Which cultures are you a part of? What are three important norms of each of these cultures? Are there any conflicts in norms across the different cultures in which you participate? Explain. If you were to be Rubina’s social worker, what value and norm conflicts might come up in your work with her?

Unit 2 AS: Case Study: Rubina Living Across Cultures
Case Study: Rubina Living Across Cultures

Rubina is a 22-year-old Pakistani American woman who was recommended to an outpatient mental health clinic by her primary care physician due to possible depression and anxiety. On the referral, the physician noted that Rubina has chronic headaches, shortness of breath, and chest pains. The physician has completed thorough physical assessments with bloodwork and believes that Rubina’s symptoms are likely psychosomatic.

At the intake appointment, Rubina is very cooperative and open. She tells the social worker that she was born in the United States to parents from Pakistani origins. Her parents moved to the United States in their 20s, before she was born, for better economic opportunities. Rubina’s parents currently work in the restaurant business and have struggled financially as long as she can remember. Despite their financial struggles, her parents have always emphasized the importance of education and pushed Rubina and her siblings to excel in school. Rubina graduated high school at the top of her class and is currently studying business at an Ivy League school.

Rubina tells the social worker that she is doing well at school and that most of the stress in her life comes from her parents. Rubina lives at home with her mother, father, and three younger siblings. She reports that although her parents have been in the United States for over 20 years, they continue to live their day-to-day lives like “back home.” Rubina clarifies that Pakistan is not home for her—she has only been there a few times on vacation—but that her parents derive all their expectations, rules, and norms from that culture. Expectations that bother Rubina the most include her parents needing to know where she is at all times and that, as the eldest child in the family, she needs to take care of her siblings (by helping with homework every day and driving them around to extracurricular activities). It also really bothers her that her parents expect her to listen to them unconditionally, although she is in her last semester of college.

Values of respecting one’s elders, honoring one’s parents, and helping family members are very strong within the family, and Rubina feels extremely guilty anytime she tries to put her needs before her family’s. It’s during these times that Rubina’s unexplained body aches and pains seem to flare up the most. When Rubina tries to assert herself, she is met with a lot of resistance and told she is trying to act “American.” This causes a lot of cognitive dissonance for Rubina because she was born in the United States and, as a result, often feels American. On some days, however, when Rubina hears about hate crimes toward members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in the news, she reports feeling more “Brown” and that perhaps her mother is right—that she is not a real American. Because Rubina doesn’t relate to the Pakistani culture much, she feels cultural dysphoria and often feels out of place wherever she goes.

While trying to navigate through cultural identity issues, Rubina tells the social worker that she recently started practicing Islam after joining her university’s Muslim Student Association (MSA). She really likes how culturally diverse the MSA is and has become friends with many second-generation immigrants from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, like herself, as well as recent North, Central, and South American converts. Rubina feels that she can relate to her peers in the MSA about culture issues and young adulthood issues in ways she can’t with her family. Attending MSA lectures and interacting with other Muslims has helped her explore religion in ways she had not before. Rubina feels that religion gives her a stronger sense of identity and makes her feel more grounded.

Rubina tells the social worker that her new interest in Islam was not warmly received at home, although her family identifies themselves as Muslim. When Rubina started to learn more about religion from sources outside her family, she came to realize that her parents misused religion to enforce their cultural values during her childhood. For example, if Rubina ever disagreed with her parents about an issue, even respectfully, her mother would tell her that Rubina was displeasing Allah (God). Rubina doesn’t know if her parents did this knowingly or out of ignorance but indicates that she is resentful of her parents either way. Rubina has more recently become vocal at the dinner table about issues important to her, but her parents scoff at her ideas.

In the past two months, Rubina began to experiment with the hijab (Islamic headscarf) for the first time, and this has further exacerbated conflicts at home. Rubina says that when she wears her hijab, she feels closer and more connected to God. Although Rubina’s parents are considered conservative by most standards, they told her to not wear the hijab because of the recent increase in anti-Muslim sentiment within their local community. Rubina feels that her parents’ views of the hijab only substantiate her claims that her parents pick and choose standards that are convenient for them.

Rubina appears to understand that difficult family dynamics are likely causing her physical ailments, but she tells the social worker she doesn’t know how to manage her stress in healthy ways. She is willing to try counseling and expresses some optimism that even if counseling doesn’t work, at least she will have someone to talk to who won’t judge her.—Najwa Awad

Questions and case study from:

Hutchison, E. D., & Charlesworth, L. W. (2022). Essentials of human behavior: integrating person, environment, and the life course. SAGE Publishing.

 

HB Unit 2: Self-Awareness and Values for Social Work Practice

The purpose of this assignment is to understand human behavior in the context of the intersectionality and cultural influences. Intersectionality allows us the opportunity to view behavior and development through the lens of culture and the impact of societal bias.

Read the following case study and answer the following questions:

Which cultures are you a part of? What are three important norms of each of these cultures? Are there any conflicts in norms across the different cultures in which you participate? Explain. If you were to be Rubina’s social worker, what value and norm conflicts might come up in your work with her?

As you think about Rubina’s story, what implicit biases do you think people might have about her in the classroom, on the street or at the shopping mall, and at home? What are your reactions to the racial categories used by the U.S. Census Bureau? What do you think of the proposal to add a racial category of “Middle Eastern and North African” to census data? How important are race and ethnicity in your own life? Explain.

Compare and contrast the cultural experiences that Rubina is having as a young adult with your own young adult experiences, considering the following themes: cultural values, cultural ideology, cultural symbols, language, cultural norms, subcultures, and countercultures. Now imagine that you and Rubina change places for a day. How do you think you might react to the values, symbols, and norms of Rubina’s life situation?

How do you think she might react to the values, symbols, and norms of your life situation?

This case study and questions have been adapted from: Hutchison, E. D., & Charlesworth, L. W.(2021). Essentials of human behavior: Integrating person, environment, and the life course. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Upload your Assignment as a Word document, 500 words, APA format.

Last Completed Projects