Topic Understanding

Two people can grow up in the same city, attend the same school, or even belong to the same cultural group and still develop very different understandings of the world.

Why?

Because diversity is not only about the identities we can see. It is also shaped by life experiences—the families we grow up in, communities we live in, languages we speak, relationships we form, opportunities we receive, challenges we face, and experiences that change how we see ourselves and other people.

Understanding the relationship between diversity and life experiences can help us become more aware of our own assumptions while making it easier to listen to people whose perspectives differ from ours.

This matters in everyday relationships, families, schools, workplaces, and mental health care. In therapy especially, understanding a person's cultural experiences and individual context can help create a more complete picture of what they are going through.

Key Highlights

• Life experiences can influence how people understand culture, identity, relationships, and the world around them.
• People who share an identity or cultural background can still have very different perspectives and experiences.
• Cultural awareness and mental health are connected because culture and social context can influence how people understand distress, seek help, and communicate their needs.
• Cultural humility means remaining curious about another person's experience rather than assuming you already understand it.
• Therapy can provide a space to explore how identity, culture, relationships, and past experiences influence current thoughts, emotions, and behavior.

What Does Diversity Mean Beyond Identity?

When people hear the word diversity, they may immediately think about race or ethnicity.

Those are important parts of diversity, but diversity is much broader.

The American Psychological Association describes multicultural psychology as recognizing that multiple aspects of identity can influence a person's worldview, including race, ethnicity, language, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, socioeconomic status, education, and religious or spiritual orientation.

Diversity can therefore include:

• Race and ethnicity
• Nationality
• Immigration history
• Language
• Religion and spirituality
• Gender identity
• Sexual orientation
• Age and generation
• Disability
• Neurodivergence
• Socioeconomic background
• Education
• Family structure
• Geographic location
• Community
• Professional background
• Personal and family history

But even these categories do not tell the whole story.

Two people may identify similarly but have completely different experiences because of where they grew up, their family relationships, financial circumstances, education, relationships, or experiences with acceptance and discrimination.

That is why understanding diversity requires more than learning a list of cultural characteristics.

It requires learning about people as individuals.

How Do Life Experiences Shape Our Understanding of Diversity?

Our experiences provide information about the world.

Over time, we develop beliefs about what feels familiar, acceptable, safe, expected, or unusual.

For example, someone who grew up in a family where several generations lived together might view close family involvement as normal and supportive.

Someone else who grew up with greater independence may see the same level of family involvement as intrusive.

Neither perspective automatically means that one person understands family relationships correctly and the other does not.

Their experiences have simply given them different reference points.

The same process can occur with:

• Communication
• Parenting
• Marriage
• Religion
• Education
• Gender roles
• Work
• Money
• Mental health
• Community
• Personal boundaries
• Relationships

Our experiences can influence our expectations—but they do not necessarily define what is true for everyone.

Family Experiences

Family is often one of the earliest environments in which people learn about relationships, responsibility, communication, and cultural values.

A person may learn that:

• Children are expected to prioritize family needs.
• Emotional problems should remain private.
• Elders should always be respected.
• Independence is highly valued.
• Family decisions should be made collectively.
• Success is strongly connected with education or career.
• Asking for outside help is encouraged—or discouraged.

These lessons can continue influencing someone well into adulthood.

However, family experiences within the same cultural community can vary considerably.

A person may also consciously reject some of the beliefs they learned growing up.

This is important when thinking about cultural experiences.

Culture influences people, but people also interpret, negotiate, accept, question, and sometimes reject aspects of their culture.

Language Can Shape How We Understand Other People

Language is another important part of lived experience.

The language or languages a person uses can influence how they communicate emotions, describe relationships, and express ideas.

Someone who speaks more than one language may also experience different expectations depending on the environment they are in.

For example, a person might communicate one way with family members and another way at work or school.

This does not necessarily mean they are being inconsistent.

They may simply be adapting to different social environments.

The APA's multicultural guidelines emphasize the importance of understanding language and communication in relation to a person's lived experience.

In mental health care, this becomes particularly important.

A therapist should not assume that a client's communication style, emotional expression, or preferred terminology means the same thing in every cultural context.

Asking respectful questions can be more useful than making assumptions.

Religion and Spirituality Can Influence Perspectives

For many people, religion or spirituality is an important part of identity and daily life.

Religious or spiritual beliefs may influence how someone understands:

• Family responsibilities
• Marriage
• Parenting
• Grief
• Suffering
• Personal responsibility
• Community
• Forgiveness
• Purpose
• Emotional distress
• Seeking professional help

These beliefs can be an important source of meaning, support, community, and resilience.

At the same time, religious experiences are highly individual.

Two people from the same religious background may have very different relationships with their faith.

That is why cultural awareness should involve curiosity rather than assumptions.

Instead of thinking, "People from this background believe X," it can be more helpful to ask:

"What does this belief mean to you?"

Immigration and Relocation Can Create New Perspectives

Moving between countries, states, cities, or communities can significantly change how someone understands diversity.

An immigrant, refugee, international student, or person who frequently relocates may find themselves navigating different:

• Languages
• Social expectations
• Family roles
• Workplace norms
• Educational systems
• Religious environments
• Ideas about mental health
• Definitions of success
• Experiences of belonging

Someone who has lived between cultures may feel connected to multiple communities without feeling completely represented by any single one.

This can sometimes create tension around identity.

For example, a young adult might feel that their family expects them to follow traditional cultural values while their peers expect something different.

That does not necessarily mean they have to choose one identity over another.

Part of understanding diversity is recognizing that people can hold multiple identities and experiences at the same time.

The APA's multicultural framework specifically emphasizes identity as complex, dynamic, and shaped by multiple social contexts.

Education and Work Experiences Matter Too

School and work are major environments where people encounter individuals with different backgrounds.

A student may meet classmates from different cultures, religions, socioeconomic circumstances, or family structures.

A professional may work with colleagues who have different communication styles, expectations, or approaches to leadership.

These interactions can expand someone's understanding of diversity—but only when they are approached with openness.

For example, someone might initially think:

"That is not how I would handle it."

A more useful question might be:

"What experiences might have led this person to approach it differently?"

That small shift can create space for curiosity rather than judgment.

Personal Experiences Can Challenge Our Assumptions

Sometimes our understanding of diversity changes because something happens that challenges what we previously believed.

You may become friends with someone from a different cultural background.

You may move to another city.

You may work in a different environment.

You may marry into a family with different traditions.

You may become a parent.

You may experience disability or chronic health challenges.

You may discover that an assumption you previously held does not fit someone's actual experience.

These moments can be uncomfortable.

But discomfort does not always mean something is wrong.

Sometimes discomfort is a signal that we are learning something new.

Why Two People From the Same Culture Can Have Different Perspectives

One of the most important things to understand about diversity is that shared identity does not equal shared experience.

Consider two people who share the same:

• Race
• Religion
• Nationality
• Gender
• Age

They may still differ in:

• Family structure
• Economic circumstances
• Education
• Personality
• Geographic background
• Relationships
• Disability status
• Sexual orientation
• Immigration history
• Experiences of discrimination
• Political or social environment
• Personal values

The APA's multicultural guidelines specifically emphasize within-group differences and self-definition rather than assuming that broad identity categories fully explain a person's experience.

This is why statements such as "People from that culture always..." can be misleading.

A culture can influence people without determining who they are.

Cultural Experiences and Mental Health

Life experiences do not only shape how we understand other people. They can also influence how we understand our own mental health.

Culture and social context can affect how people understand emotional distress, whether they seek professional help, how they communicate their concerns, and what they expect from mental health services. NIMH specifically identifies culture and social systems as important areas in mental health services research, including their relationship to help-seeking and treatment.

For example, one person might describe their experience as:

"I'm anxious."

Another might say:

"I can't stop worrying."

Someone else might focus primarily on physical symptoms, family conflict, sleep difficulties, spiritual concerns, or feeling disconnected.

These differences do not mean that one person is experiencing something more legitimate than another.

They may reflect different ways of understanding and communicating distress.

Cultural Stigma Can Affect Help-Seeking

People's previous experiences can also influence whether they feel comfortable seeking therapy.

Someone who grew up hearing that mental health problems should stay within the family may feel uncomfortable discussing personal concerns with a therapist.

Another person may have grown up in an environment where therapy was viewed as a normal part of health care.

Neither response should automatically be judged.

A person's attitude toward therapy often develops within a broader social and cultural context.

NIMH research on sociocultural influences in mental health services highlights the importance of understanding cultural context when considering help-seeking, treatment engagement, and outcomes.

What Is Cultural Awareness in Mental Health?

Cultural awareness in mental health means recognizing that a person's cultural identity and social context may influence their experiences, while remaining open to how that person understands themselves.

It is not about memorizing facts about different cultures.

It is not about assuming that a therapist needs to have exactly the same background as a client.

And it is not about putting people into categories.

Instead, culturally responsive care involves understanding that culture, identity, relationships, and social circumstances can be relevant parts of a person's mental health experience.

The APA describes cultural humility as an ongoing process that includes recognizing one's own cultural identity and biases, remaining open to learning, and considering the client's individual cultural context.

Cultural Humility: Understanding Without Assuming

Cultural humility is particularly useful when talking about diversity.

Think of the difference between these two approaches:

Assumption:
"I know what your culture is like."

Curiosity:
"I'd like to understand what your culture and experiences mean to you."

The second approach leaves room for the person to explain their own experience.

APA resources describe cultural humility as an ongoing process rather than a skill that someone simply completes or masters. It includes self-reflection, awareness of limitations, and openness to the client's cultural identities and experiences.

This applies outside therapy too.

You can practice cultural humility with:

• Friends
• Family members
• Coworkers
• Classmates
• Neighbors
• Partners
• Community members

You do not need to understand every culture to treat people respectfully.

You do need to recognize that your experience is not the universal standard.

How to Build a Better Understanding of Different Perspectives

Developing greater awareness of diversity does not require becoming an expert in every culture.

It can begin with a few practical habits.

1. Notice Your Own Assumptions

Ask yourself:

• What do I consider "normal"?
• Where did that belief come from?
• Did my family teach me this?
• Did my community influence it?
• Have my experiences reinforced it?
• Could someone reasonably see this differently?

The purpose is not to criticize yourself.

It is to understand yourself.

2. Ask Instead of Assuming

If someone has a different background, do not assume you know what that background means to them.

Instead, when appropriate, ask respectful questions.

For example:

Instead of:

"Your family must expect you to do X."

Try:

"What expectations does your family have around this?"

The second question allows the individual to explain their experience.

3. Listen for the Individual Story

When someone shares their experience, try to understand their story rather than immediately comparing it with your own.

You can ask:

• "What was that experience like for you?"
• "How did your family respond?"
• "Has your perspective changed over time?"
• "What does this part of your identity mean to you?"
• "How has this affected your relationships?"

4. Accept That Your Understanding Can Change

Learning about diversity is not a one-time task.

Your understanding may change as you:

• Meet new people
• Enter new environments
• Learn new information
• Experience different stages of life
• Reflect on your upbringing
• Recognize previous assumptions

That ongoing process is part of cultural humility.

5. Make Room for Complexity

People can hold seemingly different experiences at the same time.

Someone can love their culture and disagree with some cultural expectations.

Someone can feel connected to their family while needing stronger boundaries.

Someone can value tradition while embracing change.

Someone can identify strongly with a community while still having an individual perspective.

Human experiences rarely fit perfectly into simple categories.

How Therapy Can Help Explore Culture and Life Experiences

Therapy can provide a structured space to explore how your experiences have shaped your beliefs, relationships, emotions, and sense of identity.

This can be especially useful when someone is experiencing tension between different parts of their life.

For example, therapy may help someone explore:

• Family expectations
• Cultural identity
• Racial identity
• Immigration experiences
• Relationship expectations
• Religious or spiritual beliefs
• Generational differences
• Workplace experiences
• Experiences of exclusion
• Self-esteem
• Boundaries
• Major life transitions
• Conflicts between personal values and external expectations

The goal is not for a therapist to tell someone which cultural values are "right."

Instead, therapy can help the person understand their own experiences and decide what aligns with their values and goals.

What Does Culturally Responsive Therapy Look Like?

Culturally responsive therapy does not necessarily mean that the therapist and client share the same cultural background.

It can mean that the therapist is willing to:

• Ask about the client's background
• Listen without stereotyping
• Recognize the limits of their own knowledge
• Discuss identity when it is relevant
• Consider cultural context when understanding concerns
• Respect the client's values
• Address cultural misunderstandings when they occur
• Remain open to feedback
• Recognize the influence of social and environmental factors

APA guidance emphasizes the importance of considering identity, context, intersectionality, language, and social environment in psychological practice.

The therapeutic relationship can also benefit when clients feel that important parts of their identity are welcome in the conversation.

What If My Therapist and I Have Different Backgrounds?

A therapist does not have to share your exact background to listen to you respectfully and work with you effectively.

In fact, a therapist may not be able to personally understand every experience a client has had.

What matters is whether there is enough openness to discuss those differences honestly.

You might ask a prospective therapist:

• "How do you approach cultural differences in therapy?"
• "Can we talk about my cultural or religious background during sessions?"
• "How do you handle situations when a client's values differ from your own?"
• "How do you make space for identity-related concerns?"
• "What happens if I feel misunderstood?"

These questions can help you determine whether the therapist's approach feels appropriate for you.

Cultural humility specifically recognizes that therapists have limitations in what they know and that meaningful therapy can involve acknowledging those limitations rather than pretending to have complete understanding.

When Should You Consider Professional Support?

You do not need to be experiencing a mental health disorder to explore questions about identity, culture, or life experiences in therapy.

Therapy may be useful when these issues are connected with:

• Persistent anxiety or stress
• Depression or low mood
• Family conflict
• Relationship difficulties
• Loneliness
• Identity confusion
• Low self-esteem
• Workplace stress
• Major life transitions
• Grief
• Experiences of discrimination
• Difficulty setting boundaries
• Feeling caught between different expectations

A mental health professional can help you explore what is happening without assuming that your cultural background explains everything you experience.

If symptoms are persistent or interfering with daily life, professional support may be particularly appropriate.

How Riaz Counseling Approaches Diverse Mental Health Needs

Riaz Counseling provides individual, couples, and family therapy, with services addressing concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, relationships, and personal growth.

The practice currently lists Minority Issues, LGBTQIA+ Issues, and Self-Esteem & Identity among its specializations, alongside areas such as Depression & Anxiety, Life Transitions, Grief & Loss, Parenting & Teens, and College & Career Guidance.

This can be relevant for people who want to discuss mental health alongside questions about identity, relationships, culture, or major changes in their lives.

For example, Riaz Counseling's current team includes clinicians whose profiles identify culturally sensitive approaches or experience with concerns related to racial identity.

For people seeking local care, Riaz Counseling currently has offices in the Houston Galleria, Sugar Land, and The Woodlands, with online therapy available throughout Texas.

The Sugar Land office specifically describes its team as experienced in culturally sensitive care.

If you are considering therapy, you can use an initial consultation to discuss what you are looking for and determine whether a particular therapist feels like an appropriate fit.

Questions to Reflect On

You can begin exploring the relationship between your life experiences and your understanding of diversity with a few simple questions:

About your upbringing

• What did my family teach me about people who were different from us?
• What messages did I receive about relationships, success, emotions, or mental health?
• Which beliefs do I still hold?
• Which beliefs have changed?

About your current perspective

• What do I consider "normal"?
• Where did that definition come from?
• Am I assuming that another person's experience is similar to mine?
• Am I giving people room to define themselves?

About relationships

• How do I respond when someone has values different from mine?
• Do I become curious or defensive?
• Can I listen without immediately trying to correct or convince someone?

About mental health

• How has my cultural background influenced how I understand mental health?
• What messages have I received about therapy?
• Are there cultural or family expectations that make asking for help difficult?
• Would I feel comfortable discussing my identity with a therapist?

These questions are not tests.

They are invitations to become more aware of how your experiences influence the way you see yourself and other people.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do life experiences shape our understanding of diversity?

Life experiences can influence what people consider familiar, acceptable, safe, or normal. Family, culture, language, religion, education, socioeconomic circumstances, relationships, and experiences of inclusion or discrimination can all contribute to a person's worldview. However, experiences influence perspectives without completely determining them.

Can two people from the same culture have different perspectives?

Absolutely. People within the same cultural group can have different family histories, socioeconomic circumstances, personalities, values, education, geographic experiences, identities, and relationships. Broad cultural categories should not be treated as complete descriptions of individuals.

What is cultural humility?

Cultural humility is an ongoing approach to understanding cultural differences that involves self-reflection, recognizing one's own limitations and biases, and remaining open to learning from another person's experience. In therapy, it can help clinicians engage with clients' identities without relying on assumptions or stereotypes.

Why is cultural awareness important in mental health?

Culture and social context can influence how people understand emotional distress, communicate their concerns, seek mental health services, and respond to care. Understanding these factors can help mental health professionals provide more context-sensitive and individualized support.

Can my life experiences affect how I view other cultures?

Yes. Experiences can shape what feels familiar and can influence expectations or assumptions about other people. Awareness of this influence can help you become more curious and less likely to treat your own experience as a universal standard.

How can I become more understanding of different perspectives?

Start by examining your own assumptions, listening to people's individual stories, asking respectful questions, learning from reliable sources, and accepting that your understanding can change. The goal is not to know everything about every culture; it is to remain open to learning.

Can therapy help me explore cultural or identity-related concerns?

Yes. Therapy can provide a confidential setting to explore identity, family expectations, cultural experiences, relationships, self-esteem, discrimination, life transitions, and other concerns. A therapist can help you understand these experiences in the context of your individual goals rather than assuming that your identity determines how you should feel or behave.

Conclusion

Our understanding of diversity does not develop from textbooks alone.

It develops through life.

The families we grow up in, communities we belong to, languages we speak, relationships we build, opportunities we receive, challenges we face, and environments we move through all contribute to the way we understand ourselves and other people.

That does not mean our experiences tell us everything about someone else's life.

In fact, one of the most important lessons about diversity is recognizing the limits of our own perspective.

Your experience is real, but it is not universal. Someone else's experience may be different without either person being wrong.

Developing cultural awareness means making room for those differences. It means asking questions instead of assuming, listening instead of categorizing, and recognizing that identity is complex and personal.

In mental health care, this same principle can create a more thoughtful therapeutic relationship. A culturally responsive therapist does not need to know everything about every culture. They need to be willing to listen, learn, recognize their limitations, and understand the individual sitting in front of them.

If questions about culture, identity, family expectations, relationships, or life experiences are affecting your emotional well-being, talking with a qualified mental health professional may give you a supportive place to explore them.

Mental Health Disclaimer

This article is intended for general educational purposes and does not diagnose or treat any mental health condition. Cultural experiences and identity are highly individual, and the information presented here should not be used to make assumptions about yourself or another person. If you are experiencing persistent emotional distress or difficulty functioning, consider speaking with a qualified mental health professional.

Sources Used

• American Psychological Association, Multicultural Guidelines: An Ecological Approach to Context, Identity, and Intersectionality — identity, context, intersectionality, language, social environment, and within-group differences.
• American Psychological Association, Cultural Humility: Engaging Diverse Identities in Therapy, Second Edition — cultural humility, cultural identity, therapeutic relationships, value differences, and working within professional limits.
• American Psychological Association, Applying Cultural Humility Principles to Psychotherapy — practical applications of cultural humility in psychotherapy.
• American Psychological Association, APA’s Race and Ethnicity Guidelines — cultural humility, racial and ethnocultural responsiveness, and culturally responsive clinical practice.
• American Psychological Association, Multicultural Psychology Dictionary Entry — the relationship between multiple identity dimensions and worldview.
• National Institute of Mental Health, Socio-Cultural Research Program — culture, social systems, help-seeking, treatment, and mental health services.
• National Institute of Mental Health, Translating Behavioral Science into Action — the importance of sociocultural context in mental health care and outcomes.
• Riaz Counseling, Our Services, Specializations, Individual Therapy, and Locations — current practice services, specializations, and locations.