Glossary

Glossary


Shame is the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing we are flawed and therefore unworthy of acceptance and belonging.

Shame Resilience is the ability to recognize shame when we experience it, and move through it in a constructive way that allows us to maintain our authenticity and grow from our experiences.

Empathy The act of perceiving, understanding, experiencing, and responding to the emotional state and ideas of another person.

Cultural Competence is the ability to engage in actions or create conditions that maximize the optimal development of client and client system.
Stereotypes may be defined as rigid preconceptions we hold about all people who are members of a particular group, whether it be defined along racial, religious, sexual, or other lines.

Immigrants are defined as those individuals who depart their country of origin voluntary in search of better economic and living arrangements.

Immigrant one who has moved to and intends to reside permanently in another country.
Undocumented immigrants (more commonly referred to as “illegal aliens”) are those individuals who enter this country without proper (legal) documentation, and have done so for reasons similar to those who are in this country as immigrants.The term illegal alien is insidious and places the undocumented into a criminal category, and unjustifiably so.

Immigrant Visa An authorization grated by the U.S. Department of State or the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Service (CIS) to applicants to reside in the United States. A person with an immigrant visa may be given a permanent resident card, also known as a green card.

Green Card The name commonly used for the registration card issued by the U.S. government that identifies the holder as a permanent U.S. resident who is a citizen of another nation. The card (no longer green), which is issued by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, I officially U.S. Government Form I-551, “Alien Registration
Recipient.”

Immigration Appeals Board A quasi-judicial tribunal to hear appeals about judgments made in lower-court deportation cased or involving legal denials of visa petitions. The U.S. Attorney General appoints and empowers the board.

Immigration Quotas U.S. federal laws that determined the proportion of people from each country who were allowed to become residents, thus making it easier for Europeans to immigrate than for people of Asia, Latin America, or Africa.

Mexican American A resident of the United States whose parents or ancestors are from Mexico.

“mica” Slang term used especially in Latin American communities for green card or permanent resident card.

Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act U.S. federal legistation (P.L. 97-470) enacted in 1983 to protect migrant farm workers from unfair labor practices or working, living, or housing conditions that are unhealthy or unsafe. The law also requires employers to inform workers, in writing, of their rights, their wages and benefits, and the length and terms of their employment.

Migrant Laborer A worker who travels from place to place to take short-term or seasonal jobs, such as those in agriculture and construction.


Chicano A term sometimes used to describe American citizens of Mexican birth or ethnic heritage. Some Mexican Americans dislike the term because of its identification with political agitation and civil rights activism.

Wetback is a derogatory term for a person that has immigrated illegally to the United States. Commonly referring to Mexicans and people who may have crossed the border illegally, the term is based on the presumption that the person in question swam or waded across the Rio Grande to get into the United States, getting his or her back wet in the process.








Reference:

Barker, R. L. (2003). The social work dictionary. (5th ed.). Baltimore, MD: Port City
Press.
Brown, B. (2007). I Thought It Was Just Me: Telling the truth about perfectionism,
inadequacy and power. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc.