Globalcompose.com sample courseworks paper on psychology

1. Sample Courseworks Paper on Psychology
globalcompose.com/psychology-papers/sample-courseworks-paper-on-psychology/
Intercultural Questions
1. Ways that cultural differences between a counselor and a counselee affect
counseling.
Cultural competence is among the factors that promote the efficiency of counseling
sessions. A study conducted by Sundberg (2013) reveals that the cultural differences affect
the perception that the counselor and the counselee have on various issues and this impact
the efficacy of their communication. The cultural background of the counselor may
adversely affect the quality of their services to the counselee, especially due to social
stereotyping associated with varying cultures. The cultural background of the counselee
may lead them to distrust the counselor, limiting their willingness to open up about the
issues affecting them. It is thus crucial for counselors to ensure high cultural competence to
mitigate the adverse effect that may result from cultural differences between them and the
counselees.
2. Indigenous alternatives to “counseling” in a non-Western culture
According to Christine et al. (2004), the adoption of indigenous alternatives to
counseling in the Western nations is necessitated by the high rate of immigration of people
from other parts of the world into the countries. The application of Western methods of
counseling is inefficient due to the diversity of culture among in the society. One of the
alternative methods used in counseling in the Western nations is Reiki healing, which is
based on the assumption that life energy possessed by all individuals is helpful in healing
their physical, emotional and psychological pain. The other alternative counseling method
used is Qigong healing, which involves the use of breathing exercises and energy control
methods to provide emotional healing. Pranic healing is the other approach used in the
place of counseling, which holds that life force or energy has the ability to cure one’s
physical and psychological pain.
3. The varying of psychological problems with the culture of the clients
The psychological problems expressed by clients differ because individuals have
varying interpretations of life experiences they face, such that an event may be normal to
one person and abnormal in the other. Clients rarely report the experiences that they
perceive normal. The social stigma associated with the psychological problems also affects
the nature of issues presented by clients form varying backgrounds (Sundberg, 2013).
Clients whose cultural backgrounds stigmatize some mental illnesses may be reluctant to
seek medical health. The cultural background of the clients affects the seriousness of their
illnesses, thus leading to varying level psychological problems across different cultures.
4. Essential issues involved in counseling international students.
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2. For international students to achieve their academic and personal development
goals, it is crucial to provide counseling services effectively. One of the issues that should
be considered is cultural shock that the students may experience in the new environment.
They should be prepared to adjust and accept the new culture they find in the institutions.
The other issue that should be considered in counseling is their academic aspirations and
personal expectations. The counselors should focus on helping the students realize their
dreams (Scottham et al., 2010). The dissonance of cross-cultural experience that is likely to
affect the students should also be considered when counseling international students. The
students should be sensitized about the need to respect the host culture and other cultures.
However, they should also be wary of cultures that may affect their development
negatively.
5. Value-orientation conflicts
Value orientation refers to the assumptions that people hold concerning other
cultures. The orientation helps in defining the major cultural differences between the
Western culture and other cultures. At the individual level, value orientation describes the
internalized components of the individual (Sundberg, 2013). At the community level, value
orientation refers to the modes of organizing conduct. The differences in the types of value
orientations lead to conflicts that can affect the cohesion of the society. The conflict results
from variations in individual personality, secular rationality and external conformity.
6. Stages of Black racial identity development
Racial identity develops over time, following a number of stages. Among blacks, the
first stage of the racial development is pre-encounter, where the individuals learn about the
black and white culture. In this phase, the focus of the individuals is to gain acceptance by
the whites, thus may distance themselves from other blacks. The second phase is
encounter, where the individual faces rejection from the whites. Their effort to be accepted
by the whites becomes futile, and they realize that they cannot be accepted by the whites
as an equal. As a result, the individuals focus on their identity as members of a biased
group. The third stage is the Immersion, where the individuals accept their racial identity
and they an active rejection of any symbols that may be associated with the whites
(Scottham et al., 2010). The fourth stage is internalization, where the individual associates
with both the black and white peers, but only those that respect the black race. The final
stage is commitment, which is characterized by positive racial identity by the individual.
7. Counseling is to some extent “multicultural”.
One of the primary objectives of counseling is to ensure the well-being of the
clients, regardless of their demographic background. In light of this, counselors are
required to be well acquainted with the varying cultural beliefs and practices of the different
groups, as a way of improving their efficiency. The fact that counseling entails dealing with
people from varying cultures is among the reasons that the discipline is regarded as
multicultural (Marsella & Pedersen, 2004). Additionally, the principles applied in counseling
are developed from a wide range of cultures and disciplines, thus making it multicultural.
Counseling sessions are well suited for clients from varying economic backgrounds, race,
genders and other groups in the society.
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3. 8. Characteristics of “cultural encapsulation” for counselors
According to Kagan (2004), one of the primary reasons that may hinder the ability of
counselors to understand different cultures is the tendency to stereotype certain members
of the society based on their culture. One major characteristics of cultural encapsulation is
stereotyping other cultures. Counselors who do not realize that stereotypes are social
constructs may end up failing to understand the effect that the stereotypes have on their
judgment. The other characteristic of cultural encapsulation is inadequacy in education
programs that the counselors take, because the learning activities should make the
individuals more culturally competent. Cultural encapsulation is also characterized by
rigidity in the performance of the counselor, which limits their ability to change with the
varying cultural developments in the modern world.
9. Commitment of counselors to “changing” the environment and not merely helping a
client adjust to it
In my practice as a counselor, I intend to conduct more research in cultural
competency to help develop knowledge that can be used to improve the relationship
between the counselors and counselees, especially those with varying cultural
backgrounds. I will also conduct more research on implementation of social justice in the
society, as a way of averting emotional and psychological torture experienced by majority
of the clients. I hope to develop measures that can be used by law enforcements agents to
help curb social injustices in the community.
10. Some of the barriers to accurate communication
One of the primary barriers to communication in counseling is language barrier,
which affects the understanding between the parties involved. Cultural diversity is the
barrier that affects communication between the counselor and the counselee because their
interpretation of words and actions described is greatly influenced by their cultural
background.
References
Christine J. Yeh, Carla D. Hunter, Anvita Madan-Bahel, Lillian Chiang, and Agnes K. Arora.
(2004). Indigenous and interdependent perspectives of healing: Implications for counseling
and research. Journal of Counseling & Development, 82, 410.
Kagan, N. (2004). Three dimensions of counselor encapsulation.Journal of counseling
Psychology, 11(4), 361.
Kates, S. L. (2015, February). Conflicting Value-Orientations and Intra-Personality
Conflicts. In Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science(Vol. 33, pp. 282-285).
Marsella, A. J., & Pedersen, P. (2004). Internationalizing the counseling psychology
curriculum: Toward new values, competencies, and directions. Counselling Psychology
Quarterly, 17(4), 413-423.
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4. Scottham, K. M., Cooke, D. Y., Sellers, R. M., & Ford, K. (2010). Integrating process with
content in understanding African American racial identity development. Self and
Identity, 9(1), 19-40.
Sundberg, N. D. (2013). Cross-cultural counseling and psychotherapy: A research
overview. Cross-cultural counseling and psychotherapy, 28-62.
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