Cultural Settings and Traditions
After our genetic makeup, perhaps the strongest influence on us is our cultural heritage, our family's beliefs, traditions, and customs. We all have some cultural background that is either actively or passively passed on to us as children.
We also get direct or indirect messages from our family that may have their origin in our cultural frame of reference. Culture can be the source of both healthy and unhealthy viewpoints and patterns that we pick up and carry out in our lives.
- What is the ethnic or cultural background of your parents?
- Did any family members immigrate to this country?
- Was there a noticeable cultural "flavor" to the home you grew up in?
- What are your most important cultural, ethnic, or religious influences?
- What family celebrations, traditions, or rituals were important in your life?
- Was your family different from other families in your neighborhood?
- What did you learn from your parents or grandparents that still has meaning for you today?
- What traditions, values, wisdom, or life lessons have guided your life and its direction?
- Was religion important in your family?
- Is religion important to you now?
- What other cultural influences are still important to you today?
