Culture as One of the Major Aspects of a Social Unit - Essay Example

?THE ROLE THAT CULTURE PLAYS IN CONSTRUCTING BELIEFS AROUND HEALTH AND ILLNESS Introduction Culture is one of the major aspects of a social unit. It is the element that gives uniqueness of different communities. Every culture around the world has different practices and beliefs. However, all the beliefs and practices in the different cultures of the world usually have some similarities. This means that different cultures may have different beliefs and practices but they all share some similar outlines (Dyson and Brown, 2006). On the same note, cultures create a substantial difference among communities when comparing their norms, traditions and beliefs. The study of culture has been the focus of various sociologists since it is believed that cultures affect every aspect of life. Cultures influence economic, social and political approaches to life since in every human being there is some form of culture deep rooted in the mind. One of the aspects that culture influences significantly is health (Yuill and Crinson and Duncan, 2010). This paper will discuss and elaborate the role that culture plays in constructing beliefs around health and illnesses by examining the concept of culture and its characteristics, and establishing why culture is studied. It will then show using relevant examples the relationship culture has with regard to health and the reasons why the study of culture is applied to health. Finally, it will stipulate how culture contributes to health studies. Culture and its Characteristics One characteristic of culture is that it is naturally learnt. This means that every human possesses some sort of culture by learning from their community. (Bueno C, 2013). Sociologists have proved that human interactions follow activities that are collective to include specific beliefs, norms and beliefs which lay a blue print for their existence. For example, people learn that they should celebrate the 25th of December as Christmas day. There is no absolute proof to this, but Christians learn from the community that it is a day to revere. This is thus the Christian culture that people learn from childhood and come to understand it when they are grown-ups. Integration is another characteristic of culture. This is where every aspect of a human being is somehow driven by their culture. This means that culture is integrated in their economic, political and social ways of lives. For instance, a person who condones could have been brought up in a society that allows same-sex relationships. One characteristic that all cultures have in common is the fact that culture is akin to behaviours and that means it is acquired and not biological (Bueno C, 2013). There is a huge misconception among people where they believe that culture is inherited. This is quite the opposite culture is not inherited it is rather learnt. In order to understand this one may use the societal setup in metropolis in the United States of America. For example, many people migrate from other parts of the world to look for employment or higher education in the United States of America they usually possess cultures from where they come from. However, as the settle they end up assimilating other cultures where u find their children do not continue practicing the culture that their parent had initially belonged to while in their native countries. This is a good example that shows culture is indeed leant and not inherited Another characteristic of culture is the fact that it is social. This means that culture cannot exist in only individual. It is shared among society. One will find out that they share a common culture with various people especially those who have been in the environment in which they have been for long. For example, there are no cultural beliefs practiced by one person. If a person practices cultural beliefs known to them only then it is not considered a culture (Lindh, 2010, p.10). Cultures are inherently transmissive, and this is one major characteristic of culture. This is means all cultures are passed from one generation from another. This is the sole reason that enables cultures to survive over long periods. However, for culture to be transmitted there must be various aspects to facilitate this transmission. The major facilitator of culture is considered as language. This is because language allows for the interaction of different thus enabling culture to me transmitted. For example, parents usually teach their children about their culture through word of mouth which is contained within language. The language is the supplemented by other factors such as cultural events to enable the transmission of cultural practices and beliefs. Another characteristic that accompanies culture is the fact that it is dynamic and adaptive (Bueno C, 2013). This means that culture evolves as change happens. In the life of human beings as time goes by change is inevitable. This being the case, culture responds to the physical and non physical changes happening in the world. For instance, indigenous American cultures have adapted to civilization where cultural practices that were done before are no longer practiced as they were done but formulated in a more acceptable approach in today’s world. Another example of culture’s dynamism is in some ruthless African communities that tolerate female genital mutilation. With time, some of these communities have realized the dangers of FGM and hence refrained from that barbaric culture. The girls in such communities are no longer circumcised, and thus making the point that culture is subject to change (Kazarian & Evans, 2001, p.6). Why Culture is Studied There are various reasons why the study of culture is important. Firstly cultural studies enable the understanding how different cultural aspects determine economic, social and political values. By understanding cultures, it is easier to formulate policies that enable a better approach to various issues facing societies around the world (Kennedy and Kennedy, 2010). Another reason why the study of culture is imperative is the fact that it facilitates peace, stability, and understanding (Barry and Yuill, 2008). By studying culture, sociology is able to deal with the different aspects of conflicts around the world thus solving the problem. For example, through the study of culture people are now able to leave together in harmony due to policies undertaken by various governments as a result of theories and concepts developed by sociologists who have studied culture (Gabe and Bury and Elston, 2004). Studying culture enables people to appreciate the diversity in communities and learn to respect different people’s cultures. If people did not study culture, there would be no concrete interaction between different people. The interaction of people would be confined to specific cultures. People would interact with others from similar cultural backgrounds only. This means that the study of culture ensures coherent bonding among people from different cultures (Lindh, 2010, p.13). Culture and Health Culture influences health and illnesses by explaining the causes of illnesses. Different cultures have different beliefs about illnesses (White, 2009). For example there are cultures in the world that believe bad health is a punishment from a supernatural being that they believe in. This interferes with the provision of health facilities to such person since they often seek other forms of healing which in practice do not work. For example, in the African setup, quite a number of people believe that when they get sick they have been bewitched. This makes them to look for witch doctors to treat them where they end up suffering more or even dying since they did not seek medical attention (Kazarian & Evans, 2001, p.5). Another example where culture interferes with the provision of health care is when it comes to mental illness (Bradbury, 2012). In many cultures around the world people view mental illness as that of the damned and stigma is usually associated with mental illnesses (Babones, 2009). For instance, a research done by the Cable News Network (CNN) revealed that in Kenya mentally ill people are often locked up in hospitals and chained at home since family members are ashamed of the stigma associated with mental illnesses (CNN, 2011). Similarly, cultural beliefs have affected mental health is where various religions believe that mentally ill people are normally possessed by evil spirits. For example, schizophrenia is one of the mental conditions that are normally associated with evil spirits possession specifically in the Christian and Muslim religions. A number of deaths have been recorded where family members opted for exorcism rituals rather than medical attention from their next of kin suffering from schizophrenia. Culture has also influenced health care in instances where people fear or mistrust the healthcare system (Dowler and Spencer, 2007). For example, among African Americans there are quite a number who avoid seeking medical attention especially in public facilities due to distrust. This is a result of the racism in which African American communities have experienced throughout history in the country. As a result they often associate government facilities with racism thus resulting in them failing to access healthcare which results in adverse effects (Lindh, 2010, p.17). Culture also relates to health when it comes to dissemination of information (Hilary, 2007). This is where certain cultures provide for a hierarchical transfer of information. For instance, in Arab cultures it is the role of the head of the family to give information to other family members (Annandale and Hunt 2000). As a result, family heads are given medical information of patients then they in turn give the other family members including the patient later. Sometime this information is distorted resulting in the transfer medical information which is not correct. However, cultural beliefs do not influence the provision of healthcare negatively. There are some cultures that add value to health care by bringing out values that supplement healthcare in hospitals and health facilities. For example, in the American Indian community, there is a culture of kindness and respect. This contributes to health care in that people from such communities often take care of the sick and elderly irrespective of their being any family or friend ship ties. (Srivastava, 2007, p.10). It is also important to understand that a biomedical model is different from culture in the treatment of an illness. A biomedical model hinges mainly on the biological factors of an illness when treating a patient. This is different from culture since with the latter; treatment of a person rotates around patient’s social beliefs and norms. A patient undergoing treatment as per the biomedical model will get only a biological examination of their illness and treatment. Contrarily, the treatment of a person basing on their culture will include examinations and boundaries according to their cultural background and environment. For example, a patient suffering from epilepsy will be treated by just examining their medical report and body. However, if the same person is treated as per their culture, he or she can be exempted from specific medication depending on their culture. This is because dome cultures believe that epilepsy is more of evil spirits than a health disease. Biomedical models are thus more appropriate ways of treatment since they focus on the biological aspect of medication. In focusing on the biological factors, the patients from discriminative cultures can get full medication (Kazarian & Evans, 2001, p.8). Reasons for the Study of Culture in Healthcare The study of culture in relation to healthcare is very important since it allows for policy makers in the health sector to come up with ways to ensure that provision of healthcare is done efficiently (Asthana and Halliday, 2006). This is so since different culture need different approaches to healthcare. The study of culture in healthcare is also essential since it facilitates the communication and awareness campaigns about medical issues. In addition, the study of culture equips the clinicians with the necessary skills to deal with patients from different cultural backgrounds. This helps in giving the patients the right medication while cautious of their beliefs. For example, Muslims do not eat pork according to their culture. This means that the study of culture will enable the clinicians to exclude pork in the Muslim patients’ meals (Srivastava, 2007, p.4). Conclusion It is evident that that culture plays a crucial role not only in construction of beliefs surrounding health and illness but also influences many other factors (De maio, 2009). Thus culture should be focused on deeply when approaching provision of healthcare throughout the world. One reason why the study of culture cannot be exhausted is the fact that there are thousands of cultures around the world (Bartley, 2004). This being the case, cultural studies are referred to as a continuing area of study since cultures emerge every now and then. However, people should be cautious not to interfere with the provision of health services as per their cultures especially discriminative ones. This should be done through public education and setting up of rules and education concerning cultural beliefs surrounding healthcare (Wilkinson and Pickett, 2009). Bibliography Annandale E and Hunt K 2000, Gender Inequalities in Health, Buckingham: Open University Press 11 Asthana S. and Halliday J, 2006, What Works in Tackling Health Inequalities? Pathways Policies and Practice through the Lifecourse, Bristol: Policy Press Barry Health M A and Yuill C 2008, Understanding the Sociology of Health an Introduction (2nded),London: Sage Bartley M 2004, Health Inequality an Introduction to Theories, Concepts and Methods, Cambridge: Polity Press Bradbury H 2012, Medicine Health and Society, London: Sage Babones S J 2009, Social Inequality and Public Health Bristol: Policy Press Bhatt A, 2013. What are the important characteristics of Culture ? 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