Humility as a Predictor of Intercultural Competence

Abstract

The present study tested two models of the association between humility, differentiation-of-self (DoS), and intercultural competence among graduate trainees in the helping professions. The sample consisted of 75 graduate students from a Protestant-affiliated university in the United States. Results indicated that DoS mediated the positive association between humility and intercultural competence. Results therefore supported a definition of intercultural competence as the ability to effectively navigate interpersonal difference. Implications are considered for training in intercultural competence within couple and family therapy.