Week 4- culture and spirituality Flashcards
(27 cards)
What is culture?
A shared system of values that provides a framework for who we are
Culture encompasses values, beliefs, norms, and roles of a group.
Define race.
A group of people who share distinct physical characteristics such as skin color, hair, and facial features
Race is often perceived differently across various cultures.
What is ethnicity?
Customs, cultural habits, and socialization patterns of a particular group
Ethnicity influences one’s point of view and value systems.
Define spirituality.
A belief in a power greater than any human being.
What is religion?
A defined, organized, and practiced system of worship.
What is holism?
A perspective that considers the mental, emotional, spiritual, and social aspects of a person, rather than just the physical.
List the characteristics that all cultures share.
- Learned
- Transmitted
- Shared
- Integrated
- Ideal
- Dynamic
- Not representative
These characteristics help explain the framework of a culture.
What is the primary basis of Western medicine?
Scientific methods using technology and pharmacology to treat illness.
Define folk medicine.
Founded on empirical knowledge based on observation and experience with an understanding of cause and effect.
What do traditional health beliefs involve?
Explanations of the causes of health and disease.
How do cultures view health differently?
- Navajo and traditional African-American cultures: harmony with nature
- Chinese culture: balance of yin and yang
- Hispanics: good health as a gift from God
- Low-income families: health as the ability to work
These beliefs influence treatment approaches.
What is the difference between disease and illness?
Disease refers to physical dysfunction, while illness includes social, emotional, and intellectual dysfunctions.
What are the possible responses when signs of illness appear?
- Do something to relieve the symptoms
- Do nothing
- Vacillate without taking any real action
- Deny the existence of the problem
Responses are influenced by the patient’s culture.
Define naturalistic illness.
Mental illness caused by impersonal factors existing outside the individual.
What is personality illness?
Mental illness caused by aggression or punishment directed toward a specific person.
How does culture influence stress perception and coping?
Coping behaviors acceptable in some cultures may not be in others.
List the six areas of cultural assessments.
- Communication
- Environmental control
- Space and territory
- Time
- Social organization
- Biological factors
What does communication encompass?
- Verbal communication (language, music, written language)
- Nonverbal communication (appearance, body motion, use of space)
Each component carries cultural meaning.
What is environmental control in cultural contexts?
An individual’s ability to perceive and control their environment.
Define space in a cultural context.
The physical distance a person maintains from others, influenced by culture.
What does time orientation refer to in cultural contexts?
A culture’s basic orientation towards the past, present, or future.
What is social organization?
How family, work, gender roles, friends, and religion are culturally defined.
What are biological factors in cultural assessments?
Considerations of physical variations, genetic makeup, and psychological characteristics.
Define spirituality.
Breath or air; the life force that penetrates a person’s entire being.
