Читать книгу Counseling the Culturally Diverse - Laura Smith L. - Страница 86

How different societies, cultures, and people view time exerts a pervasive influence on their lives. U.S. society has been characterized as preoccupied with the future (Katz, 1985; Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck, 1961). Our society lives according to precise increments of time, in that we have divided it into seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. Time is frequently viewed and discussed as a commodity that constitutes fixed, static categories (“time is money” and “stop wasting time”) rather than as a dynamic and flowing process. It has been pointed out that the United States’ future orientation may be linked to other values as well: (a) our emphasis on youth and achievement, in which children are expected to “better their parents”; (b) controlling one's own destiny by future planning and saving for a rainy day; and (c) optimism and hope for a better future. The spirit of the nation may be embodied in an old General Electric slogan, “Progress is our most important product.”

Table 3.2 suggests that both American Indians and Black Americans tend to value a more present‐time orientation, whereas Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans have a combination past–present focus. Historically, Asian societies have valued the past, as reflected in ancestor worship and the equating of age with wisdom and respectability. This contrasts with U.S. culture, in which youth is valued over age and one's usefulness in life is believed to be over once one hits the retirement years. As compared to European American middle‐class norms, Latinx Americans also exhibit a past–present time orientation. Strong hierarchical structures in the family and respect for elders and ancestors combine in this direction. American Indians also differ from their White counterparts in that they are traditionally very grounded in the here and now rather than the future. American Indian philosophy incorporates the belief that time is flowing, circular, and harmonious. Artificial divisions of time (as represented in rigid schedules) are disruptive to this natural pattern. African Americans may also prioritize the present, both as the result of the spiritual quality of their existence and their history of survival and resilience in the face of racism. Across all these cultures, difficulties may occur when the counselor or therapist is unaware of potential differences of time perspective (Hines & Boyd‐Franklin, 2005).

First, if time differences exist between a family of color and the conventionally trained therapist, it may be manifested in a different sense of the pace of time: both may sense things are going too slowly or too fast. An American Indian family that values being in the present and the immediate experiential reality of being may feel that the therapist lacks respect for them and is rushing them (Sutton & Broken Nose, 2005) while ignoring the quality of the personal relationship. On the other hand, therapists may be dismayed by the “delays,” “inefficiency,” and lack of “commitment to change” among the family members, feeling that they have only limited time to impact the family. The result is frequently dissatisfaction among the parties, a failure to establish rapport, misinterpretation of behaviors or situations, and discontinuation of future sessions.

Second, Inclan (1985) pointed out how confusions and misinterpretations can arise because Latinx communities may mark time differently than do their U.S. White counterparts. The language of clock time in counseling (the 50‐minute hour, rigid time schedules, once‐a‐week sessions) can conflict with diverse perceptions of time (Garcia‐Preto, 1996). The following dialogue illustrates this point:

Mrs. Rivera, your next appointment is at 9:30 a.m. next Wednesday.”

“Good, it's convenient for me to come after I drop off the children at school.”

Or “Mrs. Rivera, your next appointment is for the whole family at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday.”

“Very good. After the kids return from school we can come right in.” (Inclan, 1985, p. 328)

Since school starts at 8 a.m., the client may show up very early, whereas in the second example, the client may be late (school ends at 3 p.m.). In both cases, the counselor is likely to feel inconvenienced, but worse yet is the negative interpretation that may be made of the client's motives (anxious, demanding, or pushy in the first case, and resistant, passive‐aggressive, or irresponsible in the latter). The counselor needs to be aware that other cultural communities may mark time more by events than by the clock.