Assignment: Cultural Identity Development—ADDRESSING-GSA Self-Assessment

In 1996, Dr. Pamela Hays developed a model for recognizing cultural characteristics, focusing on how each characteristic is on a scale of dominance and non-dominance, reflective of the person’s environment. The model has been updated to address 12 main cultural characteristics and is titled the “ADDRESSING-GSA Self-Assessment.” The model shown here has been updated from Hays’ original model to include “Size,” “Assigned Sex at Birth,” and separates gender into “Gender Identity” and “Gender Expression.” If you are unfamiliar with the cultural characteristics of Assigned Sex at Birth, Gender Identity, and Gender e.

Directions for Assignment:

Multicultural competence is an aspirational goal and an ongoing process. The developmental domains of the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies represents self-awareness as an ongoing process of increasing cultural competence. Under the Learning Resources – Required Media is the interactive media titled, “ADDRESSING-GSA Self-Assessment.” Complete the self-assessment based on your own cultural identity. The “ADDRESSING-GSA Self-Assessment” asks you to reflect on and share your own cultural identity, based on 12 specific cultural characteristics, in order to increase your self-awareness.

• A: Age and generational influences
• DD: Developmental or other disability
• R: Religion and spiritual orientation
• E: Ethnic and racial identity
• S: Social class
• S: Sexual/affectional/romantic orientation
• I: Indigenous backgrounds
• N: National origin
• G: Gender identity
• G: Gender expression
• S: Size
• A: Assigned sex at birth/biological sex

After considering each cultural characteristic, consider each characteristic in relation to the structure of power where you live. Dominant cultural characteristics and non-dominant cultural characteristics vary based on where the person lives. For example, people of Asian heritage are considered a minority group in the United States but are not a minority group in China. Based on where you live, consider whether each cultural characteristic is closer to the dominant side or non-dominant side of the spectrum based on societal standards. “Privileged and marginalized counselors are aware of their social identities, social group statuses, power, privilege, oppression, strengths, limitations, assumptions, attitudes, values, beliefs, and biases” (Ratts, Singh, Nassar-McMillan, Butler, & McCullough, 2015, p. 5). Take your time when considering this and acknowledge your own perspective, as well as the literature’s perspective.

The “ADDRESSING-GSA Self-Assessment” is a great tool to use in counseling. The assessment helps clients increase self-awareness of their own identities in relation to societal expectations.

After you complete the “ADDRESSING-GSA Self-Assessment,” you be able to download a PDF that displays a pie chart of the groups that you deem most salient to you compared to those groups which are not as important to you.The pie chart below is example of what your PDF might look like if all the groups in the self-assessment tool are of equal importance to you. Each slice will grow or shrink based on your unique profile. There is no right or wrong perspective for this Activity. This is purely to help you understand yourself.

“ADDRESSING-GSA Self-Assessment” Pie example:

Be sure to review and thoroughly understand all of the Learning Resources, including the Multicultural Counseling and Social Justice Competencies (Ratts et al., 2015), before considering the following questions for the first 2-page part of the assignment:

• Which identities do you identify with that are considered part of the dominant/more privileged groups in the society you live in?
• Which identities do you identify with that are considered part of the non-dominant/more marginalized groups in the society you live in?

How might these different parts of your identity impact your worldview?

To Prepare for the Assignment:

Review all of the required materials under Learning Resources. Review directions for the week’s Activity, as well as for the entire module.

Please review the Rubric for specific details and directions.

Note: The “Cultural Identity Development” paper is a cumulative assignment is due at the end of Module 1 (Day 7 of Week 3). Complete each component of the assignment in the week that is has been assigned:

“ADDRESSING-GSA Self-Assessment”

Each section will be approximately 2 pages in length,

Resources

American Counseling Association (ACA). (1996). AMCD multicultural counseling competencies. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/Resources/Competencies/M…

Hays, P. A. (2016b). The new reality: Diversity and complexity. In Addressing cultural complexities in practice: Assessment, diagnosis, and therapy (3rd ed., pp. 3–14). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/14801-001

Ratts, M. J., Singh, A. A., Nassar-McMillan, S., Butler, S. K., & McCullough, J. R. (2015). Multicultural and social justice counseling competencies. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/comp…

Ratts, M. J., Singh, A. A., Nassar-McMillan, S., Butler, S. K., & McCullough, J. R. (2016). Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies: Guidelines for the counseling profession. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 44(1), 28–48. doi:10.1002/jmcd.12035

Handout: Walden University School of Counseling’s Professional Dispositions (PDF)

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2019a). ADDRESSING-GSA self-assessment [Interactive media]. Baltimore, MD: Author.