Diversity and Stereotypes Flashcards
What is true of different groups of people?
- Different health problems
- Different lifestyles and behaviours that impact on health
- Want different types of health services
- Hold different health beliefs
- Engage in different health behaviours
- Have different health needs
What do the different health beliefs held by different groups of people impact?
How they interact with the health service
What must sometimes be done to ensure equality of treatment?
Treat patients differently
What are the duties laid out regarding diversity and stereotypes in Good Medical Practice?
- Must treat patients fairly and with respect, whatever their life choices and beliefs
- Must not unfairly discriminate against patients by allowing your personal views to affect adversely your professional relationship with them, or the treatment you provide or arrange
- This is a legal requirement, not just good practice
- Must treat colleagues fairly and with respect
- Need to be aware of how your own values, beliefs, and stereotypes about different groups may impact on your treatment of patients and interactions with colleagues
What factors must you not discriminate against?
- Patients age
- Colour
- Culture
- Disability
- Ethnic or national origin
- Gender
- Lifestyle
- Marital or parental status
- Race
- Religion or beliefs
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Social or economic status
What does Good Medical Practice say regarding a doctors personal beliefs?
You are allowed to have personal beliefs, but must still provide a good standard of care
What must be done to provide a good standard of care when it goes against your personal beliefs?
- Must explain to patients if you have a conscientious objection to a particular procedure
- Must tell them about the right to see another doctor, and make sure they have enough information to exercise this right
- In providing this information, you must not imply or express disapproval of the patients lifestyle, choices, or beliefs
What must you do to ensure you are treating your colleagues fairly and with respect?
- Must not bully or harrass them
- Must not unfairly discriminate against them by allowing your personal views adversely affect your professional relationship with them
- Should challenge colleagues if their behaviour does not comply with guidance
What will you not be expected to do as a doctor in order to provide good health care?
Agree with patients, or approve of them
What must you do as a doctor in order to provide good health care?
Understand patients and respect their rights
What are stereotypes?
Generalisations we make about specific social groups, and members of those groups
Are stereotypes correct?
Often broadly correct, but erroneous
What can’t be assumed with stereotypes?
Every member conforms to the stereotype
Why do stereotypes occur?
Due to how we store memories and organise knowledge
What model of psychology are stereotypes related to?
Cognitive model
How does the cognitive model of psychology say that knowledge is stored?
As mental representations, organised in schemata
What are schemata?
Groups of related information
What is the result of the way knowledge is stored, according to the cognitive model of psychology?
Make assumptions on new situtations based on information the brain has built up
What is the function of stereotypes?
- Save ‘processing power’
- Environment is more predictable
- Allow anticipation
- Avoids ‘information overload’
What is the problem with stereotypes?
Makes sense of the world, but may not take into account diversity
Why do members of a group get organised into schemata?
Because they share some characteristics
What are the problems with schemata?
- ‘Shortcut’ overlooks diversity
- Have the tendency to remain unchanged, even in the face of contradictory information
- Prone to emphasis on negative traits
What are stereotypes a form of?
Social schemata
What are groups a source of?
Self-identities and self-esteem
Why do we assign people to categories?
To help understand social environment
Why do we assign ourselves to categories?
As a form of social identification
How do we act when we assign ourselves to a category?
Conform to the norms of the group- act the way you think members of your group should act
What is the effect of social comparison?
It builds self-esteem
What is the result of social comparison building self esteem?
People are more likely to focus on negative attributes of people from other social groups, and positive attributes of people in their own
Why does social comparison building self esteem result in people focusing on negative attributes of other groups?
In order to maintain self esteem, our group has to compare favourably to others
What can negative stereotypes lead to?
Prejudice
What component are stereotypes?
Cognitive
What component in prejudice?
The evaluate and affective component
What does prejudice represent?
The emotional response/attitudes
What is pre-judgement often based on?
Negative stereotypes
What component is discrimination?
The behavioural component
What is discrimination?
Behaving differently with people from different groups because of their group membership
What studies have shown that stereotypes can have an unconscious impact?
- Wittenbrink 2004
- Cooper et al 2012
What happened in the Wittenbrink study?
Police played video game to see if they would shoot depending on ethnic background. Told to shoot armed targets;
- Made decision to shoot armed target more quickly if black
- After extensive exposure to game, eliminated racial bias
What did the Cooper et al study look at?
Patient ethnicity and clinical communication
When are we more likely to rely on stereotypes?
- Under time pressure
- Fatigued
- Suffering from information overload
What can help challenge stereotypes?
- Getting to know members of other groups
- Reflective practice
Why can reflective practice help challenge stereotypes?
Can be honest and open to work through stereotypes
What is meant by social cognition?
Compliance, conformity, and group behaviour
What is behaviour influenced by?
With regards to social cognition
Social and cognitive processes we may not be aware of
Who is susceptible to social cognition?
All human beings
