Besides being a native Chilean, I have met, taught, been taught, roomed with, studied with, worked for, worked with, been supervised by, supervised, and been friends with Hispanics from almost every Spanish-speaking country in the world. I have interviewed and done research among hundreds of Hispanic farm workers and have noticed no difficulties with poor eye contact or invasion of personal space.
Nor have I ever had difficulties in these areas with people from other nations or cultures. Strong eye contact is partially a factor of shyness; partly a measure of how safe a person feels around another. If those who have written about poor eye contact on the part of Hispanics would walk down a mostly minority neighborhood at dusk, they may also find themselves looking at the ground and making less eye contact.
Cross-cultural observations can easily be tainted and contaminated by other factors. Perceived status differences can create barriers between cultures and even within organizations.
For instance, farm managers, instructors, and foreign volunteers through universities, peace corps, farmer-to-farmer programs, etc. A person with this status differential will have to show, by word and action, that she values the potential contributions of those she works with.
Until this happens she will only obtain compliance but never commitment. At times, then, it may appear that some workers or students, especially when there are social or ethnic differences, do not participate as easily.
This is not because they do not have ideas to contribute, but rather, because they may need a little convincing that their ideas would be valued. Once this floodgate of ideas is opened, it will be difficult to stop it.
In some sub-cultures, once a person has given an opinion, others are unlikely to contradict it. That is why some organizations ask their least senior employees to give an opinion first, as few will want to contradict the more season employees. Setting up the discussion from the beginning as one where one desires to hear all sort of different opinions, can be very fruitful both in the workplace and in the classroom. Americans have been historically welcome in most of Hispanic America.
With a few exceptions they are looked up to, resulting in deferential treatment. This deferential and polite treatment should not be confused for weakness, lack of interest, and the like.
Studies conducted some years ago showed African American children preferred White dolls. This has been changing as African Americans are less likely to discount their own contributions for an excellent discussion on contributions see Roger Brown's Social Psychology: The Second Edition , Free Press, I believe Hispanics are also valuing their contributions more than in the past, and less subservient behaviors will be observed.
Only through equality of respect between races and nations can we reach positive international relations in this global economy as well as peace at home.
Cultural and ethnic stereotypes do little to foster this type of equality. Breaking through status barriers can take time and effort.
The amount of exertion will depend on many factors, including the skill of the manager teacher, volunteer on the one hand, and how alienated and disenfranchised from the main stream the person he is trying to reach feels.
For example, in East Africa, a non-Black manager speaks to the Black African accountant and the accountant makes little eye contact and responds with submissive "Yes, Sirs" regardless of what he hears.
When the manager exits, this same accountant makes plenty of eye contact and is full of ideas and creativity when dealing with those of his same and different race. In another example, an adult class of Hispanic farm workers says nothing to their Anglo-Saxon instructor over a three day period--even though they do not understand what is being taught. This same group of farm workers, when given a chance to be active participants in the learning process, become, in the words of a second Anglo-Saxon instructor at the same junior college, "the best class of students I have ever taught.
In yet another case, an Anglo-Saxon adult educator finds that Hispanics are apt to listen politely but not ask questions. He advises others not to expect much participation from Hispanics. A female Hispanic elsewhere wonders if those Hispanic farm workers she teaches don't participate because she is a woman.
The first perceives that the lack of participation is somewhat inherent in the Hispanic population; the latter assumes her gender is the cause. Meanwhile, other Hispanic instructors create so much enthusiasm and active participation from the Hispanic audiences they work with, that those who walk by wonder what is going--and why participants seem to be having so much fun.
It is not a cultural difference if someone can totally involve a group into a discussion, within minutes, even when that group has had little experience with a more participatory method in the past.
Stereotyping can have intense negative effects, especially when educators or managers make fewer attempts to involve those of other cultures because they have been taught not to expect participation! Or do not realize there may be something wrong when a student or employee of a different ethnicity makes little eye contact with them.
Faye Lee, a concerned Japanese-American wrote: "How anyone can try to make generalizations about an entire continent of people, plus all the Asian Americans and the infinite permutations of people's differing experiences, is beyond me.
As we interact with others of different cultures, there is no good substitute for receptiveness to interpersonal feedback, good observation skills, effective questions, and some horse sense. There is much to be gained by observing how people of the same culture interact with each other. Don't be afraid to ask questions as most people respond very positively to inquiries about their culture. The following suggestions may help you care for and communicate with patients who are new to Canada: 3,4.
Read more about cultural competence, including specific strategies for delivering culturally competent care. Helpful tools and resources are available from other sources. SickKids Hospital in Toronto has created a series of e-learning modules. Developing a guide to help health professionals understand cultural preferences and characteristics around the world would be a mammoth undertaking. Culturally, health professionals in Canada are increasingly diverse, viewing the world and the people they see through many different lenses.
However, health care providers should learn skills around cultural competence and patient-centred care. Such skills can be a compass for exploring, respecting and using cultural similarities and differences to improve quality of care and patient outcomes. Webinar: Mind the Gap! How Culture Influences Health Key points Culture is a pattern of ideas, customs and behaviours shared by a particular people or society. It is constantly evolving.
The speed of cultural evolution varies. It increases when a group migrates to and incorporates components of a new culture into their culture of origin. Knowing the difference can help health professionals with diagnosis and with tailoring a treatment plan that includes a larger or smaller group. The influence of culture on health is vast.
It affects perceptions of health, illness and death, beliefs about causes of disease, approaches to health promotion, how illness and pain are experienced and expressed, where patients seek help, and the types of treatment patients prefer. Both health professionals and patients are influenced by their respective cultures.
Cultural bias may result in very different health-related preferences and perceptions. This perspective allows care providers to ask about various beliefs or sources of care specifically, and to incorporate new awareness into diagnosis and treatment planning. Culture may include all or a subset of the following characteristics: 1 Given the number of possible factors influencing any culture, there is naturally great diversity within any cultural group.
A great escape? Turning the page A year-old daughter of a Sudanese schoolteacher in a wealthy area of Khartoum left the country with her mother under the protection of a diplomat during a stable period. Learning points: Diversity exists within any single culture. The adaptation of a child can be influenced by numerous factors in addition to culture personal, family, migration-related, social, environmental. Any negative effects of such factors may be well hidden by the child. Migration trajectories vary in significant ways.
Remember to treat them just like you would anyone else, and don't think of them only as a way to get to know about other cultural backgrounds.
One of the best ways to experience and understand other cultures is to actually live among them. You could try: Check out some virtual travel and history experiences from the comfort of your own home. You could try: Practise being empathetic towards the people around you and be mindful of your thoughts about others. Try not to compare or judge. Learn more about how you can become more accepting. One of the biggest difficulties to overcome in understanding cultural differences is making judgements based on one opinion.
Do your own research and make an effort to actually learn about people, instead of making broad-brush assessments. Stereotyping people from different cultural backgrounds can impact their quality of life and opportunities. The main thing to remember is that everyone, no matter what their cultural background, has their own unique opinions, habits and ways of life. The sooner you accept that everyone is different, the easier it becomes to understand and embrace cultural differences.
It's not always easy to find the right place to start. Our 'What's on your mind?
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