Case Study Ethics Social Justice and Advocacy Dimensions

¶ … Ethics, Social Justice & Advocacy Dimensions Cultural diversity case study: Biko Biko has overcome tremendous obstacles to attain his current level of educational and social achievement. However, this inevitably has caused him a great deal of personal stress. He is currently feeling socially marginalized in a largely all-white environment even though he is academically competent. His feelings of guilt regarding his parents' desire for him to attend a historically black college further compound this sense of frustration and alienation.

Biko's lack of a social outlet has resulted in him taking out his anger against his girlfriend. On an individual level, Biko is highly gifted intellectually in terms of his ability in the sciences. However, this gift in understanding things from a mechanical perspective might prove to be an impediment for him empathizing with others. On a group level, Biko identifies as an African-American, a historically-discriminated against group in America that has faced tremendous prejudice.

As an African-American male in particular Biko has likely faced a great deal of prejudice in regards to assumptions that he is less intelligent, more likely to be violent, and 'should' be sexually possessive or virile. No matter how foolish these stereotypes, the cultural effect of such negativity can be difficult to resist. On a universal level, Biko has the same desires for personal validation, to be loved and to be accepted, and also to feel secure in his relationships as all other human beings. Q3.

Rather than simply assuming that Biko is 'bad' because he is angry or because he feels violent impulses, it is essential that the clinician understand Biko's perspective as a young male wishing to retain his sense of masculine identity and his membership in a historically-discriminated against group. The fact that Biko has experienced prejudice is likely to make him more anxious about what he sees as threats to his sense of self and manhood. Biko also has normal sexual impulses but Tanisha does not believe in premarital sex.

This is further causing tension in the relationship. It is equally essential not to be quick to judge Biko, given that Biko has long faced unfair prejudice due to his race, despite his many accomplishments. Given that Biko has had few acceptable outlets for his anger, and also a perhaps understandable worry that as a black man he cannot seem to 'angry' in a white environment, thus the clinician should take this into consideration when evaluating the client through the lens of multicultural competency.

The clinician might not have the same anxieties about being taken 'seriously' as a man, for example, that Biko does. Dealing with race and perceptions of one's self as black is part of the development of African-American cultural identity in a social context. Q4. For the clinician, it is essential that unacceptable behavior (such as violence against a woman) is not tolerated under the guise of multicultural competency.

On the other hand, it is equally essential to understand where Biko's frustrations and outbursts are coming from and not to assume that they are rooted in misogyny. Anger management is a critical component of treating Biko -- Biko must understand where his feelings and impulses.