Counseling the Culturally Diverse. Laura Smith L.

Чтение книги онлайн.

Читать онлайн книгу Counseling the Culturally Diverse - Laura Smith L. страница 34

Counseling the Culturally Diverse - Laura Smith L.

Скачать книгу

      Communication style refers broadly to those factors that go beyond the content of what is said. Communication specialists have historically found that only 30–40% of what is communicated conversationally is verbal (Ramsey & Birk, 1983; Singelis, 1994), meaning that a large portion of what is communicated in an interaction derives from nonverbal and other sources. In other words, what people say and do is usually qualified by other things that they say and do. A gesture, tone, inflection, posture, or degree of eye contact may enhance or negate the content of a message. Communication styles have a tremendous impact on our face‐to‐face encounters with others (Geva & Wiener, 2015). Whether our conversation proceeds in fits and starts, whether we interrupt one another continually or proceed smoothly, the topics we prefer to discuss or avoid, the depth of our involvement, and the forms of interaction (e.g., ritual, repartee, argumentative, persuasive) are all aspects of communication style. Some refer to these factors as the social rhythms that underlie all our speech and actions. Communication styles are strongly correlated with race, culture, and ethnicity (Garrett & Portman, 2011; Ivey, Ivey, & Zalaquett, 2014); gender has been found to be a powerful determinant of communication style as well (Pearson, 1985; Robinson & Howard‐Hamilton, 2000). Communication style can be analyzed via a number of specific dimensions, including paralanguage, proxemics, kinesics, and other forms of nonverbal expression.

      Paralanguage

      There are complex cultural rules regarding when to speak and when to yield to another. For example, European Americans frequently feel uncomfortable with a pause or silent stretch in the conversation and feel obligated to fill it with more talk. However, other cultures interpret it differently, and silence is not always a sign for the listener to take up the conversation. The British and Arabs use silence for privacy, while the Russians, French, and Spanish may read it as agreement among the parties (Hall, 1976). In Asian cultures, silence is traditionally a sign of respect for elders. Furthermore, silence by many Chinese and Japanese is not a floor‐yielding signal inviting others to pick up the conversation. Rather, it may indicate a desire to continue speaking after making a particular point. Silence, therefore, is a sign of politeness and respect rather than a lack of desire to continue speaking. A mental health professional who is uncomfortable with silence or who misinterprets it may jump into fill the silence and thereby prevent the client from elaborating. An even greater danger is to impute incorrect motives to the minority client's silence. One can readily see how therapy, which emphasizes talking, may place many members of marginalized cultural groups at a disadvantage.

      Volume and intensity of speech in conversation are also influenced by cultural values. The overall loudness of speech displayed by many European American visitors to foreign countries has earned them the reputation of being boisterous and overbearing. In Asian countries, people tend to speak more softly and may interpret the loud volume of a U.S. visitor as a sign of aggressiveness, loss of self‐control, or anger. A therapist or counselor would be well advised to be aware of possible cultural misinterpretations as a function of speech volume. Speaking loudly may not indicate anger and hostility, and speaking in a soft voice may not be a sign of weakness, shyness, or depression—all these paralanguage cues are culturally‐bound.

      DID YOU KNOW?

      The culture‐bound assumptions that we are examining with regard to mental health practice span many areas of everyday life, such as taken for granted notions of professionalism. Aysa Gray of the Stanford Social Intervention Review explains that these assumptions unfold in the workplace “in many ways: in white and Western standards of dress and hairstyle (straightened hair, suits but not saris, and burqa and beard bans in some countries); in speech, accent, word choice, and communication (never show emotion, must sound ‘American,’ and must speak white standard English); in scrutiny (Black employees are monitored more closely and face more penalties as a result); and in attitudes toward timeliness and work style” (Gray, 2019, para. 4).

      Proxemics and Kinesics

      On the other hand, some Asian people believe that smiling may suggest other meanings or even weakness. When Japanese smile and laugh, it does not necessarily indicate happiness but may convey embarrassment, discomfort, or shyness. Among some Chinese and Japanese, restraint of strong feelings (anger, irritation, sadness, and love or happiness) is considered to be a sign of maturity and wisdom. Children learn that outward emotional displays (facial expressions, body movements, and verbal content) are discouraged except in extreme situations. Unenlightened counselors may assume that their Asian American client is either lacking in feelings or is out of touch with them. Alternatively, the lack of facial expressions may be the basis of stereotypes, such as the idea that Asian people are “inscrutable,” “sneaky,” and “deceptive.”

Скачать книгу