According to Carteret (2013), cultural consistency relates to the degree that a person’s lifestyle reflects their traditional culture. Therefore, someone who is consistent maintains more of the basic beliefs and attitudes. Conversely, cultural inconsistency implies less attachment to the beliefs and attitudes attached to their traditional culture. Advancing this notion further, Carteret (2013) notes that there are 3 factors to consider relating to cultural consistency: socialization, acculturation, and assimilation. Socialization implies being raised within a culture and acquires the characteristics of that group. Acculturation communicates to the process of being a competent participant in the dominant culture. Not only is this process necessary for survival, but is subject to individual circumstances and choices. Similarly, assimilation also implies the degree of identification with the dominant culture (Purnell, 2014). Accordingly, I have been raised in and educated in the United States, hence, am culturally inconsistent with regards to the Haitian culture.
With regards to nurse-client interaction and cultural consistency, as a culturally inconsistent nurse possibly attending to patients consistent in the Haitian cultural heritage, I consider that some of these interactions will elicit cultural tensions. For example, a cultural consistent Haitian belief considers self-treatment as the appropriate approach to handling diseases and health promotion (Purnell, 2014). I consider self-treatment inappropriate and dangerous for managing diseases or health promotion. Generally, culturally consistent Haitians hold fatalistic beliefs towards physical diseases as they associate their causation to environmental factors. Advancing this point further, they also believe that natural illnesses are of short duration to the extent of practicing self-treatment using home remedies (Purnell, 2014). Thus, it is the severity of the disease that will influence their decision to seek clinical attention and compliance with clinical treatment course. In this sense, I identify more with the American culture of seeking clinical attention and treatment accordingly, therefore am an acculturated Haitian.
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References
Carteret, M. (2013). Understanding Heritage Consistency in Cross-Cultural Patient Care. Dimensions of Culture Newsletter . University of Colorado School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics. Retrieved from http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/medicalschool/departments/pediatrics/people/diversity/education/Documents/2013Fall_Cross-cultural%20Article.pdf .
Purnell, L. D. (2014). Guide to culturally competent health care . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: F.A. Davis Company
