The awareness of cultural safety scale is a tool used to measure the degree to which you're aware that you bring your own cultural background into every interaction with others.
Understanding the Scale
This scale helps individuals recognize the influence of their own cultural experiences and perspectives when interacting with people from different backgrounds. The fundamental concept behind this measurement is the acknowledgment that our upbringing shapes our view of what is considered "normal."
- Core Idea: As the reference states, "As we grow up, we see our own culture as being the “norm”, when in actual fact – the “norm” is different depending on what culture you belong to."
- Purpose: By quantifying this awareness, the scale aims to highlight how personal cultural biases and assumptions can impact interactions, particularly in diverse settings.
Why is This Awareness Important?
Awareness of one's own cultural lens is a foundational element of cultural safety. Cultural safety goes beyond cultural sensitivity or competence; it focuses on the outcome of care or service provision as defined by the recipient. Recognizing how your own cultural background shapes your perceptions and behaviors is crucial for:
- Building respectful and equitable relationships.
- Minimizing unintentional bias.
- Creating environments where individuals from all cultures feel safe, respected, and understood.
The awareness of cultural safety scale provides a way to gauge a person's starting point in this critical journey of self-reflection regarding cultural influences.
