Summary of Chapter 7
I. Introduction
a. This chapter begins with a vignette about Betty, a 30 year-old Chinese American
woman
b. The vignette describe an Asian-American counselor’s challenges in working with
Betty
c. The therapist in this case imposes Western standards to judge
normality/abnormality and utilizes an individuation approach, which prove to be
ineffective in working with Betty
II. Communication Styles
a. It is important that the therapist and client send and receive both verbal and
nonverbal messages accurately and appropriately
b. In the vignette, Betty expressed a more indirect and subtle communication style
c. Communication goes beyond what is said—it focuses on how something is said
III. Non-verbal Communication
a. Nonverbal communication and behavior varies between cultures
b. Nonverbals occur outside the level of conscious awareness
IV. Proxemics
a. Proxemics refers to the perception and use of personal and interpersonal space
(e.g. norms of physical distance)
b. In Western culture, people seem to grow more uncomfortable when others stand
too close rather than too far away
V. Kinesics
a. Kinesics refers to bodily movements (e.g. facial expression, posture,
characteristics of movement, gestures, and eye contact)
b. Various cultural norms are discussed
VI. Paralanguage
a. Paralanguage refers to other vocal cues that individuals use to communicate (e.g.
loudness of voice, pauses, silences)
b. U.S. is a very outspoken, verbal culture, however, other cultures are not—this
should not be pathologized
c. Also, volume and intensity of speech in conversation are also influenced by
cultural values
d. Directness of a conversation or the degree of frankness also varies considerably
among various cultures
VII. High-low context communication
a. High context is anchored in physical context (situation) or internalized in the
person—less reliance on explicit code (e.g. .Asian cultures)
b. The text discusses a situation with a Filipino nurse
c. where her subtle, high-context communication was misinterpreted by the hospital
staff
d. Low context cultures communicate with a greater reliance on the verbal part of
the message (e.g. U.S. culture)
VIII. Sociopolitical Facets of Nonverbal Communication
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
a. People of color pay close attention to nonverbals because Whites are racist,
however, this is often denied
b. Nonverbal cues are important because they can unconsciously reflect our biases
and trigger off stereotypes of others
Nonverbals as Reflections of bias
a. As the candid camera example points out, women who said they were not biased
were filmed, unknowingly, clutching their bags as they went out shopping
b. This communication is powerful as it implies (“I think that Blacks and Latinos
will steal my bag”)
c. A therapist who has not dealt with their own biases may convey them nonverbally
in the counseling session
d. Culturally diverse people are often placed in situations where they are asked to
deny their true feelings in order to perpetuate White deception
e. Statements that minorities are oversensitive may represent a form of denial
Nonverbals as Triggers to Biases and Fears
a. Our biases and fears are deep seated due to years of social conditioning
b. Communication styles of people of color are often denigrated and seen as inferior
by Whites
c. Black styles of communication are often animated, interpersonal and
confrontational whereas White middle-class styles of communication tend to be
more objective, impersonal and nonchallenging
d. Whites may misinterpret or fear Black people because of communication styles
e. Rapping was originally a dialogue between a man and women in which the intent
was to win over the admiration of the woman
f. Woofing is an exchange of threats and challenges to fight; this may have derived
from playing the dozens
g. Playing the dozens stemmed from the term “dozens” which refereed to slaves who
were considered damaged goods
h. Woofing and playing the dozens have functional vales: first, they allow training
and self control about managing anger and hostility towards racist remarks,
second, they allow Blacks to establish a pecking order without resorting to
violence
Counseling and Therapy as Communication Style
a. Different forms of psychotherapy possess varied communication styles (e.g.
Rogers emphasizes attending skills; Shostrom relied on direct guidance; Lazarus
took an active reeducative style)
Differential Skills in Multicultural Counseling/Therapy
a. Theoretical orientations will influence helping styles as well
b. In general, people of color prefer more active, directive forms of helping than
nondirective ones
c. Asian Americans may value restraint of strong feelings and feel that intimate
feelings should be shared with close friends
d. Blacks prefer more active, directive, and self-disclosing styles in order to
establish trust and rapport
Therapeutic practice
a. Counselors need to realize that proxemics, kinesics, paralanguage, and high-low
context factors are all important elements of communication
b. It is important for counselors to understand their own personal communication
styles and attempt to adapt to our client’s preferred form of communication
XIV. Implications for Clinical Practice
a. Recognize that no one style of counseling will be appropriate for all situations
b. Become knowledgeable about how race, culture, and gender affect
communication styles
c. Become aware of your own style
d. Obtain additional training and education on a variety of theoretical orientations
and approaches
e. Think holistically rather than in a reductionist manner when conceptualizing the
human condition
Training programs need to use an approach that calls for openness and flexibility in
conceptualizing issues and skill building