What is Culture, exactly?

It sounds like an idiotic question but every time I come across it in my book I'm not really sure what "culture" they are referring to. Sometimes it clearly means race or ethnic background, like in the word multicultural, but other times its meaning is less specific. It seems like one of those nebulous words that are tossed around like diversity. It's safe because it can include everything or just refer to race and sometimes its hard to tell. If it seems to refer only to race it is sure to include every other "culture," just in case. I don't know whether to press my teacher on this one. I wonder if "culture" is meant to only mean a person's background as in where they are from or can the meaning be more complex to imply that a person's culture could be a different life perspective, social class, generation, sexual orientation or gender identity, and I'm sure the list goes on. I'd like to think culture has a broader meaning but maybe our society or certain institutions have narrowed the meaning so that most people jump to "race" when they hear "culture." And if that were true, what a problem that would be, a great way to enforce stereotyping and a lack of understanding for the myriad of differences we all have.

Multiculturalism

I'm so sick of reading about how I'm suppose to see people of "minority" races as a separate alien species. I put minority in quotes because minority can be relative to the environment you're in. I do think that a therapist should take into consideration the possibility that a person's race has had a significant impact on their development. My only issue is with assuming that a particular person's race MUST be significant. I would let the client take the lead on whether I need to consider their race, or better yet, HOW I need to consider their race. I don't believe every white or black person is the same or should be treated with a special sensitivity toward their race unless they require it because of their specific needs. And.. a black person growing up in a wealthy all-white community might have a different understanding of their race than a black person growing up in an all-black (and probably low-income) environment.

In short, clients should be given different treatment based on their specific needs, and not necessarily because they're from a different ethnic or cultural background.

First Post

I just started a masters program in counseling. I haven't even begun classes and I am already angry at the reading! So I created this blog, to ramble on about psychological shit that pisses me off that I might not want to mention in a paper.

This will serve as a private spot that I can "form my own individual counseling identity" or whatever the book said.