Deck 7: Cultural Conceptions of Health and Illness

Question 1

What view of health is most consistent with the perspective taken by the World Health Organization?

A) Health as organic
B) Health as stigmata
C) Health as harmony
D) Health as evidence-based

Answer 1

C
Explanation: In keeping with the harmony perspective, the World Health Organization defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

Question 2

"I will do everything the doctor says, because Dr. Douglass knows what is best for me." This statement is most consistent with which patient/caregiver role set?

A) Parent/child
B) Partners
C) Organic/harmony
D) Lifeworld/medicine

Answer 2

A
Explanation: The popular expression "doctor's orders" suggests a paternalistic relationship in the patient obeys.

Question 3

On a trip to rural Mexico, you observe an interaction involving a curandero. You are struck by the similarities between the care provided by the curanderos in Mexico and shamans in Native-American communities. Both emphasize:

A) Getting well quickly through vigorous activity
B) Moral support, peace, and a sense of belonging
C) Quick meetings during which the patient is expected to be silent and passive
D) Spiritual ceremonies during which people often speak in tongues

Answer 3

B
Explanation: Such practitioners are usually familiar members of the community who focus on social support, sense-making, and spiritual faith.

Question 4

You are considering herbs as a means to treat your migraine headaches. Which of the following is true?

A) Herbs almost never work.
B) Some herbs have harmful side effects.
C) Most people who try herbs discontinue seeing conventional practitioners.
D) Herbs are better regulated and researched than prescription medicines.

Question 5

People in Asian cultures have traditionally defined health in terms of energy balance and flow. ______ is their term for the central energy that defines all life.

A) Qi
B) Yin
C) Yang
D) Taebo

Question 6

Glossolalia is based on the belief that:

A) Health can be assessed by examining the lining of a person's throat.
B) Health can be restored by an intense demonstration of faith.
C) Ignoring an illness will make it go away.
D) Illness is a blessing that should be willingly endured.

Question 7

Since she has seldom been ill during her life, Michelle is frustrated when she develops a chronic health problem. She wishes care providers could just cure her and let get on with life as usual. Based on the theory of health as expanded consciousness, if Michelle is able to simply ignore the problem what is likely to happen?

A) The outer, explicate order will be less affected by the underlying currents of the implicate order.
B) She will lose a valuable opportunity to reflect on the underlying patterns in her life that have led to this situation.
C) She may recover spontaneously because health crises arise mostly from our tendency to obsess about our health.
D) Her consciousness will naturally develop in ways that help her body overcome the illness without medicine.

Question 8

You are surprised by the attitude of the laboratory manager where you work. He calls himself "old school" and says such things as "Patients can't handle the truth" and "It's up to medical professionals to decide what is best for patients." His attitude is an example of:

A) Consumerism
B) Spiritualism
C) Victimization
D) Paternalism

Question 9

Throughout much of history, people with mental illnesses were imprisoned and considered dangerous. Social rejection of this type is known as:

A) The social inequity theory
B) Spiral of silence
C) Stigma
D) Therapeutic malfeasance

Question 10

A devoted athlete works out several hours a day, leaving little time for a social life or quiet contemplation. Many people are surprised when someone in such great shape falls ill. However, the illness makes sense from a traditional Navajo perspective because:

A) Health is about harmony and balance. Emphasizing physical activity and neglecting relationships and social interaction is not healthy.
B) We naturally experience patterns of good health and ill health, no matter how strong our bodies are.
C) Physical exertion is unhealthy because it strains the body and heart.

Question 11

At a recent staff meeting, the director of the Centerville Diagnostic Imaging Center told the staff, "Our clients hate to waste time in a waiting room, and they may go to another center if we don't provide prompt service." This reflects which approach?

A) Harmony approach
B) Consumerism approach
C) Paternalistic approach
D) Partnership approach

Question 12

"She suffers from a genetic heart defect." This statement reflects the perspective.

A) organic
B) harmony
C) consumerist
D) paternalist

Question 13

Members of many Asian cultures believe life is defined by cyclical forces between two polar energies called:

A) Fire and water
B) Wind and air
C) Yin and yang
D) Harold and Bob

Question 14

In her theory of health as expanded consciousness, Margaret Newman suggests that health professionals should concentrate on:

A) Helping patients regain physical health, even if it means putting spiritual and social issues on the back burner for a while.
B) Forgetting about their health concerns for a while to break the counterproductive cycle of worry and stress.
C) Identifying the underlying patterns in their lives that have led to current circumstances.
D) Healing the body through concentration and spiritual enlightenment.

Question 15

You are in charge of editing a brochure for teenagers about making responsible choices regarding sexual activity. Based on what you learned in the text, you ask the writers to change the wording of the sentence "Currently, about 500,000 HIV and AIDS victims in the United States do not even know they are infected" because:

A) They are not actually victims until they know they are infected.
B) The term victim is objectionable to many people.
C) It is irresponsible to quote statistics in a brochure of this sort.
D) The sentence is grammatically incorrect.

Question 16

All of the following are true of the organic perspective of health EXCEPT:

A) It encourages systematic record-keeping and analysis of health trends.
B) It emphasizes the use of therapies with demonstrated results.
C) It has led to remarkable discoveries and advancements in medicine.
D) It accounts for conditions that cannot easily be verified.

Question 17

According to the text, why is knowledge about cultural differences insufficient for achieving cultural sensitivity in health care?

A) It would take a long time to learn the details of every culture you will encounter.
B) In the end, cultures do not differ very much from each other.
C) It is impossible to know which cultural or social factors are the most relevant to a particular individual.
D) Because people's physiology is much the same, culture doesn't have much impact on health.

Question 18

A classmate from an Asian country seems puzzled when you say, "I'm fighting this cold. I'll beat it yet!" This is probably because:

A) People in Asia don't get colds.
B) Eastern ideas about health often do not embrace metaphors of "fighting" and "battling" illness.
C) In Eastern cultures, it is considered impolite to talk about minor illnesses in public.

Question 19

The reflective negotiation model is characterized by which of the following:

A) A commitment to being sensitive to cultural differences and self-awareness.
B) A commitment to eliminating ambiguity and inquisitiveness so both parties feel comfortable.
C) A commitment to suppressing any personal feelings or fears in order to avoid appearing judgmental.

Question 20

A "spoiled identity" is the sense that a person has become a social outcast for violating society's expectations, even when the violation is unintentional or avoidable. This phenomenon is represented by which of the following concepts?

A) Stigma
B) The social inequity theory
C) Spiral of silence
D) Therapeutic malfeasance

Question 21

Among some members of the Muslim faith, female fertility is revered to such an extent that a woman's inability to bear children, and even the onset of menopause, can be seen as shameful.

Question 22

Susto refers to the belief in many Hispanic cultures that good health is sustained mostly through eating healthy foods.

Question 23

Ethnocentrism is the attitude that one's own culture is somehow lacking and others are better.

Question 24

Germ theory states that disease is caused by bacteria and viruses.

Question 25

Alternative medicine is a problematic term because most people use such therapies in addition to other treatments, not as alternatives to them.

Question 26

In traditional Chinese medicine, saying that a person has "too much wind" and "not enough blood" is another way of saying that the person is tired and out of sorts.

Question 27

According to the World Health Organization, people who are free from disease may still be unhealthy.

Question 28

The biophilia hypothesis proposes that people have an inherent affinity for nature and often derive a sense of well-being from contact with it.

Question 29

In the Thai culture, it is considered unlucky to view a dead body.

Question 30

The Hippocratic Oath, which asks physicians to use their best "ability and judgment" on each patient's behalf, is largely supportive of a paternalistic approach to medicine.

Question 31

Describe at least two strengths and two limitations of the organic approach. Then explain whether an organic approach of a harmony approach better reflects your views and why.

Question 32

Describe the principles of the theory of health as expanded consciousness. In your answer, explain and give examples of the explicate order and the implicate order, and tell how they are reflected in a person's health. From this perspective, what role should care providers play in helping people affected by health concerns?

Question 33

Name and describe five role sets that patients and caregivers play. Then present a hypothetical patient-provider encounter that illustrates one of these roles sets. Be sure to explain which role set it illustrates and why.

Question 34

Describe three factors that contribute to the popularity of holistic medicine. Next, describe at least three advantages and three disadvantages of holistic medicine.