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Cultural Interview Reflection
Alec presents as a 53-year-old, white, cis-gendered, heterosexual male, now residing in
Georgia. He has lived in many places in and out of the United States including Georgia, New
York, Nebraska, and Spain. He is Jewish on his dad’s side and White on his mother’s. He has a
wife and two children. He identifies as white, male, Southern, Christian, Northern, Jewish, and a
New Yorker– all but white and southern differing from my own identities.
Tristan is a 21-year-old, white, Puerto Rican, cis-gendered, heterosexual male, now
residing in Georgia. He feels that he was not exposed to Puerto Rican culture and that because of
this, his father almost lost his ability to speak Spanish at one point. He was born in Georgia,
moved to Massachusetts, then back to Georgia. He is Puerto Rican on his dad’s side and White
on his mother’s. He identifies as white, Puerto Rican, mixed, American, male, straight, 21 years
old, agnostic, and American– all but white differing from my own identities.
Discussion
Comparing and Contrasting
Alec’s experience with Christianity is similar to mine in that we were exposed to it as
children and it was all that we had as religious influence. However, the importance of
Christianity in his grandmother, and later mother, has exerted a far larger role in his life. He still
identifies with Christianity but has molded the religion to fit with more of his moral and ethical
beliefs. When Christianity and my morals came into conflict, religion was of such little
importance in my life that I chose to move away from it. Additionally, we acknowledge that we
are privileged due to our race, and consequently, do not have to think about our race in our daily
lives. It is a privilege within itself to not have to think about our privilege. However, I have put
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effort into being aware, as to ensure others around me feel safe and to prevent myself from
unintentionally committing microaggressions.
My experience with Christianity would more closely resemble Tristan’s. We attended
church occasionally on holidays. Tristan disagrees with how pushy his Puerto Rican family is,
they are very critical and overstep boundaries. I feel similarly about my Latin American family,
there seems to be a pattern within Latin cultures in which being critical and poking fun at friends
and family is normal. It may be well-meaning or in good fun but we both dislike this behavior
and disagree with it. He and I also value the food and drink from our respective cultures, ethnic
cuisine being part of our childhoods. As well as life-long traditions of making special dishes for
holidays, in Tristan’s case flan, in mine, empanadas. In contrast, Tristan does not think about his
identity very often, he’s sure that he is privileged because people have always said that he is. It is
difficult for him to be able to point out examples of how he is privileged, he’s “blind to them”.
Class Concepts
Alec mentions his experiences with learning to speak Spanish in college and moving to
Madrid, Spain. Particularly, he shares that learning a new language opens you up to many new
experiences and perspectives. Knowing Spanish and living in another country taught him a lot
about himself and his own beliefs. His experiences with language demonstrate the instant
connection a shared language can create between two, as well as the concept of additive
bilingualism (Mio et al., 2023). Additive bilingualism is the acquisition of a second language that
does not replace the native language. Alec identifies as White and Jewish, although he was raised
in a Christian religious setting rather than Jewish. He divulges that he did not originally feel
connected to his Jewish heritage until much later in his life when he began looking into his
family history. Alec’s journey to accept his heritage resembles Mio et al. (2023) ideas of cultural
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identity development. W. S. C. Poston (1990) created the five-step multiracial development
model, with Root (1990, 1998, 2004)) adding, that there are resolutions to the dissonance of split
heritage. The person may accept the identity society assigns to them, identify with both racial
groups, a single racial group, a mixed-race group, or with the race with the higher status in their
country. Later in his life, Alec chose to learn his heritage, about his ancestors who fled Romania
to escape the war, which started him on a path to claiming his Jewish heritage along with his
White.
The difficulty Tristan had with sharing his cultural experiences made it evident to him in
the moment that he has been isolated from his Puerto Rican culture, he even felt a sort of
discomfort. Mio et al. (2023) gives reasons why sticking to the familiar is so comfortable called
the s’s of similarity: Simple, because it’s easier, safe, because it’s comfortable, and sane because
it makes you feel normal. It has been much easier, more comfortable, and has felt more normal
for Tristan to stick to what he grew up with; the customs, traditions, beliefs, and values of his
White American family. On the other hand, Tristan values family and believes that collectivism
is more important than the majority mindset of individualism in the United States. This makes
Tristan allocentric, which means his perspective does not line up with American society’s
perspective. Additionally, individualism is a self-centered view of goals and motivations, while
collectivism views the whole family as the self, placing importance on the group (Mio et al.,
2023).
Reflection
I found it very easy to create my interview questions because I was genuinely curious.
Most questions were based on my cultural experiences, so I felt it important to include the last
question about whether they agree with the common beliefs held by the majority of their culture.
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It is valid and normal to claim and love your culture but also disagree with certain parts of it, like
its dynamics, practices, traditions, beliefs, and so on. Alec is much older than Tristan and seems
to have had more time to put thought into his identity and privilege. Alec stands as an example
for me as I grow, to be curious, proud, and open. I believe that engagement with others'
perspectives builds trust and understanding and can facilitate coexistence with varying cultures.
Acknowledging and appreciating the uniqueness of various cultures, beliefs, and traditions
promotes inclusivity and mutual respect.
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References
Mio, J. S., Barker, L. A., Rodríguez, M. M. D., Gonzalez, J. (2023). Multicultural Psychology:
Understanding Our Diverse Communities. Oxford University Press.
Poston, W. S. C. (1990). The biracial identity development model: A needed addition. Journal of
Counseling & Development, 69, 152–155.
Root, M. P. P. (1990). Resolving “other” status: Identity development of biracial
individuals. In L. S. Brown & M. P. P.
Root, M. P. P. (1998). Facilitating psychotherapy with Asian American clients. In D. R.
Atkinson, G. Morten, & D. W. Sue (Eds.), Counseling American minorities: A crosscultural perspective (6th ed., pp. 214–234). Dubuque, IA: Brown.
Root, M. P. P. (2004, August). Mixed race identities: Theory, research, and practice
implications. Continuing education workshop presented at the 112th Annual Convention
of the American Psychological Association, Honolulu, HI.
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Appendix
Interview Questions
1. State your identities, you can include as little or as many as you want. Include what
resonates with you.
2. How often do you think about your identities? How does this influence your beliefs,
actions, or behaviors?
3. What life experiences, traditions, and values related to your cultural background have you
experienced? How have they changed over time?
4. Are there any privileges you receive due to your identity? Any disadvantages?
5. Do you agree with the common beliefs held by the majority of your culture?