Cultural Competence: Exploring Personal and Australian Culture

This essay delves into the concept of cultural competence, exploring the author's personal position on the cultural competence continuum and their understanding of indigenous cultures, histories, and contemporary experiences. The essay highlights the author's developed skills in understanding diverse perspectives, attributing this to an ability to grasp the psychological factors influencing individual beliefs. It contrasts the historical impact of British colonization with the enduring cultural practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The author discusses their knowledge of Australian culture and history, acknowledging the influence of Western culture while recognizing the unique aspects of indigenous art. The essay also identifies limitations in cultural understanding, particularly a lack of cultural awareness within the Australian population, impacting workplaces and cultural diversity initiatives. The author references academic sources to support their insights into cultural competence and the Australian context.

Running head: CULTURAL COMPETENCE 1
Cultural Competence
Name
Institutional Affiliate

CULTURAL COMPETENCE 2
Cultural Competence
Where do you place yourself on the continuum of cultural competence?
Over the years I have managed to develop a significant understanding of various
characters whom I am around with on day-to-day activities. I consider myself to have very high
range of cultural competence skills in dealing with both personal and professional level standards
issues. This is mainly due to the ability that I have developed to understand other people
psychological perceptive in various matters and why or how we chose to handle them differently.
The understanding of the psychological perceptive is ideally characterized by the different
psychosocial factors that have acted as triggers in one’s personal beliefs and understanding of
various life theories such as religion and history background (Gerrig, Zimbardo, Campbell,
Cumming, & Wilkes, 2015).
What do you know or not know about the indigenous cultures, histories, and
contemporary experience?
Apart from the effect of British colonization on the Australian cultural ways, the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can be considered as the main direct descendants of
Australia. The two groups have over the years continued to conserve their cultural ways by
various means despite their minority in the population (Ranzijn & Nolan, 2009). One significant
feature has been in existence of the years is the of over 250 languages from the two indigenous
groups. With the change in time also, the two have also changed in various forms such religion
conversion. Most of the current indigenous population from personal observation are mostly
Christians or nonbelievers.
Where and or from did that knowledge come?

CULTURAL COMPETENCE 3
Most of my understanding of the indigenous culture has been through academic material
reading on the history and culture of the indigenous groups of Australia (Ranzijn & Nolan,
2009). Also, as part of great impact in Australia culture I grew wanting to understand the cultural
structure of the entire Australia society. The significant knowledge and understanding of the
indigenous culture has also been through direct relation experiences. Through this, I have been
able to understand most of their worldview perception on major issues such religion and
education as requirement as part of who they are today.
What do you know or not know about Australian culture and history?
Generally, Australian culture can be characterized as mostly western culture. This is
directly related with the colonization effect where most of culture and perception are mostly
equal to any other western nation (Ranzijn & Nolan, 2009). Despite the different form of life of
indigenous culture before colonization, most of the Australian culture today has been an adoption
of British or American culture. Example, most of Australia sports and games, education system,
and especially art portrays very different form life from indigenous culture and history standing
of Australia people (Taylor & Guerin, 2010). One of the main significant aspect that I believe
has posted Australia to be unique is the continuous practice of the indigenous art which portrays
the content of our historical background.
Can you identify any limitations to what know?
One of the main limitation according to cultural understanding in Australia has been the
high significant rate in lack of cultural awareness in the majority of the population. This has been
one of the major reason that has led to the continuous adoption in western culture (Mlcek, 2013).
The effect has also been portrayed in various institutions such as work places where cultural has

CULTURAL COMPETENCE 4
also continued to diminish. Example, work, and diversity have been one major issue in Australia
corporates which is ironic because most cultural diversity is mostly adopted (Gerrig et al., 2015).

CULTURAL COMPETENCE 5
References
Gerrig, R. J., Zimbardo, P. G., Campbell, A. J., Cumming, S. R., & Wilkes, F. J.
(2015). Psychology and life. Pearson Higher Education AU.
Mlcek, S. (2013). Are we doing enough to develop cross-cultural competencies for social
work? British Journal of Social Work, 44(7), 1984-2003.
Ranzijn, R., & Nolan, W. (2009). Psychology and Indigenous Australians: Foundations of
cultural competence. Palgrave Macmillan Australia.
Taylor, K., & Guerin, P. (2010). Health care and Indigenous Australians: cultural safety in
practice. Macmillan Education AU.