Challenges of Bias in IQ Tests and Strategies for Addressing Worldview Conflicts in Professional Settings

I think despite their biased origins, IQ tests remain to be biased even today. I would therefore advocate for discontinuing the use of standardized tests in admissions to graduate schools and colleges. According to Scott Mio et al. (2019), multicultural issues often arise during psychological testing, and this applies to personality testing, intelligence testing, and clinical assessment among others. Even if the tests are carefully constructed, there is always a probability of bias. Intelligence is a culture-specific concept and may appear differently based on the context in which it is applied and the perceptions of the various cultural behaviors. What may be considered intelligent in a specific environment may not be the case for another, i.e., the knowledge about medicinal herbs may be considered a form of intelligence in some communities in Africa, but may not correlate with the high performance on the traditional Western academic intelligence tests. The culture-specific aspect of intelligence, therefore, makes IQ tests biased towards the environment where they were developed, i.e., Western society. Such tests would, therefore, cause potential problems in a culturally diverse setting. The use and application of the same test across various communities would fail to recognize the differences in cultural values that shape what each community regards as intelligent behavior.

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A gay therapist should work with a client who is highly religious and conservative and believes that being gay is wrong by applying value-oriented models on the worldviews. To handle such conflicts in worldviews in professional settings, Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck’s value orientation model can be applied (Scott-Mio et al., 2019). In this case, one can focus on the dimension of social relations which addresses the lineal orientation that relates to vertical relationships and the hierarchy of authority; and collateral orientation which focuses on respecting the opinions of our friends and families when encountering problems. They can also focus on the human activity aspect of the model where an individual is accepted just the way he or she is. Derald Wing Sue’s model can also be used to handle worldviews in a professional setting. The model would help to retain a locus of control of both internal and external aspects of one’s life, and a locus of responsibility for internal feelings, and societal, and external responsibilities for their position in life (Scott-Mio et al., 2019). A proper understanding and implementation of the models would help to appreciate and live in harmony with other existing worldviews. The same methods or models can be used to handle worldview conflicts in personal settings.

My cultural worldviews revolve around the following aspects:

1. Norms that govern our social behaviors, i.e., we do not wear shoes in the home in my culture.
2. Rituals and ceremonies mark a rite of passage, i.e., we perform weddings to mark one’s transition to a life of marriage.
3. Holidays to celebrate or commemorate a belief. As a Christian worldview, we take part in various Christian holidays to commemorate our beliefs. These include the Easter holidays, to celebrate the birth and resurrection of Christ Jesus, and Christmas holidays to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
4. We also enjoy our past times by engaging in sports, and hobbies for recreation. These include playing football, swimming, surfing, and abseiling.
5. Our culturally specific foods include tacos, guacamole, Chili con carne, empanadas, and enchiladas which are most common in Mexico.

References

Scott-Mio, J. et al. (2019). Multicultural Psychology Understanding Our Diverse Communities. 5th Edition