Culture Adaptive Therapy

Abstract

For the past several decades, American awareness of cultural diversity has increased, aided by the high visibility of many of the new ethnic groups. High visibility often defines ethnic difference. Skin color, hair texture, accented English, religion, and specialized food practices are among the more observable objective signs of cultural difference. The push to the “mainland” by the Puerto Ricans and the West Indians in the 1950s, the Black Liberation movement of the 1960s, the Vietnam War, the influx of Cuban, Korean, and Cambodian refugees during the 1970s, the sharp rise in college enrollment of Asian students in the 1980s, all have impacted on raising American consciousness of the diverse ways in which individuals and families may share the same geographic space yet maintain different social and cultural lifestyles. Incidents achieving nationwide television and newspaper attention within the past 2 years include the Howard Beach attack (a black youth killed by a white mob), and Bensonhurst (two Puerto Rican youths attacked in an Italian neighborhood). Both incidents occurred in New York City where “turf” is sharply delineated by ethnic not geographic boundaries. Spike Lee’s 1989 movie, Do the Right Thing graphically portrays ethnic, racial, and cultural conflicts of blacks, Italians, and Asians sharing the same space.