This document discusses developing multicultural competence through awareness, knowledge, and skills. It notes that we are all influenced by our 1,000 culture teachers like friends, family, and heroes. These culture teachers shape our cultural beliefs and assumptions. The document recommends exercises for partners to discuss their cultures and cultural influences. It emphasizes the importance of understanding behavior in cultural context and avoiding cultural encapsulation by recognizing other cultural perspectives as valid. Developing multicultural competence requires awareness of one's own cultural influences as well as openness to different cultural experiences and worldviews.

1. DEVELOPING
MULTICULTURAL
COMPETENCE
THROUGH
AWARENESS,
KNOWLEDGE AND
SKILL
By Paul Pedersen
Professor Emeritus Syracuse University,
Visiting Professor, Department of Psychology
University of Hawaii

2. THE FACT IS …
• We each have a thousand culture teachers
clustered around us who we have collected
throughout our life.
• Friends, enemies, relatives, mentors,
heroes, heroines, fantasies of who we want
to be when we grow up.
• Culture is what our culture teachers have
taught us to believe.

3. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CULTURE,
WHATEVER THAT MEANS TO YOU
1. Find a partner, ideally someone you do not already
know.
2. One of you will be a SPEAKER telling about your
culture for 1 minute.
3. Your partner will be a LISTENER without
interruption.
4. The LISTENER will then repeat back everything
the SPEAKER said, felt and meant in 30 seconds.
5. The SPEAKER will then say how accurate and
complete the LISTENER was in 30 seconds.
6. The SPEAKER and LISTENER will then
exchange roles and follow the same procedure a
second time.

4. WHAT ARE YOU DOING AND WHY
ARE YOU DOING IT?
1,000 CULTURE
TEACHERS
WHERE ? WHY ? WHAT ?
FAMILY?
FRIENDS?
CO-WORKERS?
HEROS/HERONES?
THE INTRAPERSONAL CULTURAL GRID

5. DON’T BECOME CULTURALLY
ENCAPSULATED
• Don’t define reality rigidly according to one
set of cultural assumptions.
• Don’t assume your way is the only right
way.
• Don’t disregard evidence that challenges
your assumptions.
• Don’t judge everyone according to your own
self reference criteria.

6. CONCLUSION
• “Culture is complicated, but
“complexity is your friend.”
• “Behavior has no meaning …until
seen in a cultural context.
• Culture controls your life, with or
without your permission.

7. CONCLUSION
• “Culture is complicated, but
“complexity is your friend.”
• “Behavior has no meaning …until
seen in a cultural context.
• Culture controls your life, with or
without your permission.