Hispanic Culture Description - Essay Example

Hispanic Culture Culture is a learned, shared and symbolic system of beliefs, values and attitudes that influences and shapes behavior and perception. In other words culture is intangible which is formed through refinement over human behavior over a period of time that resides in the learned behavior (A Baseline Definition of Culture, n.d.). It can be considered as a “mental code” or “mental blueprint” for living and thinking that are programmed in the heads of the society’s member. Hence Culture is “in the mind”.

We cannot measure, weigh or photograph culture. By studying things like all kinds of behavior, rituals and customs, material culture, social structure, language, we can indirectly study culture (Dahl, n.d.). As per Meadows if 1000 people consisted of a village 52 would accounted for North Americans, 84 Latin Americans, 95 from east and Western Europe and the others from the part of the world (Meadows, n.d.). Being originated from the Hispanic culture, I would like to make a brief study about my Hispanic culture.

The understanding and appreciation of important concepts of the Hispanic culture by the educators of Hispanic adolescents or children is necessary (His/Her Name is Today, n.d.). Any person of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, central or South American or other Spanish origin or culture can be us that is Hispanics, regardless of race. The term Hispanic, as we have been referred, dated back to 1970s when people were asked to self-identify as Puerto Rican, Mexican, Cuban, South/central American or other Hispanics by Census.

The National Survey has found mixed reaction in our population about identifying ourselves separately as Hispanic. 10.5 million Hispanic children are there aged under 18. It has been found that we are the fastest growing youth population and there will be more than one in five children of Hispanic origin (CDC’s Healthy Community Program, pp. 1-2). Cultural insights portray the influence of behavior over a specific culture made through effective and efficient communication. It has been observed that we the Hispanics had originated from a collectivistic culture.

Going back to roots of our culture I find that in our culture, answerability was collective and accountability was allocated within the group. Our ancestral people gave profound importance towards the synchronization, accord, collectivity and collaboration among themselves. They focused more on team play rather than individual activities. We the Hispanic people were characterized by a long live. Our ancestors were usually found to have a lower income than the White Americans. To them getting infected with disease is of greater concern rather than death.

It has been said’ “For the Hispanic community, issues of morbidity rather than mortality are of greatest concern, which include lifestyle and behaviors affecting health; environmental factors such as exposure to pesticides, unclean air and polluted water; and the ongoing need for more effective use of existing health services” (CDC’s Healthy Community Program, n.d., pp. 1-2). The Church and religion lead a profound influence in our culture in medieval times. This leads to an impact on the cultural believe of the society.

Our ancestral cultural believe was concerned about health, disease and medicines. Our believe regarding health issues in turn made widespread utilization of church based religious faith on material culture. It has been observed that in the our culture consisting of Mexican American, Cuban American, Puerto Rican people endowed with different instances of assimilation and alteration of original customs and issues related to health. These modifications were based on the beliefs of our culture as a whole.

Catholic priests were considered as the authority for curing special diseases. They were considered as the patron representing certain community. Non Christian divinities were also considered as the healer and savior who would rescue them from any health related ailments. Our medicinal practices were thus demarcated from the annotation of Christianity. On the other hand people belonging to Spain forming a part of our culture took medicines as the savior of health and life. We exerted more importance over medicines and their religious outlook had lesser importance over their materialistic believes.

But it does not indicate that we, originated from Spain, ignored the religious belief prevailing in their society. Our health system was indicated a mix of believes over medicinal science and faith on religion and culture. In contrast, people who held their roots in Africa, Europe and other countries forming a part of the Hispanic culture followed a different health care system. We made our health care system‘s foundation on the basis of religious relics of our ancestors. Though different from each other in terms of methodologies of health care system, the three cultures followed the same principle of healing which was in connotation with faith related to supernatural invention in terms of health, ailments and recovery.

The effects of the three different practices were different in nature as they all differed in pretext of historical condition and experiences (Kanellos, Veaver, Fabregrat, 1994, pp.60-70). We all looked upon good health as a reward of God as a mean of better existence of good life. We wore religious medals which were considered as a guard from aliments. Illness in our ancestral society was considered as a curse by God. We categorized ailment food and water as hot and cold in contrast. If somebody was ill food and water consumption was considered as treatment in opposite direction.

Inspite of being a person belonging to Hispanic culture, I do not support the traditional health care system. In various parts around the globe people of Hispanic people are still stuck with old believes regarding ailments. People in modern times from our culture should know the demarcation between religion and ailment and take help of modern medicines. References A Baseline Definition of Culture, (n.d.), retrieved on 12 July 2013 from: http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~janzb/courses/phi4804/culturebaseline.

htm Dahl A K, (n.d.), Eastern Oregon University, retrieved on 12 July 2013 from: https://sites.google.com/a/eou.edu/kathleen-dahl/definitions-and-concepts CDC’s Healthy Communities Program (n.d.), Building Our Understanding: Culture Insights Communicating with Hispanic/Latinos, Creating a Culture of Healthy Living, retrieved on 13 July 2013 from: http://www.cdc.gov/healthycommunitiesprogram/tools/pdf/hispanic_latinos_insight.pdf Kanellos N, Veaver T, FAbregrat E C, (1994), Handbook of Hispanic Cultures in the United States: Anthropology, Volume 4, Texas, Arte Publico Press Meadows D. (n.d.), If the World Were a Village of 1000 People,retrieved on 13 July from: http://www.gdrc.org/uem/1000-village.html