Talia Dodd-Hegmann - HOme



Ethics and Multicultural Counseling:Cultural Immersion ProjectTalia Dodd-HegmannLamar UniversityCNDV 5320Cultural Immersion: The Hispanic CultureIdentification and Description of PopulationThe population that I have chosen for my cultural immersion project is the Hispanic American culture; partly because this culture is one of the largest minority groups in the school where I work and also because this group is the nation’s fastest growing cultural group. This particular culture has a rich heritage, its own unique Spanish language with whom the people have a strong allegiance to, and specific cultural customs and practices of their own. “Hispanic Americans may be identified as Mexican Americans, Central and South Americans, Chicanos, Spanish Americans, Latin Americans, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Guatemalans, and Salvadorans” (Baruth & Manning, 2012, p. 234). Hispanics share many values and goals, yet they also differ in many respects. In some aspects, this culture can be thought of as a whole, single cultural group with many similarities, but in other aspects they are very different and align more with their individual subgroups. Growing up, I lived in a small town in East Texas that was heavily populated by the Hispanic community. The main industry of the area, coal mining and chicken processing facilities, attracted many workers from this cultural group. As I grew up, I do not remember discriminating against this cultural group; I honestly had and still have many friends who are Hispanic. I went to Quinceaneras and birthday parties and never really thought that was not normal. My perceptions of this cultural group growing up were that they were hard working adults in blue collar jobs. Most of my friends had large families, with many generations living under one roof. As far as adolescents and children went, most of the people that I knew from this culture struggled academically but not socially. As much as we are alike, myself and the friend and her family that I chose for this project, are very different in many ways. One of our main differences is our language of choice. My friend Jessica’s primary language is Spanish and mine is English. One of the challenges that I had when entering this immersion project was being around her large family and not understanding everything that was being said at certain times. Growing up I learned a fair amount of Spanish from my friends and also from the language courses I took from seventh to twelfth grade, but since I do not practice my Spanish language skills on a daily basis, I have lost most of what I did know in years past. Another difference between myself and my Hispanic friend is our family structures. My family structure is nuclear and I was raised and encouraged to be independent. On the other hand, Jessica’s upbringing and concept of family is more centered on an extended family including her friends and neighbors. In regards to independence, Jessica made mention that growing up it was not encouraged and in fact was often viewed as being disloyal to one’s family. Jessica grew up being taught that the happiness and good of the group was more important than that of the individual. Jessica was taught to look out for others and help the group; her family and other members of her culture, achieve group harmony. My upbringing was more focused on the individual and our independence, and also personal fulfillment.ObservationThe first observational activity that I chose to study was a family tradition that has been going strong for forty years. My friend Jessica’s parents have been married for forty years and every year, the entire family gets together to make tamales. It is a rather large affair with many generations under one roof. The open concept living and dining room area are converted into a make-shift kitchen and production line. Banquet tables were set up with big bowls of ingredients, spoons, corn husks, and large pots. Food was being cooked in the kitchen and food was being eaten by all involved. There were 12 adults and 21 kids in attendance for the big tamale making celebration. The women were in the make-shift tamale production area and in the kitchen and the men and children gathered in the area where the television was and outside in the backyard. Everyone talked at once; laughing, sharing stories (old and new), and casually talked going in and out of their native language, Spanish. This large gathering of family and friends reminded me a lot of our family’s Thanksgiving dinner, which is always held in my grandmother’s tiny country home and there are always so many family members in attendance that we normally end up pouring out onto the porch and on picnic tables in the yard. I did not just sit back and watch at this gathering, but I sat at the table with the other women and did my part to help make dozens of homemade tamales. It was definitely an interesting and fun experience. I was even able to take home some of our delicious tamales to my husband and children. The next observational activity that I chose to study was a Quinceanera. This was not the first of these parties that I have ever been to, but it was the first one that I have attended as an adult and by myself. A Quinceanera is an old coming-of-age tradition that has its roots in ancient Aztec society; where many traditions stem from in the Hispanic culture. The word “quinceanera” itself is derived from the Spanish words “quince” meaning “fifteen”, and “anos” meaning “years”. The current Hispanic culture Quinceanera revolves around the same premise as the Aztec version. I spoke with Jessica, my friend, at length many times before and during the party about the tradition of the Quinceanera and the symbolism of the practices that are a part of this tradition. Quinceanera traditions incorporate practices that are symbolic of the acknowledgement of the young girl’s crossover into womanhood. Every Quinceanera starts with the Misa de Accion, or the Mass of Thanking. The mass, as the name suggests, is an occasion wherein the community gives thanks for the blessing of the Quinceanera and is full of symbolic practices. The birthday day girl is escorted down the aisle by her parents and godparents, to a seat of honor near the altar. Once the transitional blessing begins, the girl kneels on pillows and is handed a scepter, bible, and rosary. After the mass, the birthday girl, her court of honor, and all of her friends and family, proceed to a new location for the reception part of the celebration. Most of the time the reception is held at either the home of the girl being celebrated or in a grand hall or ballroom. In this instance, we all left the church and went to a grand ballroom at a nice hotel. Here, the birthday girl and her Court of Honor (boys and girls that she has chosen), were announced much like the wedding entourage is introduced at wedding receptions. It is during this part of the celebration that my friend helped me better understand the role that the Court of Honor plays in this tradition and the ways in which they and the birthday girl had to prepare in order to get to this moment in time. I was told that in order to prepare for the Quinceanera, the celebrant and her Court of Honor attended catechism classes at her church. These classes stress adult roles while remaining abstinent. These classes also emphasize the role of God in the Quinceanera woman’s life, and not just the Quinceanera being a huge party. After the introduction of the Court of Honor, the birthday girl was introduced and then waltzed with her father, her personal chaperon, and then finally joined by her full court for another choreographed waltz. After the dances, the father of the birthday girl gave a toast and then all in attendance were also given the opportunity to wish the birthday girl well and make toasts of their own. The girls from her Court of Honor lit candles as well wishes were read to the birthday girl; fifteen candles and fifteen well wishes to be exact. As I mentioned previously, I attended Quinceaneras as a young girl growing up in East Texas, but it was not until now that I fully understood the meaning and traditions behind the celebrations. By speaking to a member of this culture and learning the historical reasons behind many of the traditional pieces of the Quinceanera, I have a greater understanding and appreciation of this rite of passage. I now know how religion plays an important part in this tradition. Before now, I had never taken part in the Mass of Thanking, I had only been to the reception part of the Quinceanera. I can see how many of the important parts of this particular culture, like family, religion, historical traditions, etc. play a role in each Quinceanera. Personal DialogueI sat down with my friend’s mother, Stella, on three different occasions and spoke with her about specific aspects of the Hispanic culture. I chose to ask Stella most of the questions from the dialogue because I felt that she had felt the effects of acculturation less than my friend Jessica. I also asked my friend Jessica certain questions from the suggested dialogue question list also. I first asked Stella to describe a typical family composition within their culture. I was told that the majority of the time, the father and mother of the family are still together. There are separations, divorces, etc., but more often than not, the mother and father remain married for many years and often until death. Also, there are more than two siblings per family normally. Large families with many children in a range of ages are often seen in the Hispanic culture. My friend Jessica is one of four children in her family. Her older sister is 38 years old, Jessica is 35, her younger brother is 29, and her youngest sister is 20 years old. As far as relationships among relatives are concerned, Stella and Jessica both stated that most of the time, they can be pretty close. Relationships are close among the immediate family as well as the extended family. In regards to authority structure and the roles of the family members in this culture, the father is the man of the house and what he says, goes. This is driven home also in our text by Baruth and Manning. The majority of the time the other members of the family do not question him. His role is to work and provide for his family and to care for the outside of the home and spend any spare time that he might have with his children. The mother handles the majority of the responsibilities of the children and takes care of the inside of the home. The daughters of the family are very well protected by the father or by the brother(s). They also have to learn the daily tasks of caring for the home like the mother does. Sons are the same as the father and take care of the heavier, harder work outside of the home. If the father is not around, it is the eldest son’s responsibility to stand up as the man of the house. The same can be said for the daughters if the mother is not around. The response to this question connected with what we read in our text for this course. Hispanic American boys and girls are taught about machismo. This term refers to manhood and the masculine traits of honor and protecting one’s name. “More subtly, machismo refers to dignity in personal conduct, respect for others, love for family, and affection for children” (Baruth & Manning, 2012, p. 235). The elderly of the family and in the community are treated with much respect. I was told that growing up, they are consistently taught to respect their elders. For example, if you are seated and an elderly person enters the area, you should get up and give your seat to an elder if there are not any left. Children are also taught to assist their elders with anything that they may need at any time. An elder’s needs are more important than your own. Marriage is a very important part of the Hispanic culture. “Marriage is the key before you start any life with children with your other half.” Family life is extremely important. My friend and her mother both could not emphasize enough how important the family is in their culture. Family is first; whether it be an aunt, uncle, cousin, etc. As a whole, their family enjoys spending time together. They always visit each other and or talk to each other on a daily basis, not just on special occasions. In their culture and in their particular family, the family comes before anyone else. Baruth and Manning also stated, “Mexican Americans value placing one’s family above self” (Baruth and Manning, 2012, p. 238). My friend Jessica’s Mexican American family does just that; family is first, always. As far as children are concerned, in this culture, children are viewed as blessings from God. Their roles are to be children and should be showered with love and affection. As children grow up and mature, their roles might shift and take on new responsibilities, but they will always be the children and are always seen as precious gifts from the Lord. In regards to work and career, the common attitudes is that “working is mandatory.” I was told that the people of the Hispanic American culture are taught as soon as they are old enough that they need to work and be grateful for any work they are given. Having a career is highly praised. There can be a pattern to career choices as well. Many Mexican American women are known to become medical assistants, work at banks, and caring for children. As far as education goes, despite many educational struggles, they believe that education is extremely important. Most of Jessica’s family is not educated beyond high school. In fact, they said that their grandparents barely finished elementary school due to having to work to help care for their families at a young age. The grandparents and parents now feel that education is also a blessing and a privilege and they want the best for them. When I asked how this culture might define success, I was told that success is a gaining a good education by completing school and then obtaining a good career. As I mentioned earlier when discussing my observational activity, religion plays a very important role in the Hispanic American culture. I was told that religion is extremely important. “If you do not have the Lord in your heart, then you do not have anything.” Jessica and her family were raised to go to church every Sunday. Like many practicing Catholics in the Hispanic culture, their actions, good and bad, are usually reflected back to the Lord. When something bad happens, they were often told growing up that it was the devil, or an evil spirit working through them. Many problems could be fixed by praying or going to church. We next discussed adjustments to living in the United States and the differences for first, second and subsequent generations. Jessica’s mother, Stella, was born in Texas, but just barely. She said that her mother and father came to the United States one month before her birth. She said that because of her being born here, she does not know firsthand how they live in Mexico, other than their visits there to see family once she was older. From her knowledge of the culture though, she said that the first generation is a very traditional Mexican culture in their family. They are very religious, family centered, man is the head of the family, and hard workers. The second generation, like her husband, is from Mexico and is also very traditional due to how he was raised in Mexico. He does not believe that some of their kids should be living out of wedlock and still believes that everyone in the family should be practicing Catholics.Some important historical dates, beliefs, and attitudes most important to this culture are related to religion. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are very sacred days within the Catholic culture. Everyone is supposed to go to church on these days in particular. They do not eat for half of the day, fasting until noon, and do not eat red meat either on that day. The people of the Hispanic American culture, particularly the Mexican Americans, believe in all Saints and what they stand for and even go to the extent that the children are named by the Catholic calendar. Reaction and Critical Analysis of ExperienceThis was an unbelievably insightful and enjoyable experience. I truly enjoyed being able to discuss different aspects of my culture and the Hispanic American culture with my friend and her family members. I thought that I would be nervous about the dialogue part of the activity, but it was not too difficult. The subjects that I interviewed were very candid and open about all aspects of their culture. I also felt like I would be extremely uncomfortable when participating in the cultural immersion observational activities. These were a little uncomfortable at times, in particular the Mass of Thanking and the Quinceanera. Even though I had been to a Quinceanera party before, I had never been to a Mass of Thanking and since I did not personally know the birthday girl, I was a little more uncomfortable during this activity. Through these activities and conversations, I feel like I learned more about the Hispanic American culture, in particular the Mexican American culture. This particular culture has a rich heritage, its own unique Spanish language with whom the people have a strong allegiance to, and specific cultural customs and practices of their own. Hispanic Americans, are the largest minority group in the school where I work and the nation’s fastest growing cultural group. Through the dialogues with my friend and her family, I learned about the effects of acculturation on their family, traditions, and beliefs. “Counselors will need to understand cultural concepts such as machismo, respeto, and familismo from a Hispanic perspective and how these cherished concepts affect these clients’ daily lives and counseling outcomes” (Baruth and Manning, 2012, p. 252). I was introduced to these concepts through my talks and immersion activities with Jessica and her family. I have now gained a new perspective on how these concepts play an important role in the lives of Hispanic Americans and how these might also affect the actions and beliefs of the students that I might counsel in the future. My Glogster project is a collage of pictures from my cultural immersion experience. I included pictures of us making tamales at my friend’s anniversary party for her parents. There are several of the women sitting at tables making homemade tamales and talking for hours. I also included a picture from Stephanie, the birthday girl’s, Quinceanera. I also included a picture of myself, my friend Jessica, and her family in my car on our way to dinner to discuss some more of the aspects of their Hispanic American culture. I added some Latino music also to make it a little fun and allow any viewers to hear a small sample of this cultures music. I thoroughly enjoyed this project and the greater insight that I now have into the culture of Hispanic Americans and Mexican Americans. Here is the link to my Glogster project: , L.G., & Manning, M.L. (2012). Multicultural counseling and psychotherapy: A lifespan approach. (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ; Pearson Education, Inc.??? ................
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