Multicultural competency is the quality considered reliable and effective in diverse contexts within the modern world. Essentially, it is justified by the rapid globalization that occurred because of the major establishment of online platforms and the opportunity to interconnect globally. As people reach new aspects of multicultural communication and understanding, multicultural competency represents a person’s ability to perceive situations with versatility and an open mind.
However, before the 21st century, the competency in this area was not necessarily as relevant as it is now. Conservative approach related to the strong faith in the inner national competency within diverse areas of life probably was more common. It could be that people did not generally experience regular contact with the representatives of other cultures, which led to higher rates of miscommunication within rarer international interactions. Thus, I believe that generally at that time, people were not aware of the concept of multicultural competency and its utility.
Additionally, the Internet provides an opportunity to virtually integrate into the environment of another culture without any excessive expenses. Hence, this simplified integration makes it simpler for people to learn how to be respectful and understanding towards other cultures, which stimulates multicultural competency. As more people understand and sympathize with different cultures, multicultural competency becomes more relevant in many areas of life, including psychology.
This quality is crucial within psychology nowadays. The ability to be compassionate and understanding contributes to developing empathy and better communication. More than that, therapy could be noticeably more effective if the psychologist is familiar with the aspects of behavior and reactions of people from different cultural backgrounds. Wider multicultural awareness and curiosity provoke a better association process and analysis of the issues of the patient, which can be a key part of therapy.
Reference
Davis, D. E., DeBlaere, C., Owen, J., Hook, J. N., Rivera, D. P., Choe, E.,… & Placeres, V. (2018). The multicultural orientation framework: A narrative review. Psychotherapy, 55(1), 89-100.