<Course>
I learned that Hungarian’s identity have five dimensions that are deeply rooted in their history. First of all, they are ambivalent towards Non-Hungarians as influenced by their Eastern roots (Laszloffy 587). This is because during the early history, they tend to be aggressive and suspicious to outsiders who they perceive as threats to their community. On the other hand, they also have the tendency to be open to others as influenced by their Western roots (Laszloffy 587). This trait started to develop when Christianity was introduced to Hungarians. Second, I also learned that they are highly emotional (Laszloffy 588). Their mood swings are hard to predict. They can be extremely happy at one second then extremely sad or in despair afterwards. Third, the Hungarians are quite creative and imaginative, and they express it through myth making (Laszloffy 589). Fourth, I learned that there are two major waves in which Hungarians migrated to the United States. The first wave was motivated by the desire to achieve economic stability and take advantage of financial opportunity (Laszloffy 590). The second wave was motivated by politics (Laszloffy 590). Unlike the first wave of immigrants who carried Hungarian traditions with them as they move to the U.S., the second wave of immigrants didn’t do the same. Lastly, I also learned that most Hungarians belong to two major religious groups: the Christian Catholic and the Christian Protestant. In addition, there are also Hungarians who are Jewish.
What are two pieces of information that you were surprised to learn and why you were surprised?
The first thing I am surprised to learn about Hungarians is how their emotionality is reflected through their arts. This is because I often think of emotionality as an individual trait that is expressed only through people’s character and behavior. However, this does not seem to be the case for Hungarians. In fact, their emotionality is expressed through the music and film industries. The second thing I am surprised to learn is how history can actually have effects on individuals even if these people are not actually aware of their historical roots. I learned this from the sample case of the Kovac Family where the behavior of 8 year old Caroline was found out to be associated with the family’s Hungarian roots despite the fact that their family is not deeply rooted with their Hungarian culture.
What would be challenging/distracting/difficult for you if your client was from this group of individuals (e.g. culture, career, belief, value etc)?
Given that culture significantly influences the behavior, beliefs, and personal traits of Hungarians, dealing with this aspect would be quite challenging. This is because aside from the details that I learned from the readings, there’s nothing more about the Hungarian culture that I know. I would need to explore more about their identity and the diversity of their population in terms of their beliefs. I also need to learn more about the values that they hold, how they perceive family, marriage, and how much importance they give to relationship building. These are important information to know so that when a client encounters issues on these aspects, I will be able to accurately understand where their thoughts and ideas are probably coming from. Without thoroughly understanding these aspects that relate to the Hungarian population, it would be challenging to have a client from this group of individuals.
Works Cited
Laszloffy, Tracey.
