Cultural orientation, ethnic affiliation, and negative daily occurrences, A multidimensional cross-cultural analysis
If western Deaf culture is considered collectivist, then it is only natural that research on individualist and collectivist cultures would apply to western Deaf culture. Ben-Ari & Lavee (2004) studied the impact affiliation with either an individualistic culture or a collectivist culture had on stress perception. Cultural impact on stress perception is critical because stress negatively affects both mental and physical health (Ben-Ari & Lavee, 2004). That members of the Deaf community are collectivists means that Deaf people may understand and suffer stress differently than the greater hearing community. Understanding how Deaf people react to stress would be a critical step towards treating stress-related problems.
Stress sources differ across cultures. Individualist cultures tend to have self-originating stress whereas collectivist cultures have collectively originating stress (Ben-Ari & Lavee, 2004). That is not to say that members of the collective community lack an idea of self. Rather, the collectivist perception of self originates from the collectivist individual’s role in the community and whether or not that role is meaningful (Ben-Ari & Lavee, 2004). The collectivist individual thinks of himself or herself as a part of the community and all his or her goals and desires are a reflection of the community needs (Ben-Ari & Lavee, 2004). Deaf members of the community place a lot of emphasis on their role in the Deaf community. Deaf community members who do not have a positive experience in the Deaf community may suffer higher degrees of self-doubt, stress, and lack of actualization than the Deaf who derive a positive community experience. The lack of actualization is critical in understanding the mental health of Deaf members who are not involved or who do not have a positive involvement with the Deaf community. Collectivist cultures encourage actualization through the collective culture (Ben-Ari & Lavee, 2004). If an individual cannot actualize because of negative community involvement, then the individual’s self-esteem will suffer terribly.
Ben-Ari & Lavee (2004) recognize that creating two broad labels for all cultures is rather complicated. Not all collectivist cultures approach the community in the same way and not all individualist cultures approach the self in the same way. Some cultures share traits with both individualist and collectivist cultures. There currently is some friction in the Deaf community about whether or not the community is truly collectivist since there are a lot of individualist elements present. Certainly members of the Deaf community have leeched elements of the greater western culture in which it exists; however, an argument can be made that truly individualistic Deaf people are in the pre-encounter stage and are suffering from the effects of colonialism (Parham & Helms, 1985).
What Ben-Ari & Lavee (2004) found was that individualist and collectivist cultures do process stress differently, although not to much of a degree. Certain stress sources, such as financial and social-environmental were nearly identical across cultures (Ben-Ari & Lavee, 2004). One major difference is that one set of collectivists reported that family was a major source of stress (Ben-Ari & Lavee, 2004). It may be that members of the collectivist community feel pressure to meet their family’s needs and expectations and that these stresses are not that potent in an individualist culture. The Deaf community can be seen as a Deaf person’s family. Pressure to find a place in the Deaf community or to meet the expectations of local Deaf community members and greater Deaf community leaders may place a lot of stress on Deaf individuals.
Ben-Ari, A. & Lavee, Y. (2004). Cultural orientation, ethnic affiliation, and negative daily occurrences, A multidimensional cross-cultural analysis. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. 74(2). 102-111. Retrieved September 15, 2006 from psycARTICLES database.
Parham & Helms (1985) Relation of racial identity attitudes to self-actualization and affective states of black students. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 32(3) 431-440. Retrieved September 15, 2006 from psycARTICLES database.
If western Deaf culture is considered collectivist, then it is only natural that research on individualist and collectivist cultures would apply to western Deaf culture. Ben-Ari & Lavee (2004) studied the impact affiliation with either an individualistic culture or a collectivist culture had on stress perception. Cultural impact on stress perception is critical because stress negatively affects both mental and physical health (Ben-Ari & Lavee, 2004). That members of the Deaf community are collectivists means that Deaf people may understand and suffer stress differently than the greater hearing community. Understanding how Deaf people react to stress would be a critical step towards treating stress-related problems.
Stress sources differ across cultures. Individualist cultures tend to have self-originating stress whereas collectivist cultures have collectively originating stress (Ben-Ari & Lavee, 2004). That is not to say that members of the collective community lack an idea of self. Rather, the collectivist perception of self originates from the collectivist individual’s role in the community and whether or not that role is meaningful (Ben-Ari & Lavee, 2004). The collectivist individual thinks of himself or herself as a part of the community and all his or her goals and desires are a reflection of the community needs (Ben-Ari & Lavee, 2004). Deaf members of the community place a lot of emphasis on their role in the Deaf community. Deaf community members who do not have a positive experience in the Deaf community may suffer higher degrees of self-doubt, stress, and lack of actualization than the Deaf who derive a positive community experience. The lack of actualization is critical in understanding the mental health of Deaf members who are not involved or who do not have a positive involvement with the Deaf community. Collectivist cultures encourage actualization through the collective culture (Ben-Ari & Lavee, 2004). If an individual cannot actualize because of negative community involvement, then the individual’s self-esteem will suffer terribly.
Ben-Ari & Lavee (2004) recognize that creating two broad labels for all cultures is rather complicated. Not all collectivist cultures approach the community in the same way and not all individualist cultures approach the self in the same way. Some cultures share traits with both individualist and collectivist cultures. There currently is some friction in the Deaf community about whether or not the community is truly collectivist since there are a lot of individualist elements present. Certainly members of the Deaf community have leeched elements of the greater western culture in which it exists; however, an argument can be made that truly individualistic Deaf people are in the pre-encounter stage and are suffering from the effects of colonialism (Parham & Helms, 1985).
What Ben-Ari & Lavee (2004) found was that individualist and collectivist cultures do process stress differently, although not to much of a degree. Certain stress sources, such as financial and social-environmental were nearly identical across cultures (Ben-Ari & Lavee, 2004). One major difference is that one set of collectivists reported that family was a major source of stress (Ben-Ari & Lavee, 2004). It may be that members of the collectivist community feel pressure to meet their family’s needs and expectations and that these stresses are not that potent in an individualist culture. The Deaf community can be seen as a Deaf person’s family. Pressure to find a place in the Deaf community or to meet the expectations of local Deaf community members and greater Deaf community leaders may place a lot of stress on Deaf individuals.
Ben-Ari, A. & Lavee, Y. (2004). Cultural orientation, ethnic affiliation, and negative daily occurrences, A multidimensional cross-cultural analysis. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. 74(2). 102-111. Retrieved September 15, 2006 from psycARTICLES database.
Parham & Helms (1985) Relation of racial identity attitudes to self-actualization and affective states of black students. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 32(3) 431-440. Retrieved September 15, 2006 from psycARTICLES database.
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