Cultural Confusion

“What is my cultural identity?” “Do I need to identify strongly with only one ethnic group in order to be normal?” “Why do others keep expecting me to act in a certain way, just because of how I look?” “What does it mean to be Australian?” “It seems like I just don’t fit in anywhere!!!”

Living in a multicultural and diverse metropolitan like Melbourne gives us the benefit of learning from countless of different ethnic/cultural groups, and the freedom of expressing ourselves in very unique ways without too many social expectations. Circa 40% of the population in Melbourne was born overseas. Many of us are able to find others whom we are able to connect and feel at home with. Some of us break out of the conventions we were taught by our families, in order to be the person we really want to be or believe we were supposed to be. Most of us pick and choose what to keep or shed from our upbringing, and what to adopt or not adopt from others.

All well and good, unless you are feeling a little confused about who you are and how you should be acting. Seeing that most of us find it difficult to tolerate ambiguity, we all find ourselves a little perplexed about our identity from time to time, as identity and culture seem so fluid and ever-changing. At times, this confusion of self can lead to great distress and debilitation.

Why not take some time to discover YOU? The counsellors at Counsel@CrossCulture would be happy to assist you in this exciting journey of uncovering your unique self and the person you would like to become. 

Article by Lainey Weiss, General Counsellor

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