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Unit 4: Wellness

Unit 4: Wellness. Defense mechanisms, cross cultural behavior All people use defense mechanisms to help them feel more comfortable and to rationalize

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Unit 4: Wellness

Defense mechanisms, cross cultural behavior

• All people use defense mechanisms to help them feel more comfortable and to rationalize their behavior

• Defense mechanisms = mental devises that help people cope with various situations

• Rationalization = finding a good reason to replace the real reason for a behavior

• Compensation = substituting one goal for another

• Projection = placing the blame for your actions on someone or something else because you cannot accept responsibility

• Sublimation = redirecting feelings towards a constructive objective

• Identification = idolizing someone you would like to be

• Idolizing = loving to excess

• Hostility = unfriendliness

• Aggressiveness = tendency to start fights without reason

• Health care workers interact with people from many cultural backgrounds

• It is important to know culturally acceptable and effective gestures, terms, and behaviors

• Our understanding and opinions of different cultures develops throughout our lives

• Culture includes a shared background and usually shared experiences

• The most common experiences shared by groups are:

• Language, communication style, belief system, customs, attitudes, perceptions, and values

• Prejudice = to decide or make a decision about a person based on perceived cultural facts

• Prejudices:

• Age, national, physical, mental, religious, racial

• Culture = relates to the behaviors, beliefs, and actions of a particular social, ethnic, or age group

• Ethnicity = refers to identity with or membership in a particular racial, national, or cultural group, and observance of that groups customs, beliefs, and language

• 6 main ethnic groups in the U.S.: African Americans, Asian American, European American, Hispanic American, Middle Eastern/Arab American, and Native American

• Race = a human population that is considered distinct based on physical characteristics, such as white, black, or Latino

• In a ‘melting pot’ country we see a lot of cultural assimilation

• Acculturation = the exchange of cultural features that results when groups come into continuous firsthand contact

• Health care professionals must be sensitive to all cultural backgrounds and always act in the best interest of the patient.

• i.e. Muslim women may not be examined by male members of the medical community

• Catholic doctors ethically should refer women seeking an abortion

Gestures, body language, personal space

• Personal space and touching – defined differently in different cultures, close-contact to distant-contact, touching can be misunderstood, some south Asian cultures believe that a person’s spirit is on the head so touching the head is an insult.

• CLOSE CONTACT:• Africa

• Indonesia

• Latin America

• Hispanic Americans

• Mediterranean

• Southern Europe

• French

• Greet by kissing on cheeks

• DISTANT CONTACT:

• Canada

• Great Britain

• Northern Europe

• U.S.

• Native Americans

• Middle Eastern

• Arabic

• Asian American

• Greet with handshake, hugs for close friends and relatives

• Greetings – important in all cultures, the way it is given and received often determines how positive or negative the meeting is

• GREETING GUIDELINES• Anglo American – shakes hand if desired

• Latin American – shake hands or hugs

• Cambodian or Laotian – do not shake hands, put hands together at different levels, equal = hands at chest, older or superior person or stranger = hands at chin, relative or teacher = hands at nose

• Vietnamese – salute by joining both hands and moving them against the chest

• Hmong (interior mountains of SE Asia peninsula) – bow head or shake hands

• Hand gestures – some mean different things in different cultures

• Wiggling finger is appropriate to call a person over in the U.S. – rude in many other cultures

• Sideways Pointing at a thing is ok in Asia, but not at a person, confrontational, in America its ok for person or thing

• Closed fist upright point – slight threat in America, strong threat made by superior in Asia (never used on girl)

• Eye contact – sometimes means a person is listening, sincere, or honest, or hostile or disrespectful

• EYE CONTACT:• Anglo American – important, interest, honesty, listening

• African American – not as important, being in same room indicates attentiveness

• Navajo – direct eye contact avoided, peripheral vision used, direct stares are considered hostile or a way to scold children

• Japanese, SE Asian, Hispanic – eye contact is avoided as a form of respect

• Family organization – important in all cultures, nuclear families, extended families, patriarchal or matriarchal

• Asia – mostly patriarchal, extended, family needs more important than individual needs

Spirituality and religion in medicine

• Folk medicine is a collection of traditional beliefs and customs for treating pain or illness

• Mostly Western (biomedical) medicine in the U.S.- important to learn about your client’s culture though

• Common folk medicine practices from various cultures:

• Armenians: • give mother a party 1 wk after baby is born, she is served bread,

which she dips in a paste of margarine sugar and flour. Celebration of birth of child

• prohibit menstruating women from going to church, taking a shower, or eating spicy foods

• Asians:• Think health is a balance of yin and yang

• Use treatments like acupuncture and herbal remedies

• Believe pain must be endured silently

• Cambodians:• Use herbs as medicine

• Use cupping for headache

• Use coining for pain

• Consider the color white to be a sign of bad luck

• Central and South Americans:• Use herbal home remedies

• Teach a menstruating woman not to get her head wet, and to avoid eating cucumbers, lemons, oranges, pork, lard, and deer meat

• Chinese:• Use herbs as medicine

• Practice acupuncture

• Use cupping with heated bamboo

• Europeans:• Believe that illness is caused by outside source

• Focus on treatment with medicine, surgery, diet, and exercise

• Hispanics:• Believe that health is a reward from God

• Believe in good luck

• Use heat and cold remedies to restore balance

• Rely on prayers and massage

• Hmong and Mien Tribes:• Perform spiritual ceremonies to please the spirits that cause

illness

• Use herbal home remedies including opium

• Iranians:• Believe that poor health is predetermined (fatalism)

• Use herbs, foods, rituals, and magic formulas for healing

• Believe the ‘evil eye’ causes sudden illness

• When Islamic, require washing of the face and hands before prayer

• Require periodic baths for cleansing

• Koreans:• Practice alchemy

• Use acupuncture

• Go to hot springs for baths and rituals and massage

• Use energy and brain stimulants

• Middle Easterners:• Believe that health is spiritual

• Cleanliness is essential

• Males dominate and make decisions on health care

• Believe in spiritual causes of illness like the ‘evil eye’

• Native Americans:• Use herbs and spices

• Use modern medical practices

• Some rely on a healer/shaman to remove pain and evil spirits

• Believe that health is harmony with nature

• Believe that tolerance of pain signifies power and strength

• Believe that illness is caused by supernatural forces and evil spirits

• South Africans:• Believe in maintaining harmony of mind, body, and spirit

• Believe the causes of ill health are spirits, demons, or punishment from God

• Use prayer or religious rituals as treatment

• Vietnamese:• Commonly use herbal medicine

• Use cupping

• Use acupuncture

• Spirituality

• Religious

• Agnostic

• Atheistic