Psychology of Diversity between American Ethnic Minority Groups - Case Study Example

Psychology of Diversity between American Ethnic Minority Groups Psychological diversity is very distinct among ethnic minority groups of America, mainly between African American and Hispanics. The term “ethnic minority groups” refers to the small part of a population. This part features a particular culture or race. Here African American means the people having ancestral line in population of Africa. Racial groups like Negro, Black, Nigerian, Afro American, Haitian or Kenyan come under this minority groups. They usually have very dark complexion. (US Census Bureau, 2000) On the other hand, Hispanic group includes the people with Spanish origin. Usually their primary language is Spanish. Their daily life reflects Spanish heritage. The group ‘Hispanic’ was included in US census in the year 1970. A report in 2005 shows that hispanics form 14% and african american forms 13% in total US population. (USA Today, 2008) Ethnicity is very important to determine the psychological expressions of any individual or population. Ethnicity of a population can be discussed under many headings. But to understand the psychology of any race most important approaches the following traits are to be observed: (a) distinct similar behavior or attitude of individuals belonging to any particular race, (b) their feeling for their ethnicity or their feeling for their ethnic identity and (c) their adaptations through life experiences regarding their lesser power, social status, social discrimination etc. But one should keep it in mind that these approaches can be studied independently but to understand the population psychology all these approaches must be considered together. An African influence is vividly seen among the African-American families. Some of the very basic aspects of their culture can be traced back to that of the African people. Among them the worth mentioning ones are oral expression, perception of time, vitality of emotion and dependence on the inner members of a family. According to social anthropologist Jones, the African-American families show five elements in their lifestyle, and they are: improvisation, oral expression, spirituality, time and rhythm. These five elements are strong enough to define the whole black culture throughout the world, be it in the United States of America or in the dark continent of Africa itself. However, this kind of lifestyle has some factors in common with the Hispanic lifestyle as conformity, urge of sacrifice and interdependence are also the parts of the latter mentioned race. They have been noticed to stand by each other in times of personal problems and loyalty is something which has been strongly reflected through their lifestyle. On the other hand, the Hispanic people are also known for their tendency to reciprocate someone’s help for them. As far as the gender roles are concerned, Hispanic people have expressed the ways of life more clearly. Welfare of the wholesome society is the main target for both the African-American as well as the Hispanic life. This kind of flexible attitude towards life has enabled them to progress in every corner of the world. (Phinney, p. 4) There are many incidents among the African American families which show up examples of infidelity, but they have expressed an open minded approach towards these problems of life. The problems regarding sexual behavior among them are mainly seen during the early young age. Practice of unprotected sex has become one of the biggest threats to their race and the national government is also trying to solve this problem with proper steps having been taken by them. (Warren et al, p. 1) Differences in Family Values: Family is the unit of any society and therefore among the Hispanic race, this notion has not been proved to be false. Every family unit in the Hispanic milieu is constructed with the presence of children, their parents and other family members who are termed as ‘extended family’. Father is regarded as the head of all the Hispanic families. Every individual in the family has some responsibility towards others, and this sense of responsibility continues even in the cases of financial crises. To aid the other members of a family is the task for everyone present in it. Other than financially supporting each other, they have also to look after each other’s health condition, as well as other issues of life. All these understandings have enabled them to form a strong relationship within themselves. There are huge celebrations arranged from time to time in all the Hispanic families and the backgrounds of these celebrations line up from parties, holidays, baptisms, graduations or anything like birthdays. The main educational outcome on which a Hispanic family gives stress to build characters of their children is good manners, honor and respect towards all. Spanish language is sometimes taken as an important element of their life by the Hispanic people and therefore an attempt to preserve the originality of this language has been noticed among the people belonging to this race. On the other hand, looking at the African American families, we get an altogether different picture. Divorces and rebuilding of the families are commonest incidents among them. Marriage was indeed a strong bondage among them till the end of 1960s, but the picture gradually changed a lot after that period. Before that about 78% of the African American families showed good bondage among the couples but, by the end of 20th century, evidences have come up showing the decline of understanding among them. Factors like attitude towards education, gender roles and poverty are regarded as the main causes behind this declination. Then children live in a household with only one parent, typically the mother. All these evidences are indicative of weakly structured African American nuclear family units. This apparent weakness is balanced by mutual aid systems established by extended family members (formed close bonds based on fictive kin; play relations, play aunts, cousins, and the like) to provide emotional and economic support. (Hill et al, p. 4) Differences in Etiquette: Formality plays a big role when it comes to etiquettes that are followed by the members of Hispanic society. Greeting is one of the commonest practices of the people and they are also habituated in leave-taking formalities. Generally, handshake is the way of greeting among the Hispanic men whereas; women are also habituated in kissing each other on their cheeks as a part of greeting formality. The practice of kissing among the Hispanic people is also seen among the friends. The Spanish language provides forms of formal and informal. Commonly, speaking of this language is much louder among the people when they converse in an informal setting. There are many animated gestures which are commonly used by them and body language is an essential part of the whole process of Hispanic communication. Talking about formality, Hispanics are known for their interest towards dignity, pride and honor. It is quite usual for them to visit the important places like churches, social gatherings and workplaces in formal attires. Casual dresses are strictly prohibited by them when it comes to professionalism. With the advent of globalization, today’s Hispanic women are sometimes seen in informal dress ups like jeans and tennis shoes. However, no matter how formal they are, the Hispanics are known to be punctually more flexible than the white Americans. It is often taken as granted if a Hispanic person gets late to reach somewhere. There is another important thing to be mentioned and that is the Hispanic people’s tendency towards avoid public gatherings especially in the United States of America. The main reason, as have been detected by the social scientists, is probably the heavy use of foreign tongue by these people. They often feel embarrassed about their pronunciation of English and therefore often avoid speaking in that language in public places. As for the etiquettes which are followed by the Afro-Americans living in the USA, they are mostly home trained. However, from a closer look, they are also not bad when it comes to formality and etiquettes. Today, most of the Afro-American families have their members scattered throughout the country and this is why their children often do not get the right kind of guidance that is necessary. Now, the lack of training in the early childhood sometimes influences the behavioral pattern of the children when they grow up. (The Global Gourmet, 1994) Differences in Rituals and Religion: Hispanic families see religion as an integral part of their life and therefore number of rituals among them is quite high. Survey says that about 90% of the Spanish speaking Hispanic population belongs to the Christian Catholic community. This is why church, like it happens in case of the other Christian communities, plays a huge role of importance in the lives of the Spanish speaking Christians. Spanish people are, however, known for their excellent glamorous celebrations of religious purposes. Even birthday celebrations among them are also done following all the little Christian directions and colorfulness is an essential part of all of them. In the African-American community, more than one religion is mentionable. Christianity stands as a common factor between this society and Hispanic people, but there are black people from other religions as well. A large portion of the Afro-American people in Canada and in the United States also nurtures Islamic religion. Among the Christian community, the practice of black magic or voodoo is also to be mentioned in this context. Catholicism among them has become more successful in Latin America. Christianity was brought to them through the practice of slavery introduced by the Europeans who brought the black population to their continents. (National Humanities Center, 2009) Music is, however, one of the phenomena which are available in both the Hispanic as well as the African-American population. The formation of polyrhythmic music in the black community can be traced back in their original continent: Africa. This musical tradition was brought along with the slaves in America and gradually, their mingling with the whites gave birth to an altogether new genre of music, which is known as jazz. Jazz is so popular in this present era that it has been termed as the American classical music. There are also gospel numbers which have become popular among the Afro-American people with the promotion of Christianity among them. The spiritual essence of this music is the main attraction of it. Difference in Eating Habits: Talking about the eating habit one should begin with breakfast. The Hispanics are habituated in taking light breakfast. Lunch, very much like the other Europeans, remains the main meal of the day. Taking a short rest after lunch is a common practice for the adult Hispanics. La siesta is the Spanish term used to mention this stage. La merienda is another practice in their society which includes having light snacks in the evening. Generally, coffee and rolls or sandwiches are taken by them during this meal. From all respects, Spanish meal is quite light and informal. La cen is the term they use for supper and this habit also resembles other European races. From this point of view, Afro-Americans have always shown somewhat less disciplined food habit. Collard Greens and leafy greens are two of their popular dishes. Other elements of their diet include low in Fiber, Calcium, Potassium, and high in fat. This kind of lifestyle has led to major problems like Diabetes, Hypertension, heart disease, and obesity. A major part of the African American population belongs to low income group and have no other choice than to go for low cost meal. Therefore, some good foods for health such as fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meat, and seafood are not affordable to most African Americans because of their high cost. (ThinkQuest Education Foundation, 2009) Differences in Teaching and Learning Implications A proper attention is much needed to fully engage Hispanic audiences in the learning process of gaining and maintaining trust. Hispanic leaders have to come forward to make this mission successful. A close physical distance is maintained between Hispanics during a conversation. It is much closer than in other cultures. Among Hispanics, information is passed mostly by word of mouth. Hispanics show respect for learners according to the tradition of their culture. Teachers pay individual attention to learners. Hispanic educators pay attention to differences in educational levels, language skills, income levels, and cultural values among the families during planning educational programs. Hispanics share a common language but their cultures show considerable variations. Churches and grocery stores are the main places where people meet, visit, and exchange information. Churches, recreational centers, child-care arrangements, local libraries are appropriate places to hold educational programs with Hispanic audiences. On the other hand, African American teachers' personal and professional experiences, knowledge, and attitudes are significantly influenced by their daily decision-making. Findings also indicate that Afro-American teachers remain under tremendous personal or public pressure to make their classes successful. Their aspiration is driven by their responsibility and connectedness towards their community. Their history of segregation reminds them of the urge to convey the past to the future population. Teachers have to cope with the demands of their society and hindrances from the parents. The total US population of this day is nearly 305 million, and about 34% belongs to any racial groups or ethnic minority groups. According to Census bureau Hispanic is an important minority group which is growing very fast. This population is expected to become 133 million from 47 million in the time range 2008 to 2050 i.e. the population will become 30% from 15%. But only 2% increase is expected in African American population. In 2005 the African American population was 13% and it will become 15% in this time span. By 2050, minority groups like Hispanic, black, Asian, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander or mixed race -- will form near about 54 percent of total U.S. population. So, it is really important to study the socio-cultural condition of these minority groups as they are going to form a majority group in US population and their socio-psychological biding will determine the nations well being. (America.gov, 2008) References 1. “State & County QuickFacts”. U.S. Census Bureau. 2000. Available at: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/meta/long_68178.htm (accessed on January 31, 2009) 2. “U.S. Hispanic Population to Triple by 2050”. USA Today. 2008. Available at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-02-11-population-study_N.htm (accessed on January 31, 2009) 3. Jean S Phinney. When We Talk About American Ethnic What Do We Mean?. 1988. California State University, Los Angeles. 4. Jacob C Warren et al. Predictors of Unprotected Sex among Young Sexually Active African American, Hispanic and White MSM: The Importance of Ethnicity and Culture. 2007. Springer Science. 5. Robert Bernard Hill et al. Research on the African-American Family: A Holistic Perspective. 1993. Greenwood Publishing Group. 6. “Basic Black: African-American Etiquette, Advice and Social Customs”. The Global Gourmet. 1994. Available at: http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/egg/egg0597/blacketq.html (accessed on January 31, 2009) 7. “African American Religion, Pt. I: To the Civil War”. National Humanities Center. 2009. Available at: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nineteen/nkeyinfo/aareligion.htm (accessed on February 1, 2009) 8. “Cultural Diversity: African American Eating in America”. ThinkQuest Education Foundation. 2009. Available at: http://library.thinkquest.org/trio/TTQ03033/eating_habits.htm (accessed on February 1, 2009) 9. “U.S. Minorities Will Be the Majority by 2042, Census Bureau Says”. America.gov. 2008. Available at: http://www.america.gov/st/diversity-english/2008/August/20080815140005xlrennef0.1078106.html (accessed on February 1, 2009) Read More