Cultural differences in health and social care communication Essays

Cultural differences in health and social care communication Essays Cultural differences in health and social care communication Paper Cultural differences in health and social care communication Paper Both cultures find it polite to shake hands, so for example, if an English doctor in a hospital was meeting a new Chinese patient, they would shake hands and both would find it polite. This would be a more formal occasion so both people would address each other as Mr/Mrs/Dr. In a group meeting with a group of care workers from a day care centre for adults with learning disabilities, if the most senior member is Chinese and he/she Is not acknowledged first, he/she may feel offended, leading to awkwardness in the meeting. Questions It is important to respect the British desire for privacy. Dont ask personal questions. Expect to answer and be asked intrusive questions about personal life. When a Chinese teacher is having a one-to-one meeting at a school with an English parent of a child having problems in the school, the parent may be taken aback or surprised if the Chinese teacher started asking questions about his/her personal life, as this is normal in China, whereas in Britain it is not. This could be seen by the parent as rude and intrusive. Eye Contact English people are taught from a young age to look people in the eye when talking to them, or listening to them. Eye contact is thought to be disrespectful or rude, and lack of eye contact does not mean that a person is not paying attention. In a Doctors surgery, if an English doctor was talking to a Chinese patient they would expect to have eye contact while explaining their treatment as a sign of attentiveness. If the Chinese patient wasn’t making a lot of eye contact, as this was deemed rude in their culture, the doctor may assume this is a sign of ignorance and that the patient is not listening or focused on them, and doesn’t understand what they have to say. Touch and proximity The British like a certain amount of personal space. Do not stand too close to another person or put your arm around someones shoulder. In Asia, female friends often hold hands and men casually embrace one another as they walk down the street. If two female work colleagues who had recently both started working in a care home for the elderly, and one of them was Chinese and the other was English had just become friends, and the Chinese one kept holding the others hand, as a sign of friendliness in their culture, this could make the other care worker feel very uncomfortable in this situation, and feel like the Chinese care worker Is invading their personal space. Body gestures The uses of a finger to indicate â€Å"come here please† to someone else, or to point to someone/something is seemed normal and acceptable. This is the gesture is used to beckon dogs in some cultures and is very offensive. Pointing with one finger is also considered to be rude in some cultures and Asians typically use their entire hand to point to something. If an English care worker in a day care centre for the elderly used a finger motion to invite a Chinese patient over to them, the Chinese patient would get the impression that the care worker thinks they are superior, as in Asian culture pointing and using a finger motion is related to beckoning dogs, and the Chinese patient could be very offended by this gesture. When working with cross-cultural situations there can be many problems due to the cultural differences of the people involved in the communication, such as language barriers, differences in what is considered polite, and/or the way in which people perceive each others body language and gestures, possibly leading to misunderstandings and offence. One example of such cultural differences are those between Westerns culture (UK/USA) and Asia. When first meeting someone from China, there is little difference between the methods of introducing yourself. It is considered polite to give your full name with a simple greeting. However, Chinese people tend to greet one another by asking questions such as have you had dinner or where are you going which would very likely confuse Westerners as they would see these greetings as general questions. In Western societies it is polite to simply say hello, how are you? or nice to see/meet you. There is also little distinction between formal and informal greetings, whereas in Western societies it is deemed polite to shake hands on more formal occasions and when first meeting someone new, and in China it is the expected to shake hands on most social occasions as an expression of courtesy and greeting when people meet or say goodbye to each other. When first meeting someone new, in both Western and Asian societies, it is polite to address them by a title, such as Mr, Mrs or Miss, and then their last name, until invited to call them by their first name. It is also highly appreciated when meeting Chinese people to show that an effort has been made to learn some words and phrases in their language, and possibly some of their history and culture, too. However, the orders in which people are greeted within a group are very strict. For example the most senior member of the group should be acknowledged first, and the host should be introduced to the guest first. On more formal occasions it is considered polite to give your full name, job positions and the place you work for. It is important, when speaking to people of western culture, to respect their desire for privacy. Intrusive questions about family background, profession, marital status, money, and political preferences are deemed very rude. Whereas, In China you would expect to answer intrusive questions about personal topics, and you are expected to answer them politely, and give a broad, but polite, answer even if you dont want to answer the question. A major difference between Western and Asian culture in communication is eye contact. In western societies it is taught from a young age that looking someone in the eye when talking/being talked to is polite. It shows attentiveness and honesty, that you are actively listening to them and understanding what they are saying. In Asian societies however, eye contact is thought to be disrespectful or rude, and lack of eye contact doesnt mean that a person is not paying attention. Women are supposed to adhere to the long established tradition of three obediences and four virtues for women, meaning that women are inclined to avoid direct eye contact, to avoid the possibility of coming across aggressive. This may be misread by Western people, who consider eye contact as polite and confident, and misunderstanding may occur. Touch and proximity in public differs greatly in what is seen as acceptable between Western and Asian societies. In Asia, female friends often old hands, and men casually embrace one another as they meet in the street. However patting someones head, like Western people sometimes do to praise them, as a friendly gesture, is seen as strictly taboo in Asia. Western people like a certain amount of personal space, and may feel uncomfortable with such public behaviour. Body gestures, such as pointing a finger to something, in Western societies are accepted as normal. It may even be used to invite someone over, in a beckoning motion. If this was done in an Asian society it would be associated with the gesture used to beckon dogs, and deemed very offensive. Asians typically use their entire hand to point to someone or something. Also, although using hand gestures when speaking is common practise in Western societies, Chinese people may become annoyed by this, as they do not tend to do this.