CULTURAL

FOUNDATIONS
What is Culture?
Culture

The behavior which is transmitted to us by

someone is called culture. The way of living,
eating, wearing, singing, dancing and talking is
all parts of a culture.
Culture is a system of learned behavior shared
by and transmitted among the members of a
group.
Culture

E.B. Tylor:

"Culture is that complex whole which includes

knowledge, belief, art, morals, Jaw, customs and
any other capabilities and habits acquired by
man as a member of society".
Culture

Edward Sapir:

"Culture is any socially inherited element of the

life of man, material and spiritual"
Culture

Malionwski:

"Culture the handwork of man and conventional

understanding manifest in art and artifact which
persisting through which he achieves his ends"
Culture

Redfield:

"Culture is an organized body of conventional

understanding manifest in art and artifact which
persisting through, characterizes a human
group"
Culture

Mac Iver:

"Culture is the expression of our nature in our

modes of living, and our thinking, intercourses
in our literature, in religion, in recreation and
enjoyment”
Culture

E.S. Bogardus:

"Culture is all the ways of doing and thinking of

a group"
Characteristics of Culture

1. Culture is learnt
2. Cultural is Social
3. Culture is shared
4. Culture is Transmissive
5. Culture is Continuous and Cumulative
6. Culture is Consistent and Interconnected
7. Culture is Dynamic and Adaptive
8. Culture is Gratifying
9. Culture varies from Society to Society
10. Culture is Super Organic and Ideational
 1. Culture is learnt
Culture is not inherited biologically, but learnt socially by man. It is not an
inborn tendency. There is no culture instinct as such culture is often called
learned ways of behavior. Unlearned behavior such as closing the eyes
while sleeping, the eye blinking reflex and so on are purely physiological
and culture sharing hands or saying ‘namaskar’ or thanks and shaving and
dressing on the other hand are culture. Similarly wearing clothes, combing
the hair, wearing ornaments, cooking the food, drinking from a glass,
eating from a plate or leaf, reading a newspaper, driving a car, enacting a
role in drama, singing, worship etc. are always of behavior learnt by man
culturally.
 2. Cultural is Social
Culture does not exist in isolation neither it is an individual phenomenon.
It is a product of society. It originates and develops through social
interaction. It is shared by the members of society. No man can acquire
culture without association with other human beings. Man becomes man
only among men. It is the culture, which helps man to develop human
qualities in a human environment. Deprivation is nothing but deprivation
of human qualities.
 3. Culture is shared
Culture in the sociological sense, is something shared. It is not something
that an individual alone can possess. For example customs, tradition,
beliefs, ideas, values, morals, etc. are shared by people of a group or
society. The invention of Arya Bhatta or Albert Einstein, Charaka or Charles
Darwin, the literary, works of Kalidas or Keats, Dandi or Dante, the
philosophical works of Cunfucius or Lao Tse, Shankaracharya or Swami
Vivekananda, the artistic work of Kavi Verma or Raphael etc. are all shared
by a large number of people. Culture is something adopted, used, believed
practiced or possessed by more than one person. It depends upon group
life for its existence. (Robert Brerstedt)
 4. Culture is Transmissive
Culture is capable of being transmitted from one generation to the next.
Parents pass on culture traits to their children and them in turn to their
children arid so on. Culture is transmitted not trough genes but by means
of language. Language is the main vehicle of culture. Language in its
different forms like reading, writing and speaking makes it possible for the
present generation to understand the achievements of earlier generations.
But language itself is a part of culture. Once language is acquired it unfolds
to the individual in wide field. Transmission of culture may take place by
intution as well as by interaction,
 5. Culture is Continuous and Cumulative
Culture exists, as a continuous process. In its historical growth, it tends to
become cumulative. Culture is growing completely which includes in itself,
the achievements of the past and present and makes provision for the
future achievements of mankind. Culture may thus be conceived of as a
kind of stream flowing down through the centuries from one generation to
another. Hence, some sociologists like Lition called culture the social
heritage of man. As Robert Brerstedt writes culture or the money of
human race. It becomes difficult for us to imagine what society would be
like without this accumulation of culture what lives would be without it.
 6. Culture is Consistent and Interconnected
Culture, in its development has revealed tendency to be consistent. At the
same time, different parts of culture are inter¬connected. For example,
the value system of a society, a society is closely connected with, its other
aspects such as morality, religion, customs, traditions, beliefs and so on.
 7. Culture is Dynamic and Adaptive
Though culture is relatively stable, it is not altogether static. It is subject to
slow but constant change. Change and growth are latent in culture. We
find amazing growth in the present Indian culture when we compare it
with the culture of the Vedic time. Hence, culture is dynamic.
Culture is responsive to the changing conditions of the physical world. It is
adaptive. It also intervenes in the natural environment and helps man in
his process of adjustment. Just as our house
shelters us from the storm, so also does our culture help us from natural
dangers and assist us to survive. Few of us indeed could survive without
culture.
 8. Culture is Gratifying
Culture provides proper opportunities, and prescribes means for the
satisfaction of our needs and desires. These needs may be biological or
social in nature. Our need for food, shelter and clothing and our desire for
status, name, fame and money etc are all, for example, fulfilled according
to the cultural ways. Culture determines and guides the varied activities of
man. In fact culture is defined as the process through which human beings
satisfy their wants.
 9. Culture varies from Society to Society
Every society has a culture of its own. It differs from society to society.
Culture of every society in unique to itself. Cultures are not uniform.
Cultural elements such as customs, traditions, morals, ideals, values,
ideologies, beliefs in practices, philosophies institutions, etc. are not
uniform everywhere. Ways of eating, speaking, greeting, dressing,
entertaining, living etc. of different sects differ significantly. Culture varies
from time to time also. No culture ever remains constant or changeless. If
Manu were to come back to see the Indian society today he would be
bewildered to witness the vast changes that have taken place in our
culture.
 10. Culture is Super Organic and Ideational
Culture is sometimes called the super organic. By super organic Herbert
Spencer meant that culture is neither organic nor inorganic in nature but
above these two. The term implies the social meaning of physical
objectives and physiological acts. The social meaning may be independent
of physiological and physical properties and characteristics. For example,
the social meaning of a national flag is not just a piece of colored cloth.
The flag represents a nation. Similarly, priests and prisoners, professors
and profanation, players, engineers and doctors, farmers and soldiers and
others are not just biological beings. They are viewed in their society
differently. Their social status and role can be understood only through
culture.
 Other terminologies:

1. Cultural Identify - The sense of being part of an

ethnic group or culture
2. Culture-universals - Commonalities of values,
norms of behavior, and life patterns that are similar
among different cultures.
3. Culture-specifies - Values, beliefs, and patterns of
behavior that tend to be unique to a designate culture.
Other terminologies:

4. Material culture - refers to objects (dress,

art, religious arti1acts)
5. Non-material culture - refers to beliefs
customs, languages, social institutions.
6. Subculture - Composed of people who have
a distinct identity but are related to a larger
cultural group
 Other terminologies:

7. Bicultural - A person who crosses two cultures,

lifestyles, and sets of values.
8. Diversity - refers to the fact or state of being
different. Diversity can occur between cultures and
within a cultural group.
9. Religion – the belief in a divine or superhuman
power to be obeyed and worshipped as the creator and
ruler of the earth.
Other terminologies:

10. Ethnic – social group within a cultural and social

system that claims or is accorded special status on the
basis of complex, often variable traits including
religious, linguistic, ancestral, or physical
characteristics.
11. Ethnicity – the condition of belonging to a
particular ethnic group
12. Race – Classification of people based on physical
or biological characteristics.
 Other terminologies:

13. Socialization – the process of being raised within a

culture and acquiring the characteristics of that group.
Education (Elementary school, high school, college or a
given health care provider program) is a form of
socialization.
 Other terminologies:

14. Acculturation – the process of learning the

beliefs and behaviors of a dominant culture and
assuming some of the characteristics.
▪ While becoming a competent participant in the
dominant culture, a member of the non-dominant
culture is always identified as a member of the
original culture.
 Other terminologies:

15. Cultural shock - the state of being disoriented or

unable to respond to a different cultural environment
because of its sudden strangeness, unfamiliarity, and
incompatibility to the stranger's perceptions and
expectations at is differentiated from others by
symbolic markers (cultures, biolo gy, territory, religion).
 Other terminologies:

16. Assimilation – the process by which an individual

develops a new cultural identity.
Four forms of assimilation:
a. Cultural – ability to speak excellent American English
b. Marital – occurs when members of one group intermarry with
members of another group.
c. Primary structural – the relationships between people are warm,
personal interactions between group members in the home, the church,
and social groups.
d. Secondary structural – there is nondiscriminatory sharing, often of
a cold impersonal nature, between different groups in settings such as
schools and workplaces.
 Other terminologies:

17. Sensitivity – the ability to recognize and

appreciate the personal characteristics of others.
18. Bias – a preference that inhibits impartial
judgment of others.
19. Prejudice – a strong feeling or belief about a
person or subject that is formed without reviewing
facts or information.
20. Stereotyping – process of assuming that everyone
in a particular group is the same.
 Cultural Phenomena Affecting Health

Environmental Biological Social

Control Variations Organization

Communication Space Time Orientation

TIME

Visiting Inform person when you are coming

Being on Avoid surprises
time Explain your expectations about time
Taboo times Ask people from other regions and
cultures what they expect.
Be familiar with the times and meanings
of person’s ethnic and religious holidays.
SPACE ➢ Refers to people’s behaviors and attitudes toward the space around themselves.

➢ Territoriality is the term for the behavior and attitude people exhibit about an area they have claimed and defend or
react emotionally when others encroach on it

➢ Space and related behaviors have different meanings in the following zones:
a. Intimate zones – extends up to 1.5 feet. Because this distance allows adults to have the most bodily contact
for perception of breath and odor, incursion into this zone is acceptable only in private places. Visual
distortions also occur at this distance.
b. Personal distance – extends from 1.5 to 4 feet. This is an extension of the self that is likely having a “bubble”
of space surrounding the body. At this distance, the voice may be moderate, body odor may not be apparent,
and visual distortion may have disappeared.

c. Social distance – extends from 4 feet to 12 feet. This is reserved for impersonal business transactions.
Perceptual information is much less detailed.

d. Public distance – extends 12 feet or more. Individuals interact only impersonally. Communicator’s voices must
be projected and subtle facial expressions may be lost.

Body Know cultural and/or religious customs

language regarding contact such as eye and touch
and from many perspectives
distances
COMMUNICATION

Greetings Know the proper forms of address for people from a

given culture and the ways by which people welcome
one another. Know when touch, such as embrace or
handshake, is expected and when physical contact is
prohibited.
Gestures Gestures do not have universal meaning; what is
acceptable to one cultural group is taboo with another.

Smiling Smiles may be indicative of friendliness to some, taboo

to others.

Eye contact Avoiding eye contact may be a sign of respect

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
➢ The social environment in which people grow up and live plays an essential role in their
cultural development and identification.

Holidays Know what dates are important and why.

Whether or not to give gifts, what to wear to
special events, what the customs and beliefs
are.
Special events Know how the event is celebrated, meaning of
colors, used for gifts, expected rituals at home
Births or religious services.
Weddings
Funerals
BIOLOGICAL VARIATIONS
➢ The several ways in which people from one cultural group differ biologically
from members of other cultural groups constitute their biological variations.

Food Know what can be eaten for certain

customs events, what foods may be eaten
together, what and how utensils are
used.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
The ability of members of a particular cultural group to plan activities that control
nature or direct environmental factors. Included in this concept are the complex
systems of traditional health and illness beliefs, the practice of folk medicine, and the
use of traditional

Health Know what the general health

practices traditions are for a given person and
and question observations for validity
remedies with the health care providers and
system.
RELIGION
organized system of beliefs, by followers,
ceremonies, practices and worship
RELIGION
● Health practices:
1. Meditating
2. Being vaccinated
3. Being willing to have the body examined
4. Maintaining family viability
5. Hoping for recovery
6. Coping with stress
7. Caring for children.
 Asian Religions:

1. Christianity – Philippines
2. Islam – Middle East Asia
3. Hinduism – India
4. Buddhism – throughout Asia
5. Judaism - Israel
6. Taoism - China
7. Shamanism – Thailand
8. Shinto - Japan
 What Religions
Have in Common
 Deity or Supreme
Religion Sacred Writings Golden Rule Pilgrimage
Being

Baha'i (5-7 Monotheistic God Writings of the Báb Blessed is he who Holy places in Iraq
million) and Bahá'u'lláh preferreth his brother and Iran
before himself.

Buddhism (520 No supreme being, Tripitaka and The Hurt not others in Bodh Gaya in India
million) the path of the Sutras ways that you
Buddha, Siddhartha yourself would find
Gautama is followed hurtful.
to reach nirvana

Christianity (2,420 God The Bible Do unto other as you The Holy Land
million) would have them do
unto you

Confucism (6 No supreme being Four Books What you do not Mount Tai, a holy
million) but Confucius is wish for yourself, do mountain in China
honored. not do to others.
 Deity or Supreme
Religion Sacred Writings Golden Rule Pilgrimage
Being

Hinduism (1,150 Shiva The Vedas Treat others as you Sacred sites in
million) treat yourself India

Islam (1,800 Allah The Quran That which you Mecca

million) want for yourself,
seek for mankind

Jainism (4 Arihant and Siddha The Agamas Treat all creatures Shatrunjaya in
million) the way you want Gujarat
to be treated.

Judaism (17 Monotheistic God Tanach or the Love your neighbor Jerusalem
million) Jewish Bible as yourself:
 Deity or Supreme
Religion Sacred Writings Golden Rule Pilgrimage
Being

Shinto (100 Kami The Kojiki and the The heart of the Three Grand Shrines
million) Nihon-gi person before you is in Japan
a mirror. See there
your own form.

Sikhism (30 Waheguru Guru Granth Sahib Treat others like Amritsar and
million) precious jewels and Harmandir Saheb
do do hurt them. (the Golden Temple)

Taoism (Daoism) - No God like other The Tao Te Ching Regard your Sacred mountains in
(12-173 million) religions and Lao-tzu neighbor's gain and China
losses as your own.

Zoroastrianism Ahura and Mazda Gathas and Yasna Do not do unto The Iranshah Atash
(124-190 others whatever is Behram
thousand) injurious to yourself.
Other Belief Systems

Atheist – a person who does not believe in any

deity
Agnostic – an individual who believes that the
existence of God cannot be proved or disproved.
ETHNICITY
“of or pertaining to a social group within a
cultural and social system that claims or is
accorded special status on the basis of complex,
often variable traits including religious,
linguistic, ancestral, or physical characteristics”
(Davies, 1976, p. 247)
ETHNICITY
“a group of people that share a common and
distinctive racial, national, religious, linguistic, or
cultural heritage” (Office of Minority Health,
2001)
ETHNICITY
● selected cultural and sometimes physical
characteristics used to classify people into groups or
categories considered to be significantly different
from others (O’Neil, 2008)
ETHNICITY
- Cultural group’s sense of identification
associated with the group’s common social and
cultural heritage
- Perception of oneself and a sense of belonging
to a particular ethnic group or groups.
ETHNICITY
Related terms:
● Ethnicity: Identity with or membership in a particular racial,
national, or cultural group and observance of that group’s
customs, beliefs, and language (Dictionary.com, n.d.)
● Ethnocentrism: (1) belief in the superiority of one’s own
ethnic group; (2) overriding concern with race
● Xenophobia: a morbid fear of strangers
● Xenophobe: a person unduly fearful or contemptuous of
strangers or foreigners, especially as reflected in his or her
political or cultural views
ETHNICITY
1. Geographic origin 8. Literature, folklore, and music
2. Migratory status 9. Food preferences
3. Race 10. Settlement and employment
4. Language and dialect patterns
5. Religious faith or faiths 11. Special interest, with regard to
6. Ties that transcend kinship, politics, in the homeland and in the
neighborhood, and community country
boundaries 12. Institutions that specifically
7. Traditions, values, and symbols serve and maintain the group
13. An internal sense of
distinctiveness
14. An external perception of
distinctiveness
Cultural beliefs
and Practices
 Asian Health Care Beliefs
1. Yin and Yang
2. Respect for Physician
3. Limited concept of mental illness
4. Traditional self-care, self-medication, self-dosing
5. Fearful of blood work, excessive testing, surgery
6. Self-restraint – may refuse pain medication out of courtesy
7. Do not touch the head – private and personal
8. Modesty
9. Eye contact
10. Fasting (Ramadan)
11. Visiting hours – large group of family members
12. Birthing beliefs
 Asian Health Care Practices

1. Coining (Caogio)
2. Cupping (Giac)
3. Steaming (Xong)
4. Acupuncture
5. Patent medicines
 What is the role of the nurse?

1. Provide care that is congruent with cultural

values, beliefs, and practices.
2. Perform transcultural assessments
3. Develop culturally competent interventions
4. In-service staff on cultural competency
 Culturally Sensitive Interventions:

1. Arrange nursing care so that it does not

interrupt prayer session.
2. Try to schedule medication administration so
it does not interfere with fasting.
3. Try to accommodate dietary needs specific
to culture
4. Learn about alternative/complimentary
medications
 The practice of nursing today demands that
the nurse identify and meet the cultural needs of
diverse groups, understand the social and cultural
reality of the client, family, and community,
develop expertise to implement culturally
acceptable strategies to provide nursing care, and
identify and use resources acceptable to the
client (Boyle, 1987).
THANK YOU!