Cultural & Diversity Psychology

A cultural value system that prioritizes an individual's independence, autonomy, and self-fulfillment over the goals of the group. It emphasizes personal freedom and individual achievement as core values.

Intersectionality is the concept that various social identities — such as race, gender, class, and disability — overlap and interact with each other, creating unique experiences of discrimination or privilege that cannot be understood by looking at any single identity alone.

Systemic racism refers to race-based inequalities deeply embedded within a society's institutions, policies, and practices. It goes beyond individual prejudice — the social structure itself operates in ways that consistently disadvantage certain racial groups.

Power and privilege refer to the invisible advantages and imbalances of influence granted based on social identity. These are social structures that operate independently of individual effort.

Refugee mental health is a field that addresses the psychological difficulties and mental health challenges faced by people who have fled their home countries due to war, persecution, or other crises. Understanding and caring for their emotional well-being is essential.

Multicultural counseling is a counseling approach that recognizes and respects cultural differences between clients and counselors from different cultural backgrounds. Understanding culture is the key to understanding the mind.

A field of psychology that compares how people from different cultures think, feel, and behave differently — and what we all share in common.

Disorientation or stress that can arise when familiar customs and social cues change in a new cultural setting.

An ongoing commitment to staying open and curious about other people's cultural experiences, rather than assuming you already understand them.

A clinical approach that carefully considers a person's cultural background to better understand and assess their mental health experiences.

Awareness of and respect for cultural differences in values, beliefs, and everyday practices.

The deep sense of loss and grief that comes from leaving behind your culture, homeland, language, and traditions through experiences like immigration or displacement.

The ability to understand, communicate with, and support people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds.

Cultural identity is your sense of belonging to a cultural group and how that connection shapes who you are.

Lasting harm to a group's shared memory and sense of identity after collective violence, oppression, or displacement.

The psychological process of adapting to a new cultural environment while finding balance between one's original culture and the new culture.

Subtle words or actions that send rude or discriminatory messages to minority group members, even when unintentional. Small on their own, but when repeated, they can cause deep psychological harm.

A classification of three types of subtle, indirect discriminatory words and actions directed at minority group members in everyday life. These behaviors, whether intentional or not, communicate negative messages to those from marginalized groups.

Ethnic identity is an aspect of one's self-concept that includes the awareness of belonging to a specific ethnic group, along with the feelings, attitudes, and behaviors associated with that membership.

A concept describing the defensive and uncomfortable reactions that members of dominant racial groups display in conversations about race. It is a psychological phenomenon that makes discussions of racial privilege particularly difficult.

Gender refers to the roles, behaviors, and expectations that society and culture assign to men and women. Unlike biological sex, it is a socially constructed concept learned through socialization.

Gender roles are the norms that society and culture set for the behaviors, attitudes, and traits expected of men and women. They can vary across different eras and cultures.

A deep, inner sense of which gender you belong to. It may or may not align with the biological sex assigned at birth.

Intergenerational trauma occurs when the psychological effects of a major trauma experienced by parents or grandparents are passed down to the next generation. Pain that was never directly experienced can still be transmitted through family.

Minority stress is the chronic, additional psychological burden experienced simply by belonging to a socially marginalized group. Discrimination, prejudice, and social exclusion accumulate over time and significantly impact mental health.

A respectful term for people whose brains work differently from the majority, including those with ADHD, autism spectrum, or dyslexia. This represents diversity, not deficiency.

The idea that human bodies naturally come in many shapes, sizes, colors, and abilities.

Social justice in psychology means recognizing issues of social inequality and discrimination, and working to ensure that everyone has access to fair psychological support.

Implicit racial bias refers to automatic prejudices or stereotypes about certain racial groups that operate without conscious awareness. It can exist in anyone.

Ageism is prejudice or discrimination against people based on their age, most commonly against older adults, but also affecting younger people who are dismissed as inexperienced.

Immigration/migration stress refers to the wide range of psychological difficulties experienced when moving to a new country or culture. It is a major challenge requiring simultaneous adaptation across multiple dimensions including language, culture, identity, and sense of belonging.

Immigrant mental health is a field that addresses how the unique stresses and adaptation challenges experienced during the immigration process affect psychological well-being.

Feeling that two cultures are both part of who you are.

Race-related stress refers to the psychological tension and stress experienced due to one's racial or ethnic background. It is the burden that accumulates in the mind from exposure to discrimination and prejudice.

The idea of saying race “doesn’t matter,” even though that can hide real inequality and lived experience.

Racial Identity Development is the process by which a person's awareness and attitudes toward their own racial background gradually change and mature over time. It's a deep part of exploring the question 'Who am I?'

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to evaluate other cultures using your own culture as the standard, and to believe that your own culture is superior.

This field addresses the unique mental health challenges and psychological needs experienced by people with physical or developmental disabilities.

A child who grows up forming a unique identity that belongs neither to their parents' home culture nor to the culture of the country where they currently live. They are shaped by the experience of navigating multiple cultures during their formative years.

Religious coping refers to using religious beliefs, spiritual practices, or faith communities to manage stress and difficult situations. Prayer, meditation, and community activities can all provide meaningful comfort.

A culture that tends to value group harmony, belonging, and mutual responsibility more strongly than individual independence.

Transculturalism is a perspective in which individuals move fluidly across multiple cultures rather than being bound to one, forming new cultural identities in the process. It emphasizes crossing cultural boundaries to understand and connect with one another.

Changing language, tone, or behavior depending on the social setting or who you are with.

Indigenous Psychology is an approach that seeks to understand people's psychological experiences through the unique perspectives and concepts of their own culture. It is a movement that goes beyond Western-centered psychology to honor the wisdom found in diverse cultural traditions.

Inclusive language is a consciously chosen, respectful way of communicating that avoids excluding or discriminating against any particular group of people.

A Korean culture-related condition in which long-held resentment and anger lead to symptoms such as chest tightness, a sensation of heat, and a feeling of something welling up inside.

A field addressing the unique mental health issues experienced by LGBTQ+ individuals and how to understand and support them. Every person's identity deserves respect, and care tailored to that identity is essential.