Chapter 09 Cultural Diversity

9:1 Culture, Ethnicity, and Race Health care workers work with and care for many different people Respect individuality Be aware of factors that make each person unique Influence of cultural/ethnic heritage

9:1 Culture, Ethnicity, and Race Values, beliefs, attitudes, language, symbols, rituals, behaviors, and customs unique to a particular group of people Passed from one generation to next Often defined set of rules Foundation of behavior, but variances

9:1 Culture, Ethnicity, and Race Culture is Learned Shared Social in nature Dynamic and constantly changing

9:1 Culture, Ethnicity, and Race Classification of people based on national origin and/or culture Share common heritage, geographic location, national origin, social customs, language, beliefs Subgroups within larger ethnic groups

9:1 Culture, Ethnicity, and Race Ethnic groups include African American Asian/Pacific Islander European American Hispanic American Middle Eastern/Arabic American Native American

9:1 Culture, Ethnicity, and Race Race is based on physical or biological factors Color of skin, hair, and eyes Facial features Blood type Bone structure Race cuts across multiple ethnic/cultural groups

9:1 Culture, Ethnicity, and Race Differences among people resulting from cultural, ethnic, and racial factors are called cultural diversity Influence a person’s behavior Differences exist within ethnic/cultural groups United States is striving to be a “salad bowl”

9:1 Culture, Ethnicity, and Race Cultural assimilation Newly arrived group adopts ways of new culture Acculturation Process of learning the beliefs and behaviors of a dominant culture and assuming some of its characteristics Sensitivity

9:2 Bias, Prejudice, and Stereotyping Economics Preference that inhibits impartial judgment Physical size Occupation Ethnocentricity Sexual preference Age Gender Education

9:2 Bias, Prejudice, and Stereotyping Strong feeling or belief about a person or subject without reviewing facts or information; often based on fear Stereotyping Making the assumption that everyone in a group is the same

9:2 Bias, Prejudice, and Stereotyping Create barriers to effective relationships Health care workers need to avoid acting on feelings and assumptions Consider ways to avoid bias, prejudice, and stereotyping

9:3 Understanding Cultural Diversity Cultural and ethnic beliefs will affect behavior Health care workers need to be aware of these beliefs to meet the physical, social, emotional, and mental needs of individuals Holistic care Well-being of the whole person

Family Organization Nuclear Extended Patriarchal versus matriarchal Recognition and acceptance of family organization is essential in all aspects of the health care field

Language English is dominant U.S. language Many other languages spoken in United States Determine any language needs Find an interpreter if necessary Medical permission form must usually be printed in a patient’s language

Personal Space and Touch Personal space or territorial space Distance people require for comfortable interaction Different cultural norms Close contact Distant contact

Time Orientation The manner in which an individual responds to the past, present, or future passage of time Past-oriented Present-oriented Future-oriented Capped “T” in “The”

Eye Contact Affected by cultural beliefs May indicate interest, trustworthiness May also be considered rude, hostile, or threatening Be aware of a patient’s comfort level

Gestures Used to communicate Gestures differ by culture Nodding the head for yes and no Pointing Be aware of a patient’s response to gestures

Health Care Beliefs Western biomedical system Beliefs affect responses to health care and understanding of illness/treatment Refer to Table 9-1 in text for common beliefs Alternative health care Set “text” lowercase

Health Care Beliefs Alternative health care methods Nutritional Mind and body control Energetic touch therapy Body-movement methods Spiritual methods

Spirituality and Religion Beliefs about self, connections with others, relationship with higher power Need to find meaning in life Religion Organized system of belief Refer to Table 9-2 in text

Spirituality and Religion Monotheists Polytheists Atheists Agnostics

9:4 Respecting Cultural Diversity Regard each individual as unique Everyone adopts beliefs and forms a pattern of behavior based on culture, ethnicity, race, life experiences, spirituality, and religion Health care workers must learn to respect differences among individuals