3 Things to Know: Cultural Humility

Most people are familiar with the concept of being humble. To be humble is to demonstrate “humility,” which is commonly defined as “freedom from pride or arrogance.” What, then, might it mean to practice “cultural humility?”

1. We move between several different cultures – often without even thinking about it.

Though the term “culture” is often used when describing different ethnic or religious affiliations, most people experience and participate in different cultures just by moving through their daily lives. For example, a person’s family or home culture will likely have distinctly different qualities and behavioral expectations than their work culture, school culture, or social group culture. Because the overall purpose of practicing cultural humility is to be aware of one’s own values and beliefs, it is important to understand that those notions come from the combination of cultures that people experience in their everyday lives. A person cannot begin to understand the makeup and context of another person’s life without being aware and reflective of their own background and situation first.

2. Cultural humility is distinct from cultural competency and reflexivity.

It is important to know the differences between cultural humility and closely related concepts like cultural competency and reflexivity. Cultural competency is a tool for leveling imbalanced patient-provider power dynamics. The shortcomings of this practice, however, have been identified by researchers who reviewed frequently used cultural competency measures. They found that in many frequently used competency measures, whiteness was understood and represented as the norm. Cultural incompetence is then framed as being due to a lack of knowledge about the ‘other.’ In short, the goal of cultural competency is to learn about the other person’s culture rather than reflect on one’s own background.

3. Cultural humility requires historical awareness.

It is not enough to think about one’s own values, beliefs, and social position within the context of the present moment. In order to practice true cultural humility, a person must also be aware of and sensitive to historic realities like legacies of violence and oppression against certain groups of people. For example, the Public Health Service’s Syphilis Experiment at Tuskegee serves as a tragic reminder of how African Americans have been historically deprived of adequate healthcare and have experienced abuse and disrespect in the name of clinical research. The history of mistrust between vulnerable populations and public health institutions has led to understandable skepticism about the purpose and outcomes of research. In order to build trust, the historic, systemic reasons for mistrust— which include the history of slavery, racism, segregation, and more recent lived experience of disrespect at the hands of healthcare providers—must be excavated and made visible.

Excerpted from “3 Things to Know: Cultural Humility” from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health. Read the full post online in the Hogg Foundation’s “3 Things to Know” blog series.

Source: Hogg Foundation | Things to Know: Cultural Humility, https://hogg.utexas.edu/3-things-to-know-cultural-humility | Copyright© Hogg Foundation 2021

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