Multicultural Psychology - Research Paper Example

Definition Multicultural psychology has been defined as the “systematic study of behavior, cognition, and affect in settings where people of different backgrounds interact” (Mio, Barker, Tumambing, 2011). Multicultural psychology assumes that there are different cultures that are quire varied, and that all behavior that is seen in people is learned within contexts that are specific to the cultures they come from. Thus, different cultures may provide different norms of what is understood to be acceptable and appropriate behavior; and these contexts need to be taken into account when evaluating the responses of an individual (Nagayama-Hall & Barongan, 2001).

As a field, multicultural psychology places emphasis on understanding the importance of race, culture and ethnicity as a context for human functioning (Hill & Kral, 2003). Culture is understood as a set of specific beliefs, values and practices that are followed by a group of people such that the people who share a culture feel connected to each other and are able to identify with each other (Mio, Barker, Tumambing, 2011). Although the word ‘culture’ is often used interchangeably with race and religion, it is important to note that it is distinct from these.

While religion refers to a shared notion of worship and spirituality, race is often understood as the sum of all values, behaviors and characteristics that are associated with a people of particular physical characteristics (Mio, Barker, Tumambing, 2011). Culture, race and ethnicity allow others to understand a person as well as allowing the individual to develop a sense of self based on some kind of group membership. The basic tenets of Multicultural psychology come from the theory of multicultural counseling and therapy (MCT) given by Sue, Ivey, and Pedersen (1996; in Mio, Barker, Tumambing, 2011) which states that since each person develops attitudes, notions and opinions within the systems of their respective cultures, these attitudes and notions need to be understood and used effectively with all interactions between people of different cultures, including in clinical and counseling settings(Mio, Barker, Tumambing, 2011).

The theory also states that people best understand concepts when they are presented in the contexts that they are used to, and that it is important to be aware of the social meanings ascribed to a person’s background when developing a relationship across cultures (Mio, Barker, Tumambing, 2011). In context of therapy, the theory encourages the use of social systems that are present within a clients’ culture. This concept is valuable to non-therapeutic interactions as well, so that an individual is best able to develop new skills when they are presented to them within the social systems that they are conversant with.

Development of multicultural psychology Multicultural psychology developed as a response to the shortcomings in previous understanding of human abilities and behaviors. A large amount of work in modern Psychology was conducted by male psychologists of European and American origin (Nagayama-Hall & Barongan, 2001).