Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences

THEORIES IN CROSS-CULTURAL
CONTEXTS
 Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences

• During the last two decades, there has been an increased attention towards being able to provide
culturally appropriate mental health services to ethnic and racial minorities.
• This increased vigilance has been mirrored in other areas of counselling such as in vocational
counselling/career guidance.
• In order to be able to better serve culturally different clients, researchers have to be able to develop
career theories and models that are culturally sensitive, effective and appropriate.
• At the same time researchers have to examine the strengths and weaknesses of Western based models
and challenge them so that they can be more applicable on a global/international level (Leong, 1995).
• In order to meet this need in career counselling many scholars have begun to do this on two levels.
– One way is to reformulate the already existing career theories so that greater attention is given to
the cultural, ethnic and racial background of the client.
– The second level involves scholars designing more culturally appropriate career models from
scratch.
 Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences

• Many scholars have argued that in order to improve the process and outcome of career counselling, it
needs to occur within a cultural context (Fouad & Bingham, 1995; Fouad, 1995; Fouad & Arbona,
1994; Leong, 1993; Leong & Brown, 1995; Leong & Hartung, 1997).

• This means that in order to be able to provide career services that are effective, appropriate and
desirable career counsellors need to address issues such as ethnicity, race, identity, language, values,
interpersonal communication style and time orientation, etc. simultaneously to the presenting career
concern.

• This has become even more of a reality in most societies especially as the current demographics
continue to change in diversity. In addition, minorities often are most likely to initially seek
counselling services that address career, work and/ or educational issues.

• If racial and ethnic minority clients initially receive culturally appropriate and effective career
guidance services, it will open the door to additional mental health services in the future, increasing
the likelihood of them coming back when the need arises (Leong, 1993; Sue & Sue, 1990).
 Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences

Theoretical Approaches to Multicultural

Career Development
 Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences

• Recently increased attention and investigation has been directed at examining career theories and
models as they apply to diverse clients within a culturally diverse context (e.g., Fitzgerald & Betz,
1994; Fouad, 1995; Leong, 1995; Savickas, 1995a, 1995b, 2001).
• Some criticisms have arisen from this investigation suggesting a limited applicability to career
counselling within diverse populations.
• Many of the current career theories and models are underdeveloped with regard to diverse groups.
• Many of the present career models and theories have used White, undergraduate college students
when being developed and thus have limited applicability and relevance to culturally diverse
populations (Fitzgerald & Betz, 1994; Triandis, 1994).
• Not only are these original career theories and models limited within their scope of application, but
they are also based upon limited and faulty assumptions, they confuse and/or inappropriately define
terms such as race, ethnicity and minority, and they do not adequately address salient issues for
culturally diverse individuals such as those related to socio-political, socio-economic, social
psychological, and socio-cultural factors (Leong, 1985, 1995; Leong & Serafica, 1995).
 Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences

Multicultural Career Counselling Processes, Techniques and Resources

• Most of the theories of Career Development have failed to account for cultural variables/factors such
as acculturation, language efficiency, values, family piety, etc., that could influence career decisions
and choices.
• As a result these models will remain limited in scope and applicability to diverse populations even if
major culturally sensitive modifications are made to them.
Culture Specific Variables
• As can be seen from the above discussion the field has focused much time and energy to culturally
validating the current major theories.
• On the other hand, an in depth investigation of culture specific variables involved in the process of
career development will help us to better understand the processes involved when counselling
culturally different individuals. A few of these variables are only briefly mentioned here due to
limitations present on space.