The first chapter, “Diversity in service settings,” is written by Marci Hanson for the service providers to realize that there is a strong connection between the way people behave, the range of their needs, and their culture. The author points out that it is extremely important for child and family service providers to take their cultural framework into consideration as it is likely to influence the interactions between them.
To show that the families who belong to different cultural groups have many distinctions that are to be noted to enhance the delivery of the services, the diversity of the population in the United States is considered. Hanson encourages service providers to gain information about the major cultural groups and utilize it to create the basis of respectful communication (Lynch and Hanson 17). The second chapter deals with the conceptual framework and includes the text written by Eleanor Lynch, “From culture shock to cultural learning.”
The author underlines that effective cross-cultural interactions are crucial for service providers who are working with families from different cultures. It is claimed that they tend to experience some discomfort, which occurs to be a cultural shock. Still, it can be overcome, and Lynch tries to explain this process. She identifies the concept of culture shock and discusses its negative side.
Five common reasons for difficulties people face during intercultural interaction are described, and the way how to cope with them is provided. Lynch also claims that race and its background place an immense role as people pay attention to physical differences first of all (Lynch and Hanson 25).
I find the first text convincing as it includes authoritative data such as the demographics statistics. The author is not one-sided as the evaluation of what is likely to happen if the service providers consider and omit cultural sensitivity is involved. Moreover, in different parts of the chapters, service suppliers and recipients are in the limelight. Marci Hanson supports her own ideas with the thoughts of other scientists. The sources she uses are reliable and refer to the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.
The second chapter impressed me as it includes the stages of cultural shock described from different points of view (several families and service providers). Thus, the author’s reflections on the interaction occur to be credible, and the ways of ameliorating she offer become well-grounded. A range of difficulties immigrants may face is taken into consideration so that all aspects of intercultural communication are discussed. As well as Hanson, Lynch uses a number of sources to make her work valid, but only a few of them are up-to-date.
The first chapter held my interest because it describes the connection between cultural peculiarities and the way the services are to be delivered in detail. It is said what professionals should do and explained for what purpose. Thus, potential conflicts and their resolutions can be perceived. The process of intervention is analyzed so that it starts to be clear how the families and service providers treat it, and how they are likely to act in various situations. Still, the second text appealed to me more.
The author provides the readers with the opportunity to be in other people’s shoes. After realizing what difficulties immigrants face and understanding what culture shock is, I had a chance to look at it from different perspectives. These works made me aware of the fact that it is significant to know the peculiarities of various cultures to enhance the process of service delivery.
Work Cited
Lynch, Eleanor, and Marci Hanson. Developing Cross-cultural Competence, Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing, 2011. Print.