Chapter 5: Cultural Diversity Flashcards
Culture
defined as a shared system of beliefs, values, and behavioral expectations that provides social structure for daily living.
- it includes the beliefs, habits, likes, and dislikes, and customs and rituals learned from one’s family
Subcultures
- Large group of people who are members of a larger cultural group
- members have certain ethnic, occupational, or physical characteristics not common to the larger culture
Dominant group
- has most authority to control values and sanctions of society
Minority group
a physical or cultural characteristic identifies the people as different from dominant group
Cultural assimilation
- minorities living within a dominant group lose the characteristics that made them different
- values replaced by those of dominant culture
Culture shock
- the feelings a person experiences when placed inn a different culture
- may result in psychological discomfort or disturbances
Ethnicity
- sense of identification with a collective cultural group
- largely based on group’s common heritage
- one can belong to an ethnic group through birth or adoption of characteristics of that group
- groups share unique cultural and social beliefs and behavior patterns
- Largely develops through day-to-day life with family and friends within the community
Race
- typically based on specific characteristics
- skin pigmentation, body stature, facial features, hair texture
Cultural imposition
belief that everyone should conform to the majority belief system
Cultural blindness
- ignores the differences and proceeds as if they did not exist
ethnocentrism
belief that one’s ideas, beliefs, and practice are the best or superior or are most preferred to those of others
Cultural conflict
- people become aware of differences and feel threatened. Responses - ridiculing beliefs and traditions of others to make themselves feel more secure
Elements of Cultural Competence
- recognize that each person holds various beliefs about pain and that pain is what the patient says it is
- respect the patient’s right to respond to pain in one’s own fashion
- never stereotype a patient’s responses to pain based on the patient’s culture
- be sensitive to nonverbal signals of discomfort, such as holding or applying pressure to the painful area or avoiding activities that intensify the pain
- developing self-awareness: make sure you understand norms of culture
- Demonstrating knowledge and understanding of a patient’s culture