I/O Psychology for Veterans

??????The text “Exploring Psychology” defines culture as the “composite of the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next” (Myers, 1993, p. 476). It is apparent that we shape our social identities and behaviors based on the family system in which we were raised in. “If we all lived as homogenous ethnic groups in separate regions of the world, as some people still do, cultural diversity would be largely irrelevant” (Myers, 1993, p. 476). I grew up with parents who strongly identified with the Puerto Rican culture. My mother was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and her first language happened to be Spanish. My father was born in New York, NY; his first language is English, and he is nationality is Puerto Rican and Irish. He grew up in an All Boys Catholic Home that housed many minorities. I make such a reference because he has always been someone who relates better with individuals who have experienced trauma, questioned authority, and have had negative outcome expectations. My mother also experienced many trial and tribulations while trying to assimilate to American culture, so both of my parents possess similar beliefs, values, biases, and outcome expectations.

With New York City being one of the most culturally diverse places in the world, and because I spent most of childhood living in the five boroughs of New York; I consider myself to be a very cultural competent individual who has not been influenced by many cultural biases. My parents also put a great deal of emphasis on being culturally competent. However, being a New Yorker enables people to identify with what could be considered as a collectivist culture. “For the collectivist, one’s social network provides one’s bearings. Cut off from their family, their groups, and their loyal friends, collectivist would lose the connections that define who they are” (Myers, 1993, p. 480). When analyzing my familial system in conjunction with factors associated with an urban environment, it is apparent that I did establish biases that were not necessarily specific to culture but biases that were specific to personality. Subsequently three biases I developed was biases against individuals who expressed emotion, bias against individuals who asked for help, and bias against people who displayed prejudices. These biases were further compounded once I joined the Marine Corps. When making reference to career development, my upbringing validated what I was continuously told while in the Marine Corps, “You didn’t decide to join the Marine Corps; you were born to be a Marine.” However, once I was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq these biases changed. I possessed a great deal of pride in fighting an enemy who was prejudice against my nation, my culture, and my beliefs. The biases that I had developed, enabled me to survive an environments which would have made a victim out of me over and over again. I could not express emotion nor could I express weakness, however the Marine Corps enabled me to embrace everyone who was willing to stand up for what they believe in, even if they were opposed to my own.

Unfortunately I was medically retired due to wounds sustained in combat, and experienced a great deal of trials and tribulations. I had to overcome my bias about people who asked for help, because I found my own self, asking for help for myself. Challenging this bias made me realize that I still had a passion to serve my community and my military brother and sisters in arms. Subsequently I studied to become a clinical social worker. When pursuing my bachelors, I extensively studied emotions and how they influenced my past, my present, my thought processes, my group associations, and my outcome expectations. When pursuing my Masters’ degree, I extensively studied how such factors influence others; in addition to influential factors such as culture, environment, and prejudices. After obtaining my bachelor’s and master’s degree in clinical social work; I have typically work within the mental health arena. This environment was so challenging because, rather than empowering our clients, I felt the system was set up to further victimize our clients.

Subsequently I am specializing in Industrial & Organizational Psychology. I believe that matching individuals with an environment that specifically aligns with their beliefs, values, experiences, and skillset; enables anyone to live up to their full potential. There would be nothing more rewarding the meeting all intrinsic values and extrinsic incentives for my clients on an individual, organizational, or societal level. Hence, I will challenge my bias against people who ask for help; by confronted the issue head on. I will ask people why they are asking for help and proceed by showing them praise for asking for help. I will challenge my bias against people who express emotion by not only encouraging people to express emotion, but by also expressing my own emotions each and every day. I will challenge my biases against people who prejudice, by embracing those individuals who are even willing to express emotion, and have the courage to ask them questions such as: Why do you feel that way? Why do you believe that? Why do you have such strong emotion about this? Have you always felt this way? How has such beliefs influenced your life? Are you willing to listen to other perspectives? What are you afraid of? Such strategies will help me to continue to growth spiritually and mentally because “self-concept is a mix of personal identity (self-esteem, outgoingness, appearance) and social identity (identification with certain people and groups)” (Myers, 1993, p. 482). If I focus on my own continual growth, ultimately I can assist my clients to be best of my ability and help them determine how they could grow in all aspects of life.?????????

Reference

Myers, D. (1993). Exploring Psychology. 2nd Ed. New York, NY: Worth Publishers?