A Personal Cultural Analysis

In order to be culturally competent, it is imperative to be able to complete a personal assessment of ones culture. This includes identifying and examining your own culture, stereotypes associated with your culture, subcultures within the dominant cultures and sick roles in the culture. So what is culture? Culture, according to Locke (1992), is “socially acquired and socially transmitted by means of symbols, including customs, techniques, beliefs, institutions and material objects” (p. 3).
Personally, my culture consists of being first generation Irish American. My parents immigrated to the United States for more opportunity and to start a family while they were in their twenties. I grew up in upstate New York with four brothers. A big part

of my own culture is religion. I was raised Roman Catholic. Growing up I attended church every Sunday and attended Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes. Being Roman Catholic has shaped who I am. Today my husband and I follow the bible closely. We have chosen to raise our daughter in the same regards. I have adopted many attributes from the Irish culture without even knowing it until I see how other cultures interact. For instance, good eye contact and hand shaking is prevalent in my culture. Family is very important regardless if you speak to them on a regular basis. If something were to happen in your personal life, all of your family will come out of the woodworks and help. Also, a good example of this is when visiting Ireland, you are welcome with open arms to anyone’s home that is a relative or friend of the family. My rural upbringing in upstate New York has also shaped me into the country girl that I am today.
There are many stereotypes in any culture.

As a professional caregiver stereotypes need to be ignored and all patients should be treated with respect regardless of their culture. “The Irish were stereotyped as uncivilized, unskilled, impoverished and were forced to work the least desired occupations while living in crowded segregated ghettoes. Irish immigrants often found that they were not welcome in America; many ads for employment were accompanied by the order "NO IRISH NEED APPLY." (Jensen, R 2002). My dad has a copy of this sign hanging in his office. My family always gets a good laugh out of it. We have adopted a very hard work ethic of the Irish that dates back to my grandfather. He grew up on a farm as well as owned a farm back in Ireland. My father owned an Irish Pub in New York while I was growing up and worked hard. He would work day and night in order to support his family. My mom was a Registered Nurse that worked two jobs. She worked the night shift and would care for my brothers and I during the day, often getting minimal sleep. My parents are some of the hardest workers I have ever met. Another big stereotype is that all the Irish are drunks. Yes, many of the Irish drink a pint or two of Guinness at social gatherings. However, there are many Irish that do not drink. My mother, for example, does not drink nor do many people on her side of the family. But, as the Irish tradition goes nothing is better to cure an illness than a pint of

Guinness.
There are also subcultures within a dominant culture.

A subcultural is defined as “a group that has beliefs and behaviors that are different from the main groups within a culture or society.” (2015). There are several subcultures that I would associate myself with mainly country music and a country lifestyle. The Irish do not typically listen to mainstream country music. I will travel to different cites and states to watch certain country shows and different rodeos. I recently took my mother to the National Western Stock Show and rodeo for the first time; it was very outside of her norm for her culture. My mother even commented, “she has never been to anything like this back in

Ireland.”
Every culture has different roles when it comes to dealing with the sick. As mentioned earlier, the Irish are very family oriented and are always there for each other when it comes to a sick family member. My mother had an unexpected coronary artery triple bypass surgery last year. My family from near and far banded together in prayer for my mom’s recovery. While my mom was in the Intensive Care Unit, the big question I got daily from my family was, “did your mother drink her Barry’s tea yet?” After a few days, my mother asked for a cup of tea and the entire family including myself let out a deep breath of relief. We knew she on the mend. “Ireland is the largest tea consumer per capita than any country in the world. They take their tea VERY seriously! You won't find a convention, work meeting or other event that does not allow for a morning or afternoon tea break on the schedule! The slang for tea is "cha" in Ireland and the rich and poor alike love tea time.” (Hyde, B 2016). The men of the Irish culture do not seek medical attention regularly. Irish men are typically very stoic and do not show pain. My father will joke with my mother that “she is trying to overdose him” when she tries to give him an Ibuprofen for his sore muscles after work.
Being mindful to a patient’s culture will open up the door to communication, help the patient and family feel more welcome and increase their satisfaction as a whole. After completing this cultural reflection I have leaned many things. I can see how my personal culture is different from other cultures, and in order to give the best patient care possible I have to put my own beliefs aside and not stereotype anyone.