Navigating Cultural Dynamics vs. Dysfunctional Relationship Patterns

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Culture is always changing, shaped by the social and historical environments around it. It develops through groups of people who share ideas, values, and ways of speaking. These communities are not isolated; they interact with the larger world and evolve as society and history change. Through ongoing exchanges, they build and spread cultural practices and beliefs. This constant process of interaction helps culture stay flexible and responsive to new situations while reflecting on the world around it. This change also affects an individual’s inner world, relationships, and a way of understanding the world since culture affects an individual’s inner world and impacts the therapeutic process. Culturally sensitive therapy means understanding and integrating how a person’s cultural background influences their values and experiences into therapy to create a safe space for individuals to feel respected and supported when addressing issues. Culturally sensitive therapy can offer better insights into how family expectations, norms, and personal values impact relationships with others and self. Through the therapeutic process, people can work towards balancing their cultural identities, values, and personal goals. This can lead to more significant therapeutic outcomes. In this therapy sketch, we will examine cultural dynamics and their effects on relationships.

How Does Culture Impact the Inner World of Individuals?

Culture has a significant impact on a person’s inner world. Wachtel (2014) highlights the connection between culture and inner work in his work on Cyclical Psychodynamics. According to Wachtel, emotions, thoughts, and behavior are in constant interaction with the broader cultural and social context. Because individuals do not exist in isolation, their psychological processes are deeply influenced by the cultural and social environments in which they live. This interaction shapes how people perceive themselves, their relationships, and their place in society. As a result, culture affects not only individual identity but also how personal psychological issues are experienced and understood (Wachtel, 2014). Also, culture actively interacts with the personality traits of individuals. A qualitative study conducted with 7.000 people from 28 societies, it is found that when a person’s personality traits, such as extraversion, align with the dominant traits in their culture, it amplifies the positive effects on self-esteem and well-being. In cultures where traits like extraversion are more common, individuals who share those traits tend to report higher life satisfaction and better psychological health. This highlights that the fit between personal traits and cultural context can enhance or reduce the psychological benefits that individuals experience, further reinforcing the powerful role of culture in shaping the inner world (Fulmer et al., 2010)

What is culturally sensitive therapy?

Culturally sensitive therapy emphasizes understanding a person’s background and belief system that relates to their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and other factors that outline culture and identity. Therapists with cultural sensitivity reflect respect for differences in cultures, values, attitudes, and opinions and aim to provide a safe space for effective treatment. They also recognize how cultural lenses influence people’s points of view about the world, relationships, and mental health. Studies show that people from different cultures may have unique ways of thinking about health, illness, and mental wellness (Kirmayer, 2001). Culturally sensitive therapy can help people to feel safer and more understood. This leads to more likely open conversation, trust, and better therapeutic outcomes (Sue & Sue, 2012).

Cultural Sensitivity in Therapy: Importance and Challenges in Therapy

As mentioned above, cultural sensitivity in therapy causes significant improvements in therapy settings. It also allows therapists to maintain cultural competence. Cultural competence means understanding how culture influences one’s relationships with others and responding to different cultures. Having cultural sensitivity and cultural competence in therapy is important to eliminate some challenges that can occur in therapy as follows:

In some cultures, family obligations are highly valued, and people may feel a strong sense of duty. They tend to prioritize family needs over personal goals. These goals coming from family can conflict with the goals set in therapy.
In certain cultures, direct expressions of emotions may be discouraged. This might cause people to struggle to discuss sensitive topics openly. It can make conveying feelings difficult in therapy and lead to misunderstandings (Sue & Sue, 2012). Also, gestures, eye contact, and tone of voice may have different meanings across cultures (Hall, 1989). That also might complicate understanding and conveying feelings during the therapy.
Mental health can be stigmatized in some cultures. It might be associated with weakness or personal failure. This can prevent people from fully engaging in therapy or openly discussing their issues (Ahad, 2023).
Changes in cultural dynamics can also be challenging because culture is not static. It constantly evolves in response to social, economic, and political influences. As cultural values shift over time, they can impact relationships, especially within families, where different generations or individuals may respond differently to these changes. This value change can be reflected in the therapy process as well. Let’s closely examine cultural dynamics and how they can influence relationship patterns.

What is Cultural Dynamics

Cultural dynamics means that continuous and evolving changes within a culture over time. As mentioned above, culture is something dynamic. Internal and external factors shape it. Therefore, it adapts, evolves, and responds to new influences. Some critical aspects of cultural dynamics include:

Cultural Change: Cultures can be affected by social, political, economic, and environmental factors. These factors can be big/small or slow/fast. However, no matter how they happen, they impact various aspects of a culture (traditions, values, norms, and behaviors). For example, in today’s world, more women are joining the workforce and participating in leadership roles.
Generational Shifts: Different generations may have different perspectives, values, and preferences. As younger generations grow up and join society, they can contribute to shifts in cultural dynamics. For example, today, younger generations may prefer more casual work environments or remote working settings, while older generations may prefer more formal settings. Therefore, remote, flexible, freelance jobs are currently found in the market more than they used to be
Cultural Conflict: Cultural dynamics can also involve conflicts or tensions between different cultural groups or within a single culture. These conflicts may revolve around differing beliefs, values, and identities. For example, parents may want their children to follow traditional career paths in some families, while children may wish to explore creative jobs.
Migration and Immigration: Migration and immigration can introduce new cultures to host countries and integrate diverse cultural influences. For example, hamburgers and pizza can now be found in many countries worldwide, even if they are not traditional foods there.
Globalization: Through communication, travel, and media, cultures are exposed to influences from other cultures. This globalization can lead to the blending of various cultures. For example, you can find items that are not common in your local store through online shopping platforms.
Innovation and Creativity: Innovation and creativity in areas such as art, literature, music, and technology can influence cultural dynamics. New ideas can reshape cultural norms and traditions. For example, social media apps have changed how people communicate and share information with each other, such as sending memes to convey emotion.
Cultural Revival: Sometimes, certain traditional practices or values may be revived to preserve cultural heritage. For example, some people from the younger generation may learn old languages or dances to keep their cultural traditions alive.

Reflection of Cultural Dynamics on Relationships

Cultural dynamics often lead to positive changes that enhance knowledge and build connections among unique cultures. However, cultural dynamics and how they change can sometimes lead to dysfunctional relationship patterns in multiple settings.

Family relations: In many cultures, family is considered one of life’s most essential values and can be one of the driving forces behind decisions. However, as generations grow, younger family members may encounter difficulties between pursuing their dreams and following the path their family deemed best for them. This can cause low self-esteem, difficulty identifying their dreams and passions due to the influence of their family, or wariness towards pursuing their path for fear of disappointing their family.
Romantic relationships: Cultural values and expectations can also shape how people approach love, marriage, and romantic relationships. This can pressure individuals to conform to traditional norms, even if those norms do not align with their personal preferences. This can cause hopelessness, frustration, guilt, or loneliness.
Work Relations: Cultural dynamics can also impact work relationships. In some cultures, there may be strong expectations around hierarchy and respect for authority, affecting how employees communicate with supervisors and colleagues. This can cause anxiety, low self-esteem, or burnout.

How can culture impact romantic relationships?

As mentioned above, culture can reflect relationships deeply because a person’s cultural background shapes how they perceive relationships, expectations, and roles. For example, in one culture, family approval can be very important, while in another, personal choice is more valued. Another example can be communication differences due to culture, which can reflect on relationships. One can hide feelings from one’s partner because keeping emotions private might be more common than expressing them. Cultural differences can also impact the meaning of different concepts in relationships, such as commitment, showing affection, and loyalty. To sum up, differences in multiple areas in terms of culture can make it harder for couples to understand or adjust to one another.

How can couples therapy help?

Evidence-proof methods like the Gottman Method can help couples balance cultural differences and navigate cultural dynamics. Gottman Method can guide couples in creating strong bonds by implementing the Sound Relationship House Model. According to Dr. John Gottman, the Sound relationship house model outlines components for a solid relationship, which is like the sturdy foundation of a house. This house has multiple floors, such as building love maps, sharing foundation and admiration, turning towards instead of away, a positive perspective, managing conflict, making life dreams come true, and creating shared meanings (Scott, 2024).

Build Love Maps: The love map is described as a guide to partners’ inner worlds. Since the inner world includes beliefs, values, and practices that stem from culture, asking questions about these beliefs, values, and practices helps partners get to know each other. When partners know these details, they understand what is important to them and why. This helps both parties feel seen, valued, and respected.
Share Foundation and Admiration: This floor means recognizing each other’s positive qualities. For couples who come from different backgrounds, this can mean celebrating or appreciating what each person brings to the table from their culture. This might be a traditional practice or celebration day. Sharing a foundation and admiration for culture-related qualities can strengthen the bond between partners.
Turn toward instead of Away: This floor means responding positively to your partner when attention or support is needed. For couples who come from different cultural backgrounds, this can mean being curious about each other’s traditions or bidding (making a gesture) while listening to stories about cultural experiences. Turning toward this can show that each person supports the cultural experiences or needs in terms of culture.
The Positive Perspective: This floor means seeing the best in each other. Cultural differences can cause misunderstandings. For example, one partner’s tradition or cultural custom might seem strange to another. Keeping the perspective positive can help partners see good intentions in behaviors, even though they do not understand perfectly clearly.
Manage Conflict: Conflict is natural in every relationship, but cultural differences sometimes create extra challenges. For example, punctuality might be valued in one culture, and being late is disrespectful, while in other cultures, a more relaxed timing can be more common. One partner can be frustrated, and the other is generally late and does not understand that it’s not intended to disrespect but rather a difference in cultural attitude. The Gutmann method helps couples discuss disagreements openly, have gentle communication, and how to soothe themselves in floating moments.
Make Life Dreams Come True: This floor means supporting each other’s goals and dreams. For couples who come from different cultural backgrounds, this can mean keeping traditions alive or passing cultural values to the children. Couples can create a future together by supporting each other’s personal and cultural goals.
Create Shared Meanings: This floor creates a life with shared beliefs, values, and practices. For couples who come from different cultural backgrounds, this can mean blending and merging traditions or creating new ones that reflect both cultures. For example, couples can celebrate holidays from both cultures and create practices that reflect elements from each culture. Couples can create a future together by creating shared meanings that reflect each partner’s uniqueness.

How is it addressed in therapy?

When cultural issues come up during therapy, it’s essential to understand a person’s cultural background and how it has affected their life. This helps show respect for their culture and helps the therapist see how culture plays a role in the person’s experiences. As the therapy relationship grows, people can start talking about how their culture has shaped their challenges, such as feeling pressure from family expectations or having low self-esteem. Over time, they can find ways to stay connected to their culture while pursuing their goals and dreams. This process can be complex, but it helps lead to a more fulfilling life. It also has the potential to influence future generations positively (Sue & Sue, 2012).

Takeaways:

Culturally sensitive therapy emphasizes understanding a person’s background and belief system that relates to their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and other factors that outline culture and identity.”
Culturally sensitive therapy can help people to feel safer and more understood.
Cultural competence in therapy helps address family, romantic relationships, and work relations challenges.
By understanding cultural backgrounds, therapy can help clients navigate cultural pressures and maintain a healthy balance between cultural identity and personal goals.

References

Wachtel, P. L. (2014). Cyclical psychodynamics and the contextual self: The inner world, the intimate world, and the world of culture and society. Routledge.
Fulmer, C. A., Gelfand, M. J., Kruglanski, A. W., Kim-Prieto, C., Diener, E., Pierro, A., & Higgins, E. T. (2010). On “feeling right” in cultural contexts: How person-culture match affects self-esteem and subjective well-being. Psychological Science, 21(11), 1563-1569.
Kirmayer LJ. Cultural variations in the response to psychiatric disorders and emotional distress. Soc Sci Med. 1989;29(3):327-39. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(89)90281-5. PMID: 2669146.
Sue, S., & Sue, D. W. (2012). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Wiley.
Liefbroer, A. C., & Mulder, C. H. (2006). Family obligations. Family solidarity in the Netherlands, 123-145.
Hall, E. T. (1989). The silent language. Doubleday.
Ahad, A. A., Sanchez-Gonzalez, M., & Junquera, P. (2023). Understanding and Addressing Mental Health Stigma Across Cultures for Improving Psychiatric Care: A Narrative Review. Cureus, 15(5), e39549. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.39549
Scott, J. (2024, June 25). What is The Sound Relationship House? The Gottman Institute. https://www.gottman.com/blog/what-is-the-sound-relationship-house/

While our physical offices are located in South Loop and Lakeview neighborhoods in Chicago, Illinois for in-person sessions, we also welcome and serve clients for online therapy from anywhere in Illinois and Washington, D.C. Clients from the Chicagoland area may choose in-office or online therapy and usually commute from surrounding areas such as River North, West Loop, Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lake View, Rogers Park, Logan Square, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Little Village, Bronzeville, South Shore, Hyde Park, Back of the Yards, Wicker Park, Bucktown and many more.

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At Roamers Therapy, our psychotherapists are here to support you through anxiety, depression, trauma and relationship issues, race-ethnicity issues, LGBTQIA+ issues, ADHD, Autism, or any challenges you encounter. Our psychotherapists are trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Acceptance, and Commitment Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, and Gottman Therapy.

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This page is also part of the Roamers Therapy Glossary; a collection of mental-health related definitions that are written by our therapists.

While our offices are currently located at the South Loop neighborhood of Downtown Chicago, Illinois, we also welcome and serve clients for online therapy from anywhere in Illinois and Washington, D.C. Clients from the Chicagoland area may choose in-office or online therapy and usually commute from surrounding areas such as River North, West Loop, Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lake View, Rogers Park, Logan Square, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Little Village, Bronzeville, South Shore, Hyde Park, Back of the Yards, Wicker Park, Bucktown and many more. You can visit our contact page to access detailed information on our office location.