Enhancing Self-Awareness: A Practical Strategy to Train Culturally Responsive Social Work Students

Nalini J Negi1, Kimberly A Bender1, Rich Furman1

  • 1Nalini J. Negi, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Kimberly A. Bender, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. Rich Furman, Ph.D., is Director and Associate Professor in the Social Work Program at the University of Washington, Tacoma. Dawnovise N. Fowler, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas, Austin. Julia Clark Prickett, MSW, is a student in the School of Social Work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Summary

This study introduces the Ethnic Roots Assignment, a teaching exercise to help social work students develop self-awareness and cultural competence. It aims to improve culturally responsive practice by recognizing biases and fostering empathy.

Related Concept Videos

Social Proof00:52

Social Proof

Social proof is a form of persuasion based on comparison and conformity. People compare their behavior and actions to what others are doing and will change to conform to do what their peers do.
32.4K
Social Facilitation01:04

Social Facilitation

Not all intergroup interactions lead to negative outcomes. Sometimes, being in a group situation can improve performance. Social facilitation occurs when an individual performs better when an audience is watching than when the individual performs the behavior alone. This typically occurs when people are performing a task for which they are skilled.
36.6K
Self-Awareness and Its Effects01:21

Self-Awareness and Its Effects

Self-awareness is a psychological state in which the individual becomes the focal point of their attention. This inward focus transforms the self into an object of contemplation and assessment, influencing how individuals perceive their actions and their alignment with personal and societal standards.Triggers and Contexts for Self-AwarenessSelf-awareness can be activated by external stimuli that make individuals visually or audibly aware of themselves, such as mirrors, cameras, or recordings.
318
Social Scripts02:10

Social Scripts

People tend to know what behavior is expected of them in specific, familiar settings. A script is a person’s knowledge about the sequence of events expected in a specific setting (Schank & Abelson, 1977). Essentially, scripts are a particular kind of schema, one containing default values for the features within an event. In the restaurant example, the script's features include the props (e.g., tables, menu, food, and money), the roles to be played (e.g., customer and waiter),...
10.3K
Altered States of Awareness01:06

Altered States of Awareness

Altered states of consciousness represent significant deviations from one's normal mental state. These deviations can range from subtle changes in awareness to profound transformations in perception, thought processes, and sensory experiences. Altered states of consciousness can be triggered by various factors, including drug use, meditation, hypnosis, illness, or even intense fatigue.
The ingestion of substances like stimulants or hallucinogens leads to chemical alterations in the brain...
1.2K
Subconsciousness and No Awareness01:15

Subconsciousness and No Awareness

The concept of subconscious awareness refers to the processing of information below the level of conscious thought, which significantly influences both behaviors and decisions. It is also known as waking subconscious awareness. This complex level of cognition operates without the direct awareness of the individual, facilitating rapid and simultaneous handling of multiple information streams.
An illustrative example of subconscious processing is its role in problem-solving. Often, individuals...
718