Ch. 10 Cultural Diversity - Key Terms
Acculturation
The process of learning the beliefs and behaviors of a dominant culture and assuming some of its characteristics.
Cultural diversity
Differences among people based on cultural, ethnic, and racial factors.
Holistic care
Care that provides for the well-being of the whole person, meeting physical, social, emotional, and mental needs.
Personal space
Often called territorial space, it describes the distance people require to feel comfortable while interacting with others.
Sensitivity
The ability to recognize and appreciate the personal characteristics of others.
Agnostic
An individual who believes that the existence of God cannot be proved or disproved.
Culture
The values, beliefs, attitudes, languages, symbols, rituals, behaviors, and customs unique to a particular group of people that are passed from one generation to the next.
Matriarchal
A family structure where the mother or oldest female is the authority figure and makes health care decisions.
Polytheist
An individual who worships and believes in many gods.
Spirituality
The beliefs individuals have about themselves, their connections with others, and their relationship with a higher power; the need to find meaning and purpose in life.
Atheist
A person who does not believe in any deity.
Ethnicity
A classification of people based on national origin and/or culture.
Monotheist
An individual who believes in the existence of one God.
Prejudice
A strong feeling or belief about a person or subject that is formed without reviewing facts or information; to "prejudge".
Stereotyping
Occurs when an assumption is made that everyone in a particular group is the same, ignoring individual characteristics.
Bias
A preference that inhibits impartial judgment.
Ethnocentric
Individuals who believe that their own cultural values are better than the cultural values of others.
Nuclear family
A family unit that usually consists of one or two parents and a child or children.
Race
A classification of people based on physical or biological characteristics such as skin color, hair, eyes, facial features, blood type, and bone structure.
Transcultural health care
Care based on the cultural beliefs, emotional needs, spiritual feelings, and physical needs of a person.
Cultural assimilation
The absorption of many cultures into a dominant culture, requiring a newly arrived group to alter unique beliefs and adopt the ways of the dominant culture.
Extended family
A family unit that includes the nuclear family plus grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Patriarchal
A family structure where the father or oldest male is the authority figure and makes health care decisions.
Religion
An organized system of belief in a higher power, usually associated with a particular form or place of worship.