Identifying the client’s activity orientation will have to be done
clinically, perhaps using open-ended leads such as “When I am con-
fronted with a problem or dilemma, I... .” or “If I had to classify my
approach to making decisions, I would say... .”
Assumption 5
In the case of minority clients who have adopted an independent
decision-making style and come from families who believe that the
locus of the decision should be in the family or group, I must
become an interpreter of cultural values and their impact on per-
ceptions regarding career decisions. This must be done in a fashion
that will not cause family members or the client to lose face if it is
to be successful. Indigenous helpers may be employed in this process
if it is deemed appropriate.
Assumption 6
Career counseling techniques must be adapted to the cultural val-
ues of the client and others involved in the decision-making
process. For example, techniques that require high levels of self-dis-
closure of thoughts and feelings should be avoided when the deci-
sion makers have a highly developed self-control value. In addition,
using strategies that might cause parents or members of the ex-
tended family to lose face, such as disputing or confronting, should
be avoided. It may be wisest in cross-cultural career counseling to
assume that Native Americans and Asian Americans have a high
concern for self-control and then temper judgment based on the
clients’ propensity to self-disclose feelings, thoughts, and informa-
tion about themselves and their families.
Assumption 7
When cultural values conflict with the expectations in the work-
place, two approaches may be employed. First, the idea of accept-
ability of adopting a “bicultural” identity should be explored, that
is, adopting the values required for success in the workplace while
494 CAREER CHOICE AND DEVELOPMENT