Personal- Cultural Analysis and Identity Development 1

Personal- Cultural Analysis and Identity Development

Ryan Rienzo
Wake Forest University

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Abstract

Racial/ Culture Identity development is extremely important. Having a

strong Racial/ Culture identity allows one to better relate to others and be
more culturally sensitive. In regard to counseling, the most effective
counselors are those who are have developed a solid identity. This paper
aims to discuss my own Racial/Culture identity development, and how I plan
to apply this to my future- counseling career.

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Ryan Rienzo
CNS 747 CG FA 2014
September 19, 2014
Assignment 4.1

Personal-Cultural Analysis & Identity Development

Developing a strong and positive racial identity is extremely important.

As a counselor working with different ethnic/racial/cultural groups, it is
imperative to consider ones own identity development and cultural heritage
to best assist your clients. Being attuned to your own cultural and identity
development allows for the counselor to work more effectively with diverse
groups.
Interacting with members of diverse groups different from my own has
been rather challenging for me over the years. This has been particularly
difficult not because of personal beliefs that my own race/culture is superior
to others, or due to a lack of effort, but rather my environment. I have found
that my various surroundings over the years have been culturally and
racially limited.
I am twenty-three years old and to save money, I decided to remain
living at home with my parents and siblings until next year. All my life I have
lived in the suburbs. My family has moved to three different towns over the

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years, however each town was very similar. Small, predominately white,
upper-middle class, and composed of mainly Irish or Italian people. Although
I attended public Elementary and High School, the school population was not
diverse at all, limiting my exposure to cultures different from my own. While I
was blessed to have grown up in a safe and comfortable environment, I was
also greatly deprived. My entire community was comprised of people exactly
or extremely similar to myself. I was not exposed to different racial or ethnic
groups or cultures. I was forced to live in what I did not even realize was a
very small bubble.
I was hopeful that I would be exposed to more once I entered college. I
attended Quinnipiac University in Connecticut and after doing some research
thought that this school would be a perfect fit for me. I was excited to branch
out and learn more about different people. However, my expectations of a
culturally rich environment quickly diminished. The school population was
mainly white Americans from a Christian background. Yet again, I found
myself culturally deprived. It was during this time that I allowed myself to
become overly comfortable. I, well at least I thought, was very content and
rather then welcome any form of change or seek culturally stimulating
situations, I withdrew and felt a sense of security.
It was not until I started an internship at a Mediation center that I
realized just how dangerous and problematic my concept of culture had
become over the years. At my internship I was the only white woman, and
worked directly with people of different race, culture, sexual orientation and

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religion for the first time. My supervisor was a fantastic homosexual man, my
co-worker Berta was an amazing and strong Black woman, my other coworker Christina was a comical Hispanic woman, and the secretary Sam was
a very religious Jewish woman. For the first time I was really exposed to
diverse cultures, and I greatly enjoyed it. I found myself celebrating our
differences, and tried to learn as much as I possibly could from each of them
in the short time I had there.
I didnt realize it at the time, but that internship was life changing for
me. I now understood that I was in control of my life and the only person who
was inhibiting me from becoming more culturally aware was myself. I
realized that I could expose myself and learn about various cultures socially. I
now make a conscious effort to interact, and form positive relationships when
possible, with those who are culturally different from myself. Next year when
I move out, I plan on moving to New York City, a melting pot of diverse
backgrounds. Although I loved growing up in the suburbs, I no longer wish to
be culturally inhibited and believe living in a large city will allow me great
opportunities that were previously unavailable.
My concept of racism, discrimination, and sexism has developed and
evolved over the years. I first was introduced to these ideas when I was in
elementary school. I distinctly remember learning about the Civil Rights
Movement and being in a state of disbelief. That was the first time in my
young life, other then the information I received from my parents, that I

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learned the horrors of racism and discrimination. However, I was still so
young that the magnitude of it all was not completely understood.
I became more aware during my Middle School years. As I previously
explained my school was comprised of mainly white children. It became
more and more common for my ignorant classmates to tell inappropriate
racial or ethnic jokes. For the first time I heard inaccurate stereotypes such
as Jewish people are cheap or Black children dont have fathers. It was
during this time in my cultural development that I became very confused.
Were the stereotypes accurate? Does the white race have advantages others
dont? These were all questions that were left unanswered because of my
lack of exposure to different cultures. Of course now I am more culturally
aware and educated, but as a young impressionable girl I was greatly
puzzled.
I did not fully understand racism and discrimination until I was in High
School and witnessed racism first hand. Some of my friends and I applied to
schools down south, so we decided to take a road trip and visit various
schools. While in Virginia, we stopped at a local deli for lunch. Inside a
hardworking Mexican man was patiently waiting to place his order. Although
that man was there before we arrived, our order was taken first. I quickly
corrected the employee, and told him that we were not next. Rather then
honor this and apologize, the man responded, we dont serve his kind here.
The anger I felt boil up inside me was something that I had never
experienced in my life. I wanted to scream, hit something and cry all at the

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same time. My friends and I, along with the Mexican man, who we later
learned name was Juan, quickly left and went to the store next door where
we were all served.
While I was relieved that not all stores treat certain customers poorly, I
was still so frustrated. However I quickly realized how insensitive I was being.
Here I was so caught up in my own feelings that I failed to acknowledge that
pain and embarrassment Juan must have felt. It was then I began to fully
comprehend the impact of discrimination and racism.
I learned that racism and discrimination was a very real and appalling
part of society. I found myself ashamed to be part of a race that treats others
as inferiors. I felt guilty that there was nothing I could do to prevent
uneducated, arrogant racists from hurting innocent, good people like Juan.
However, I also realized something important too. I may not be able to
control the ideology and actions of others, but I could my own. It was then I
vowed to educate myself as much as possible about different cultures, ethnic
groups and races to ensure that I never consciously discriminated anyone.
Although terrible, that event highlighted the importance of treating everyone
as equal, regardless of his or her race or background. It was the igniting
factor that allowed me to analyze my own cultural development and have a
greater understanding of others.
In terms of my racial/cultural identity development I would say stage 5,
Multiperspective Internalization, best applies to me. I definitely have gone
through the various stages over the years which has ultimately led me to

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where I am today. I have deeply analyzed my own development and now
have a sense of pride in who and what I am. With that being said, I also
acknowledge and celebrate those different from myself. When I was younger,
it was more difficult for me to view the world from different frames of
reference. However, now that I am more experienced and cultured this is
something that is not only easier to do but something I enjoy doing. I believe
it is an essential part of life to develop awareness of others and to respect
and appreciate cultural differences.
My parents, both Caucasian Americans, are very liberal and accepting.
My father is an Anesthesiologist and works directly with people from various
backgrounds daily. My mother, who is one of the most caring people I have
ever met, openly interacts with people from various walks of life. My parents
closest friends include those from differing religions, races, cultures, and
sexual orientation.
My parents advice regarding people who differ from you, whether that
may be religion, race, culture, ect., has always been the same. They taught
me that however seemingly different, all people are important and equal.
Black, White, Homosexual, Straight, Disabled, it did not matter. This
highlighted the importance of looking past differences and enjoying people
for who they really are. Rather then shield myself from those different from
myself, they supported and encouraged me to embrace dissimilarities and to
learn as much as possible from the people I interact with.

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With that being said, my parents are also not nave. Although they
accept others and would never discriminate or act racist towards another
human being, they stressed to me that there are individuals who do not
share their outlook on cultural differences, and that racism is very real.
However, they instilled in me the tools I need to not let ignorant people cloud
my judgment. I definitely have had to use what they have taught me
throughout my life, even with my own extended family.
While my parents are not racist in the slightly way, I embarrassingly
cannot say the same for my Grandparents. They simply do not comprehend
how important and rewarding it is to learn from and appreciate other
cultures. They are obnoxiously stuck in their ways, and unwilling to change.
Despite the fact that many excuse their racist and discriminating attitude on
the time they grew up in I do not. Although I acknowledge older
generations were raised and taught to think in a racist manner, they are
living in the present day and that ideology is not accurate and should not be
tolerated. I may not be able to change my grandparents outlook on differing
cultures, but I do not have to let their uninformed and distorted perceptions
hinder my own cultural development.
I believe my parents open-minded approach to others, and even my
Grandparents racist viewpoints have definitely impacted and helped shaped
my racial and cultural identity. Growing up hearing the negative things my
grandparents would say about people from different races or cultures was
definitely shocking at first. Fortunately though, their beliefs were never

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instilled in me because of my parents conscious efforts to counteract their
opinions by educating me. I am extremely grateful that my parents have
developed their own strong cultural and racial identities; because that is
something they were able to introduce to me. Today, I am not only proud of
my own racial/cultural development, but also have a great appreciation for
others and their development.
There is a very strong relationship between a counselors current
racial/cultural identity and their ability to be an effective counselor. For a
counselor to provide the highest level of care to their clients, they should
have not only established a strong racial/cultural identity, but also
understand what that entails. This process will be different for each
individual counselor, and has a lot to do with first understanding ones own
race and cultural values.
For my own racial development this involved fully understanding my
White racial identity. Helms Model of White Identity Development was
particularly insightful. This theory supports the idea that individuals who
identify as white are unaware of their initial racist outlooks and advantages.
The theory encompasses two phases, phase one involves the abandonment
of racism, and stage two discusses the evolution of a non-racist identity. The
ultimate goal, and something I believe I have achieved is autonomy. This has
allowed me to be empathetic and accepting of people from differing cultures.
I believe this is something that I will carry with me into my future-counseling
career.

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Accepting that I am a White American involves understanding what
that means in todays society and how that makes people of differing
backgrounds view me. Rowe, Bennett, & Atkinsons White Racial
Consciousness Model adequately discusses how being white impacts
relationship with yourself and how being white affects your interactions with
those who identify with another race. They highlight that to be an effective
counselor in a multicultural setting it is important to achieve white racial
consciousness and eventually reach the Integrative level. The Integrative
level involves having a deeper understanding of others and the impact
race/culture play in our society, while also having a clear white identity.
I believe that I have developed a strong racial/cultural identity. I
understand and appreciate my race, while also recognizing that no one race
is superior to another. I not only accept, but also appreciate and respect
differing cultures. I think due to this I can better assist future clients, similar
or different from myself.
In the future my hope is to work with children. Having a strong
cultural/racial identity will help me greatly. I will be able to demonstrate
positive behavior and actions, and help children to become more accepting
of those races and cultures different from their own. My goal will be to help
children develop their own cultural/racial identity in an encouraging and
supportive environment.
Overall I greatly enjoyed completing this assignment. I was able to
better understand my own racial/cultural identity development. I was also

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able to identify areas in which my racial/cultural development is very strong
and areas in which I could improve. I believe that having a sound idea of my
own racial/cultural development will enable me to become a more successful
counselor in the future.

References

Helms, J. E. (1993). Black and White racial identity: theory, research

and practice. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Multicultural Counseling and Therapy (6th ed.), Chapter 12. by A. E.

Ivey et al (2007), pp. 359-401. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Rowe, W., Bennett, S. K., & Atkinson, D. R. (1994). White racial identity
models: A critique and alternative proposal. The Counseling Psychologist, 22,
129-146.

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