Mid Term Flashcards
Assimilation
Assimilation describes the process of social, cultural, and political integration
of a minority into a dominant culture and society. This is the melting pot theory, when the new
group loses its own identity and becomes part of the majority culture. Up until the 1980ies, it
was expected of ethnic minorities to ’melt into’ the new society and give up their own
characteristics. Cultural pluralism is the contrast
Cultural pluralism
Smaller groups within a larger society maintain their unique cultural
identities, and their values and practices are accepted by the wider culture provided they are
consistent with the laws and values of the wider society. It is not only a fact but a societal goal,
Assimilation is not required here, just peaceful co-existence and mutual respect. It is the mosaic
society. It is the basic idea behind intercultural healthcare. People are entitled to keep their own
practices in health care settings as well, as long as nobody is hurt
Culture
The common heritage shared by the people of a society, consisting of customs, values,
language, ideas, and objects. Culture is society in you. It is your learnt view of the world. It
includes ideas, beliefs, norms and values. It is passed on from one generation to the next but it
does change
Compliance
in healthcare, compliance means the patient follows doctor’s orders. Noncompliance is a very great problem. Many patients do not do what the doctor told them to do.
They don’t take the medicine, don’t lose weight etc…
Deviance
describes an action or behaviour that violates social norms in a society. deviant
actions are unacceptable by society’s standards. As social norms differ from culture to culture,
deviance is relative to culture. Doctors must try to avoid being judgmental about behaviors in
intercultural encounters. Something which is morally suspect in one culture might be perfectly
acceptable in another. As doctors have great authority, if they label something as deviant, it
might have serious consequences for the identity of the patient
Discrimination
The unequal and unfair treatment of individuals or groups on the basis of some
irrelevant characteristic, such as race, ethnicity, religion, sex, or social class. A person is treated
negatively because he or she belongs to a group
Ethnic group
A group that shares a common cultural tradition and sense of identity
Ethnocentrism
The tendency to see one’s own culture as superior to all others
Health beliefs
Health related ideas and beliefs of lay (non-medical) people. These ideas might
be very different from what is held by medical professionals, but they are logical and make
good sense to the lay people believing in them. They depend on culture. People makes sense of
their symptoms and take action based on their health beliefs
Health literacy
the ability to obtain, read, understand and use healthcare information to make
appropriate health decisions and follow instructions for treatment. It is not only whether the
patient understands what the doctors say but also the ability to get good information online,
being able to decide what information is good, knowing what source to believe and being able
to take action to improve one’s health. People with higher SES generally have better health
literacy
Intercultural
Any interaction between members of different cultures attempting at least to
lessen misunderstandings stemming from living together. It can be very difficult. The important
thing is the intention. If you want to understand people from other cultures, you will be able to
do so
Illness behaviour
Activities people undertake in trying to make sense of their symptoms,
interpret them and seek remedy if necessary
Minority group
p Any recognizable racial, religious, ethnic, or social group that suffers from
some disadvantage resulting from the action of a dominant group with higher social status and
greater privileges. It is not necessarily about numbers. There were more black people than white
in South Africa during apartheid, but the black people were still a minority as they had less
power. There are many studies showing that members of ethnic minorities have worse health
status than the majority population (there are some exceptions, for example in the case of dental
health.) This is partly due to their lower socioeconomic position. They don’t have the resources
needed to maintain good health. Their health literacy is lower, too. They have communication
problems stemming from language barriers and lower education
Labelling theory
- It is how important fractions of society reacts to deviance that matters not
whether or not the act is done. According to this theory deviance is caused by a) the deviant’s
being labelled as morally inferior, b) the deviant’s internalizing the label and c) finally the
deviant’s acting according to that specific label. Medicine is a strong moral authority. So for
example, if you label a patient as a hypochondriac because he or she expresses pain more
dramatically than you think is justified, you will lead to that person feeling like a deviant
Prejudice
A “prejudged” unfavourable attitude toward the members of a particular group, who
are assumed to possess negative traits. This is not action (see discrimination). It is a negative
attitude. As members of the helping profession, doctors are expected to control their prejudices
(if they have any) and not discriminate
