes integrated with all aspects of the self; the person sees themselves as a whole, not defined only by sexuality.

Essay Question: Brandt (2000) Chapter on the Tuskegee Study

• Historical context: Jim Crow racism; Black people used in medical research, syphilis common; racist beliefs about Black biology.

• Clark’s study: Wanted to observe syphilis in Black men; planned short study with some treatment (but didn’t provide it).

• Ethics broken: No consent, did give any actual treatment, lied to participants, exploited poor Black men.

• Deception: told they had “bad blood,”- instead of syphilis, given spinal taps called “special treatment.”

• Why not unusual: Reflected long-standing medical racism, Black lives devalued, system allowed abuse for decades

Essay Question: In Treatment Activity

Sunil: In Treatment

1. Client’s cultural identity:

• Childhood in India shaped by strict family expectations.

• Emotional restraint and family hierarchy.

2. How his home culture understands symptoms:
– Difficulty expressing grief because of Indian cultural norms (stoicism, respect for family).

3. Stressors and social support

• Grieving his wife; depends on son and daughter-in-law for support.

• Acculturative stress: adapting to U.S. culture; upset his son changed his name → clash between heritage and Western culture.

• Avoids talking to his daughter-in-law; family tension.

4. Cultural contact in treatment:

• Clinician has a positive view of therapy, Sunil does not

• Both immigrated to the United states

• The Clinician is not married, but Sunil’s wife died so they can relate en the topic of not having a spouse, but the therapist cannot relate because his wife did not die

How do health disparities predict and affect higher rates of COVID-19?

• Health problems: More chronic conditions increase severity.

• Higher exposure: Crowded housing + frontline jobs raise infection risk.

• Inequality: Long-term social and economic disadvantages lead to higher COVID-19 rates.

Health

A complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being not just the absence of disease. Includes rest, social connection, and social determinants of health; not fully within a person’s control.

Disparity

Condition or fact of being unequal

Health disparities

Health problems happen more often in marginalized groups than in more privileged groups.

Health care disparities

Some groups get better health care than others, or have an easier time accessing it.

What tendencies does Psychology have when it tries to solve health-related problems?

Psychology tends to focus on a person’s individual behavior instead of bigger social or environmental causes of health problems.

ex: telling someone to fix their bedtime routine instead of looking at bigger issues like noise, stress, etc

What are structural barriers to healthcare?

• Language problems

• Few local doctors

• Hard to travel

• Jobs don’t allow time off

• Doctors don’t understand culture

• No insurance

• Discrimination

• Mistrust of healthcare

• Unethical medical history

What are the factors in a cultural assessment in therapy?

• Client’s identity: race, culture, gender, religion, etc.

• Cultural view of symptoms: e.g., mental health shown as physical problems.

• Stress & support: social support, cultural adjustment stress.

• Cultural contact in sessions: how client’s and therapist’s cultures interact.

somatization

the expression of mental disorders through physical disorders.

acculturative stress

learning a new language, customs, values

Can be as predictive of mental health problems as trauma exposure

What is cultural contact?

the interaction between the client's culture and the therapist's culture during sessions.

epidemiological studies- how mental health disorders are in racial/ethnic groups

• Hispanics & Black Americans: less depression/anxiety

• Black Americans: more bipolar

• Latinos & Asians: low rates (1–10%)

• Substance use: high in American Indian/Alaska Natives, low in Asians/Pacific Islanders

explanations for different rates of disorders

• Not all groups studied.

• Longer time in the U.S. → higher risk of disorder

• Women → more anxiety/mood

• Men → more substance abuse.

• Eating disorders- mostly in White women

the immigrant paradox

the longer someone is in the U.S.the higher their risk of mental disorder

caveats (limitations) about epidemiological research

• Some groups are underrepresented,

• Differences within groups ignored

• Longer in the U.S. → higher risk (immigrant paradox)

• DSM may miss culture-specific disorders

Why might people across gender have different rates of psychological disorders?

Women have more mood & anxiety disorders

Men have more substance abuse & impulse control disorders

Causes: social factors, coping differences, gender norms, and possible DSM bias

How are eating disorders culture-bound syndromes?

Mostly studied in young, white women

Body image ideas differ by culture

Longer in U.S. → body concerns become more like white women

Higher bulimia/binge eating in some women of color

research methodologies used to study client & therapist matching

1. Analog: students preferred matching.
2. Archival: matching reduced no-shows.
3. Real sessions: matching didn’t matter much.

what did the meta-analyses find?

Clients prefer matching & rate therapists higher

• Matching doesn’t change therapy outcomes

• Matching may help clients stay in therapy longer

What is multicultural competence?

the ability to work and be effective with the individuals who are of a different culture from yours

the multicultural competence components in therapy

• Know your own biases

• Understand the client

• Use culturally suitable methods