In the 1980s, Dr. Milton Bennett began developing a framework known as the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS). This framework can help us understand how we and the people around us approach new intercultural experiences. As you look at the stages in the DMIS, consider where you might fall when engaging with someone from a different culture. Can you think of a situation when you felt or behaved in a more \u201cethnocentric\u201d way? Can you think of a time when you shifted from an old way of reacting to a new way, moving toward a more \u201cethnorelative\u201d approach?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Denial<\/strong> Defense<\/strong> Minimization Acceptance<\/strong> Adaptation<\/strong> Integration<\/strong>
My cultural experience is the only one that is real and valid. There is little to no thought of \u201cother.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u201d are superior and \u201cthey\u201d are inferior. I feel threatened and am highly critical. What is strange may be labeled as stupid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Other cultures are trivialized or romanticized. I tend to deny differences (e.g., I\u2019m \u201ccolor blind\u201d) and only seek similarities.<\/p>\n\n\n\nEthnorelative Stages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I accept but may not agree with other cultures. Generally, I am curious and respectful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I \u201csee\u201d the world through different eyes and make intentional changes in my own behavior and values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I easily move in and out of different cultural worldviews.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nHow can you use this model in your cultural development journey?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n