The Challenges of Intercultural Marriage: Strategies for Pastoral Care (original) (raw)

2003, Pastoral Psychology

https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PASP.0000010024.32499.32

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Abstract

In this article, the author describes the unique issues associated with intercultural marriage. A case illustration provides the springboard for presenting specific pastoral care and counseling strategies that may be helpful to intercultural couples. These strategies include assessing worldview and acculturation, creating spiritual and cultural genograms, reframing cultural challenges, collaborating with indigenous healers, inventing new rituals, and developing the advocacy role.

Key takeaways

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  1. Intercultural marriages face unique challenges, leading to higher divorce rates than monocultural unions.
  2. Pastoral care strategies include assessing worldview, creating genograms, and reframing cultural challenges.
  3. Clergy should understand cultural definitions of race, culture, and ethnicity for effective counseling.
  4. Financial disagreements often stem from differing cultural beliefs about money and gender roles.
  5. Encouraging couples to invent new rituals can help bridge cultural gaps and strengthen relationships.

Marriage preparation, pastoral accompaniment, and relationship quality among migrant and intercultural couples in the Netherlands

Family Forum, 2023

This quantitative survey among migrant and intercultural couples in the Netherlands investigates the relationships between marriage preparation, pastoral accompaniment and relationship quality. Relationship quality may be negatively influenced by a process of cultural transition, by instability of the relationship itself or by underdeveloped communication skills between partners. Participants (n=223) have been married in the Catholic Church between 1995 and 2021. Correlations between various religious and spiritual activities and relationship quality have been calculated through linear regression analysis. Results show that overall, migrant couples and intercultural couples appreciate a more intensive, professional, and welcoming Marriage and Relationship Education (MRE) and pastoral accompaniment after marriage. It is also concluded that seeking reconciliation after a conflict (r=0.361) and experiencing forgiveness from one's spouse (r=0.188) are significantly associated with a higher perceived relationship quality. Finally, data indicate that migrants with a non-Western cultural background show a significant pattern of cultural defence (μ=-0,375) in comparison to Dutch people.

Stress and Coping Techniques in Successful Intercultural Marriages

2004

The number of intercultural marriages has grown significantly in the past few decades, as have the numbers of intercultural couples presenting for marital and family therapy. Current literature on intercultural relationships states that they are at a high risk for failure, with higher divorce rates and lower marital satisfaction reported than for same culture marriages. Few actual research studies have been conducted to prove or disprove these theories, and no studies have looked at how successful couples have dealt with the stressors stated in the literature such that they remain married and report high marital satisfaction. This study was an exploratory study on the stress and coping techniques successful couples have utilized in their relationships, based on the ABCX model of stress and coping. Six couples were interviewed on what stressors they have faced, what resources they have accessed and built to combat those stressors, and what their perceptions of their challenges have been. Several themes emerged. Couples revealed common stressors from family and society disapproval, language barriers, logistics, cultural barriers and traditions, and children. Coping resources included humor, learning about the other's culture, support, communication, personal preparation, working towards common goals, and religion.

Working with intercultural couples

Karnac eBooks, 2010

This document is the published version of ''Working with intercultural couples'. It is reproduced here with the kind permission of Karnac Books Karnac Books can be found at http://www.karnacbooks.com/ You are encouraged to consult the remainder of this publication if you wish to cite from it.

Pastoral care in communities under transition: Interplay between care and culture

In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi

This article contributes to pastoral care within communities under transition. It seeks to contribute to the corpus of literature that relates pastoral care with culture and, particularly, multicultural contexts. It seeks to critically engage with pastoral care approaches that has dominated three strands of pastoral care. James, Boisen and Hiltner represent modern pastoral care in the United States of America and theologies of Tillich, Hiltner and the ‘secular’ theologians of the 1960s influenced British pastoral theology. The third strand, African perspective, lacks coherency and consistency as illustrated by the Society for Intercultural Pastoral Care and Counselling (1988–2008), Pastoral Care and Counselling Today Manuscript (1991) and The African Association for Pastoral Studies and Counselling (1985). This article analysis narrative as a methodology for pastoral care.After an overview of pastoral care and culture, different approaches of pastoral care are discussed. A narrative...

The Intersection of Catholic Social Teaching, Internationalization, and Marriage and Family Therapy: Lessons from the Borderlands

Journal of Catholic Education, 2011

This article explores the relevance and challenge of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) and internationalization to the Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) program at the University of San Diego. These issues are discussed in the context of a graduate level course on human diversity that culminated in a 1-day cultural immersion and service learning trip to Tijuana, Mexico. Students learned firsthand about the legacies of colonialism, poverty, and injustice as well as the resilience and potential of rural Mexican communities to transform these experiences into new cultural and business practices, healing, and survival against many odds. Excerpts from student essays suggest the potential for MFT programs to create a space in Catholic higher education in which the intersection of CST and MFT could be openly examined and realized with opportunities to create new knowledge and energy to work for social change and justice beyond the borders. The pedagogical challenges, recommendations, and areas for future inquiry are discussed.

Offering Culturally Congruent Christian Care

Journal of Christian Nursing, 2019

ABSTRACT: Nurses provide care for people of many cultures. Understanding the patient's culture and incorporating cultural beliefs and practices into care are important to the patient's holistic well-being. Cultural and professional awareness creates culturally congruent care. Biblical teachings remind us to love one another; laws require culturally appropriate care, and nursing theory lays the path for understanding. The purpose of this article is to present a Christian view of caring, the theoretical and ethical underpinnings of cultural care, and the organizational and legal aspects of doing what is right.

The Hermeneutics of Intercultural Pastoral Care: From 'Psyche' to 'Position' (Habitus) Within the Healing Dynamics of Life (Cura Vitae)

Scriptura, 2013

In a systemic approach to life care (cura vitae), position and habitus becomes more predominant as guiding constructs in theory formation for a pastoral anthropology than personality and behaviour and their relatedness to psychoanalyses. It is argued that habitus is directly connected to the Biblical principle of wisdom (sapientia), as well as to the spiritual dimension of meaning. In a praxis approach habitus should play a decisive role in intercultural care. In this regard paradigms and the analyses of the appropriateness of constructs containing dominant life views and belief systems become extremely important in the making of a pastoral diagnosis. In this regard an existential approach for an intercultural pastoral hermeneutics is proposed.

Crossing Cultures in Marriage: Implications for Counseling African American/African Couples

International Journal for The Advancement of Counselling, 2008

A wealth of literature exists regarding intermarriage between White and ethnic minority couples. Noticeably lacking, however, is information considering within-group diversity amongst Black couples. This paper will focus on cultural dynamics that may operate with African American and African couples residing in the United States. Through an examination of within-group differences and similarities, counselors can be better prepared to assist such couples in addressing and negotiating possible cross-cultural challenges. A case study example will be considered with critical incidents discussed and essential cross-cultural counseling competencies will be addressed.

Multiculturalism in counseling and therapy: Marriage and family issues

International journal of psychology and behavioral sciences, 2016

The world is changing very fast toward cultural pluralism. It is predicted that most of the societies will be more diverse in 21st century. Cultural differences denied for centuries in therapeutic interventions are no more acceptable. Multicultural counseling and therapy are in fact a strong trend in response to this urgent need. That is the reason for multiculturalism to be considered the fourth force in psychology. All counseling and therapy issues and interventions are somewhat cross-cultural. How a client views the world is important insofar as it contrasts with the counselor’s. Many Eastern and Western cultures are considered different according to different perspectives. Family as a powerful social institution is the matrix of cultural identity of its members. In recent years, culture turned to occupy a key position in family therapy. Couples have learned to identify with cultural values and biases of their own families throughout their childhood. Family counselors and therapi...

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Christian Counselors’ Resources for Multi-Cultural Understanding and Counseling

Journal of Psychology and Theology, 1995

Seven resources are discussed that Christian counselors have to offer multi-cultural counseling and understanding: a viable epistemology, a sense of community, a universal story, a recognition of the supernatural, a paradigm for forgiveness, an appreciation for symbols, and a shared experience as a minority. Psychology's response to multi-cultural issues is parallel to the response of Western missionaries encountering cultural pluralism. Suggestions are made to enable Christian counselors to understand the acculturation of their minority clients.

Pastoral care and narrative : Towards a narrative pastoral care approach in intercultural communities

2020

Pastoral care needs to take seriously the intercultural contexts of post-globalised and universalised societies. Identities of individuals, communities, societies and nations are changing at an unprecedented rate because of mass migration, the ease of mobility and the diversity of communities, including visual communities. Traditional forms of care for the postmodern person needs critical engagement for its relevance and effectiveness. Narrative pastoral care is one of the approaches of the last three decades that has attempted to address care for our current fluid communities. The stories and narratives of persons in need plays an important role in the meaning making of personhood. Stories are largely absent or neglected as a significant substantive contributor in the pastoral process and functions, except for isolated voices in the wilderness. Narrative or story approaches have a diverse use in disciplines such as Psychology, Sociology, Medicine, Literature and Cultural Studies. S...

Investigating inter-Christian and intercultural couples associated with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America: A qualitative research project

American Journal of Family …, 2002

This qualitative research project described individual, marital, and family challenges from the perspective of 376 intermarried respondents associated with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Participants' observations generally suggested that their religious and cultural differences enriched their own and their family's well-being. However, some participants described pervasive and lingering unresolved couple disagreements linked to their religious and cultural differences. These differences seemed to have a decidedly negative impact on individual, couple, and family well-being. Clinical implications suggest that intermarried couples' different religious and cultural backgrounds may be interconnected to the presenting problem(s) of couples.

Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy for Intercultural Couples: Helping Couples Navigate Cultural Differences

2021

Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT), an empirically supported third-wave behavioral approach for the treatment of couples, is examined in this multiple case study. IBCT was developed to help couples navigate challenging differences, so this study examines its use with couples reporting problems arising from differences in self-identified cultural identities, practices, or beliefs. The experiences of three therapists using IBCT in their work with intercultural couples is examined. Each participating therapist in this study contributes by describing one case in which IBCT was used to help the couple with existing conflicts related to cultural differences. These descriptions, provided through written responses to open-ended questions, were examined using cross-case analysis. Results include descriptions of the various stressors faced by intercultural couples, therapists’ formulations of cultural differences, change processes and change mechanisms during treatment, and similari...

Spiritual Care in an Interfaith Context

2014

This article discusses the possibilities of teaching spiritual care in an interfaith context, notably in the Netherlands. It first explores the background processes of deinstitutionalization and pluralization, resulting in a fragmented religious landscape. The change in nomenclature from pastoral care to spiritual care in part reflects these changes. The middle part of the article describes key features of spiritual care from different traditions. It starts with Christian views of spiritual care (historically the oldest in this context) and then discusses how secular/Humanist, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu perspectives not only add to the picture of spiritual care, but challenge its key notions. The final part discusses options of intrafaith and interfaith approaches of spiritual care and ends with a description of the curriculum the authors developed to accommodate students from a variety of denominational backgrounds in a rich interfaith learning environment. Introduction: Changing ...

A theological model for pastoral anthropology within the dynamics of interculturality: Cura animarum and the quest for wholeness in a colo-spirituality

In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi, 2012

Healing is embedded in relational and systemic networks. In order to heal life (cura vitae) human relationships as determined by paradigms (patterns of thinking and conceptualisation) emanating from cultural settings, should be healed. In order to apply a holistic approach to healing in pastoral therapy, a systemic, relational and qualitative interpretation of soul in cura animarum [cure and care of human souls] was proposed. The notion of a colo-spirituality [spiritual culture] was developed in order to link interculturality to the trans-cultural notion of grace (the eschatological paradigm). The latter is the prerequisite for an intimate space of unconditional love in order to heal the quality of our human identity and attitude or habitus [being functions] within the existential realities of life (i.e. anxiety, guilt or shame, despair, helplessness or vulnerability, anger).’n Teologiese model vir ’n pastorale antropologie binne die dinamika van interkulturaliteit: Colo-spiritualit...

On the Concepts of Religion and Confessionality for Pastoral Care and Spiritual Care in Interreligious and Intercultural Contexts: Clarifications with the Help of Religious Education and Systematic Theology

Religions

According to current consensus definitions in healthcare, religious aspects can be part of ”spirituality” but ”spirituality” is open to non-religious traditions as well. Nevertheless, spiritual care is often provided by theologically trained pastoral caregivers belonging to religious groups and institutional bodies. How, then, do we take “religion(s)” into account when pastoral and spiritual care finds itself within a context of a diversity of religions and religious and non-religious biographies? What function does “confessionality” have—except for the fact that spiritual care professions can also be educated at a theological faculty and thus graduates are familiar with confessional premises of the respective denomination institutions? What significance do these premises have as a basis or a target for research and the fields of action and for the self-understanding of chaplains or spiritual caregivers? Our contribution draws attention to the potential for the reflection on “religi...

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