Culturally Competent Counterfeit: Disengaged

Cultural Competence is rooted in appreciation of difference. Maslow described this character as “democratic values.” He sought to describe individuals who possessed openness to ethnic and individual variety.

I reinterpret Maslow’s observations, and rename this character cultural competence. Cultural competence maintains the openness to difference and adds an intentional support of complementary relationships. In addition to valuing the contributions of others, cultural competence presupposes an awareness of the deficits in yourself and the deficits in those you would collaborate with.

The counterfeit of cultural competence is the disengaged character. As a disengaged individual, you lack a connection between your deficits and abilities and the deficits and abilities of the other. You are not interested enough in the other to explore mutual benefit that can result in increased capacity for the other. Often, your calculation is a one-sided recognition of what the other can provide to you. You expect that the other should be happy to be included in your plans. Without an open discussion of needs and contributions clearly shared among the group, you diminish the practical incentives toward collaboration. When participants voice deficit needs, you rethink the wisdom of the collaboration and may seek separation.

People initially see you as a ready collaborator and a gracious host. But, your true character is displayed when your goals are threatened by the deficits of the others. You begin to question the collaboration and the commitment of the others. You state, “I tried to include them, but it didn’t work out.” You have nothing but “good” things to say about failed collaborators, but the compliments are back-handed and evidence your disengagement more than the failures of the other.

To be truly culturally competent is to realize that partnership is a sharing of destiny and history. The vigor and interest typically experienced in the initial convening activity should include assessment of deficits and historical development in addition to the goals of the current collaboration.

Realize that the other may not be aware of the deficits and solutions. Your commitment in collaboration is to contribute to solutions by informing yourself of the needs of the other and maintaining reflectiveness about how you advanced to the position you currently inhabit.

An opportunity exists for you and me to help each other achieve. We can help each other identify deficits and solutions that we would not have identified in isolation and could not have solved alone.

Unique Counterfeit: Contradictory

Unique is a reasoned individual contribution in the context of the larger culture. Maslow states that these individuals resisted enculturation. In clarifying Maslow’s meaning, I focus more on the action of the individual contribution rather than the resistance. Think first of your responsibility to yourself, then reason your contribution to society. Our collective needs and donations provide the pull and push that powers culture.

The counterfeit of uniqueness is contradictory. As a contradictory individual, you state contradictions to the brainstorms of others as the devil’s advocate. You quote common contradictions to accepted culture. You are active in your intention to present yourself as free from the influences of culture, yet your contribution is often cliché or otherwise trite. You want the group to focus on you and your supposed uniqueness, but your contradictions only serve to cause spectacle and frustrate group innovation.

You want to contribute to the group discussion, but you do not evidence the reasoning and foundation of information that would support your pretend wisdom. You possess the boldness and the agency that are characteristic of uniqueness, but you lack the thoughtfulness and the defensible knowledge base. You erroneously think that innovation means denying that the decisions of the past have worth. Because of this missed learning opportunity, you often suggest repeating past failures under new names.

To be truly unique is to actively contribute to the creation of culture with a reasoned approach to supporting or redirecting individual and collective actions. Uniqueness is based in knowledge of self, the contribution of others, the mechanism of culture, and the impact of culture on behavior. Unique individuals are able to experiment with new inputs to the mechanism and model the resultant behaviors in ways that articulate interrelatedness and options for the group.

Autonomous Counterfeit: Skeptical

Autonomous means relying on your own experiences and judgments to provide context for new information. Maslow described this quality as “independent of culture and environment.” To Maslow’s meaning, I add two concepts: reciprocity and engagement. Reciprocity joined to autonomy recognizes the give and take between the individual and the cultural environment. Engagement joined to autonomy requires you to actively seek that give and take. You cannot sustainably define yourself by the community, but it is important to realize how your environment shapes you as well as your opportunity to shape your environment.

The counterfeit of autonomy is skepticism. As a skeptical individual, you pick and choose among new information counteracting calls to personal responsibility and the duty to contribute to the common good. You often speak of “gut feelings” and anecdotal evidence that contradicts information garnered from multiple sources. Often, this character is so practiced that you are surprised when asked to produce objective evidence. You hold up confirmations with vocal wonder about the growth and learning of the other, questioning, “Is he ready for this?”

You strive to be the voice of caution—to be received as wise and self-reliant. But, your contribution to the group is only an attempt to self-aggrandize—to make yourself an authority. We may, at first, act on your slight evidence due to your insistence, but your lie will gradually be ferreted by the presentation of evidence to the contrary. What is more, your relationships with others will fail due to your refusal to take responsibility and your flippant attitude toward the group setback that your skepticism has caused.

To be truly autonomous, use your own experiences as a funnel, not a filter. Review all new information without prejudice or predilection. Recognize that your growth and learning occurs in the context of information gleaned from the culture and environment. Your decisions about action result from an objective assessment of the best route for you as individually responsible for your choices. Also insist that your success contribute to the success of the group. Realize that others are capable of similar growth and learning by information. Your question is not whether another has grown, but whether she has been informed.

Private Counterfeit: Isolated

Private is a comfort with and purposefulness in being alone. Maslow termed it “need for privacy.” To Maslow’s expression of meaning, I add the construct of self-development. Individuals enjoy a break from the expectations of other people, but the central question is in the extent to which your interactions were expressions of yourself or reflections of the expectations of others. It is important to separate yourself from community with the intent to return to community with a fresh perspective and a surer sense of self.

The counterfeit of private is isolated. As an isolated individual, you refuse to participate in social discourse that proposes to shape you and others. You may prefer to shape others only, so that you are perceived as righteous or wise. You may seek to place yourself above others clinging to a sense of safety. As a result, others in the group become guarded and the opportunity for authenticity and development is lost.

You want people to think that you are a thinker, deep in thought. But, your communications never place your perceptions on the line. You are never caught in self-introspection or doubt. You are certain of every utterance, sure of every idea, and clear about the failure of others when your ideas do not pan out. But, the group does not know you, your motivations, and your intentions. We may be tolerant while we interpret, but once we know that you never risk, we will not risk with you. Leadership or team membership is never the job of the infallible. Success follows she who develops individually and within the group.

To be truly private requires that time alone is time spent gaining self-awareness. Ask yourself the challenging questions. Do not just assume that the knee-jerk reactions you have to situations are your true response. Time away from the pressures of human interaction is opportunity to consider scenarios and different courses of action. If you were to react in a different way, what outcomes would result? Explore the options. Settle on an approach that is consistent with the person you want to be. Return to community ready to engage.