Italian American Cultural Identity and Counseling Competence

Introduction: Culture, Identity, and Counseling Self-Awareness

One's ethnicity and culture are important to consider when counseling others. Everyone has a perspective, and if one is unaware of how that perspective colors one's outlook, it can lead to bias or unintentional prejudice in the way one treats others. Thus, understanding one's own culture is just as important as understanding the culture, values, and experiences of others (Hulnick, 1977). As Pedersen and Pope (2016) show, counseling requires empathy—and if one does not know oneself, it becomes difficult to truly know others. Knowledge starts at home: in empathizing with ourselves, we can begin to empathize with others.

Italian American Ethnic Identity

I identify as a Caucasian Italian American. I consider myself American first and foremost, but my family ancestry traces back to Italy. Racially, I would say I am white, though many Italians have a darker complexion and Mediterranean facial features that can make cultural identification difficult at a glance. Many Italians could pass for Middle Eastern, Eastern European, or Spanish, reflecting the many different ethnic strains present in Italy. I consider myself American because this is where I was raised, but my family is Italian going back many generations, and we have a good deal of Italian heritage and customs that we enjoy honoring.

What I appreciate about my ethnic group is our honesty. Italians—at least the ones in my family—love to be expressive, wear their emotions on their sleeve, and get excited about life. In my mind, it is an innocent and lovable quality. It is rare to find a shy Italian, at least in my experience, though I am sure they exist. My grandmother was born in Foggia and emigrated here with her family when she was six years old. Family is central in Italian culture, and so too is food. The Italians in my family love to cook, share meals, and celebrate those moments together.

One of the things I dislike about my ethnic group is that it has lost some of its connection with the Old World. My grandmother never returned to visit the country in which she was born. I know that Italy has a rich history, but my family does not seem to know much about it. Italy is a very Catholic country, yet my own family has not retained much of the Catholic tradition—partly, I believe, because of assimilation in America. I wish there were more genuine, authentic ethnic culture to hold onto, but it seems that my group has not felt it worthwhile to preserve much from Italy beyond food.

Memories of Cultural Differences and Coming to America

My earliest memories of cultural and racial difference go back to childhood, when I was out with my mother and grandmother. We entered a restaurant in a part of the city we rarely visited. Among the diners were a number of African Americans. My grandmother shouted an Italian slang term that carries a derogatory meaning toward African Americans. My mother and I were both embarrassed. My grandmother was not truly a racist, but like many Italians she would speak before thinking—one of the peculiar characteristics of people in my family. Words came out before anyone stopped to consider their impact. The incident made me realize we were different from other Caucasians in a particular way: we were Italian. We were never quiet about anything, regardless of who might hear.

As one might infer from that memory, racial and ethnic humor was never absent from my family. It was simply part of the culture. Back then, everyone made fun of everyone else, and it was rarely done with genuine malice. Italians made fun of other European ethnicities—German, Polish, Jewish, French, and English—just as others made fun of Italians. Much of the twentieth century was far less politically correct than it is today, and that context should not be overlooked. Still, that way of speaking does color one's perspective, and it was a challenge to recognize—as I did while going through school—that cultural competence is required to be an effective leader and counselor.

My grandmother came to America with her family after World War I. Italy was going through major changes at the time, as were many countries, and it was believed that emigrating was the best solution, since my great-grandfather had a brother here who appeared to be prospering. It was hard for my grandmother—she had no siblings and did not know English. Her father was also an alcoholic, which made matters worse. But the Italian community here helped, and there was also a significant German community, with a great deal of intermarriage between families, so there was genuine community support in the end.

References

Hulnick, H. R. (1977). Counselor: Know thyself. Counselor Education and Supervision, 17(1), 69–72.

Pedersen, P. B., & Pope, M. (2016). Toward effectiveness through empathy. Counseling Across Cultures, 1–18.