This study, in order to improve self-esteem and self-identity of a child in multi-cultural family, has developed a program which is applicable to high-grade students of elementary schools to middle school students, combining STST(Satir Transformationa...
This study, in order to improve self-esteem and self-identity of a child in multi-cultural family, has developed a program which is applicable to high-grade students of elementary schools to middle school students, combining STST(Satir Transformational Systemic Therapy) Model with the group art therapy.
The multi-cultural family means that members of a society admit diversity of race and people in the standard and ruling values of a society and make those of different race and people become the complete members of the society by respecting their right and culture.
In Korea, international marriage now occupies 13.6% of total marriages, which is demand for women and an international trend and has become a sort of mechanism. Consequently, shift to the multi-cultural society is going on very quickly and the number of multi-cultural families and their children is rapidly increasing. Especially, children of multi-cultural families increasing every year: 25 thousand in 2006, 44 thousand in 2007, 58 thousand in 2008, and 103 thousand in 2009. Most of them are infants and little children as children under 6 years old occupies 57.1% of them, and children at the age of 7 to 12 years old account for 32.2%.
Children of multi-cultural families are living in trouble with many kinds of difficulties such as social prejudice, cultural difference, difficult environment to study a language, shaping identity, adjusting to school, financial problems and so on. When children under 6 years old who occupies 57.1% of children of multi-cultural families will go to school in a few years, it is very difficult for diverse policies by the government to deal with all the problems of these families.
Therefore, not by regarding them as special presence in our society but by accepting their cultures and considering their characteristics, it is necessary for us to develop them into great human resource of our society, making thinking of their children culturally so rich that they, with their global thinking, could actively participate in the changes of the globalization.
The researcher of this study intended to develop a program that could help the children of multi-cultural families improve their self-identity which is a natural disposition of one's self to maintain and exalt individualness and uniqueness of their existence, while they could improve their self-esteem which helps them to clearly understand themselves, to assess themselves positively, to have internal consistency without being disturbed by external environment or assessments.
For the theoretical background for this, the belief of Satir Model defines all the humans as the existence that have equal values of similarity and unique differences as human beings. By expressing and experiencing one's feelings, perception, expectations, yearnings and self, it recovers growth and sense of value which are not superficial changes and pursues changes so that immanent life energy would go to the positive direction.
Besides, the group art therapy improves self-esteem and self-identity by reducing personal protection or control through art media, by diminishing the emotional burden to express one's feeling or unconsciousness, and by making the members exchange supports with the group members while they materialize their feeling and thoughts with a piece of work and explain their work about its positive sides and strengths.
The researcher of this study, at the stage of developing the program, has confirmed that this program was effective in improving self-esteem and self-identity with the analysis of pre and post-tests (self-esteem, self-identity, and KFD) of preparatory tests (group and individual consultation cases). Based on this result, I have developed 'Jultakdongsi (To hatch out a chicken, a hen and the chicken inside the egg should peck together)', which takes 80 minutes a time and takes place once a week for 10 weeks.
I hope that, with the help of this program, children of the multi-cultural families would be able to shape positive selves by improving their own values and rediscovering sense of values and possibility of them in order to develop into members of our society and become great human resource.
Besides, I also hope that many programs would be actively developed in the succeeding studies for the multi-cultural families with various problems and difficulties.