The United States is an extremely diverse country. Working in healthcare, one will encounter many cultures and beliefs. As a result, it is incumbent upon healthcare providers to educate themselves about different cultures. The National Institutes of Health identifies cultural respect as a critical factor in reducing health care disparities and improving access to high-quality health care for a diverse group of patients. A lack of knowledge of multiple cultures or not being culturally competent can lead to decreased patient satisfaction, poor healthcare provider-patient relationship, unintentional patient offense, and much more . Considering this, healthcare providers should constantly continue their education on cultures in order to provide comprehensive care. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Since working in healthcare, I have encountered many different cultures. However, I feel like Indian culture is the one I understand the least. The purpose of this article will be to discuss Indian culture and compare my own culture and beliefs to those of Indian culture. I myself am half Caucasian and half Vietnamese. I grew up in a very traditional American family with some Vietnamese influences. I will give information about Indian culture to inspire myself and the reader to know Indian values, norms and beliefs while comparing with my own. Indians are the group of people who are nationals and/or citizens of India. “Indian” is what is used to describe the nationality of this specific population. However, the term “Indian” does not take into account their ethnicity or language. There are three main ethnic groups of Indians. These three groups include the Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Mongoloid and other minority groups. When it comes to spoken languages, there is a wide variety of languages. There are 22 major languages ​​including: Bengali, Hindi, Maithili, Nepali, Sanskrit, Tamil, Urdu, Assamese, Dogri, Kannada, Gujarati, Bodo, Manipuri (otherwise known as Meitei), Oriya, Marathi, Santali, Telugu , Punjabi, Sindhi. , Malayalam, Konkani and Kashmiri. I didn't know how many languages ​​were spoken in India. Not only are there many different languages, but each of them has its own alphabet. Most alphabets are written left to right, rather than right to left like English. Interestingly, Indian languages ​​Hindi and Urdu are considered two different languages ​​and have two different alphabets. However, their speakers can understand each other perfectly even if each has a different writing style. Indians not only speak many languages, but they also practice many different religions. The main religions are Buddhism, Christians, Hinduism and Islam. The most dominant religion is Hinduism. Hinduism is a religion that believes in gods and goddesses. It is one of the oldest religions in the world. Comparing the United States to India, both countries have very diverse languages ​​and religions. Conversely, the United States can be considered a melting pot while India would be considered a salad bowl. I feel like my family dynamic is a great example of how the United States is a melting pot. A melting pot is a concept referring to a heterogeneous society becoming morehomogeneous, the different elements “melting together” into a harmonious whole with a common culture. For example, my family combines traditions of American and Vietnamese culture. I celebrate American holidays as well as Vietnamese ones, whereas India would be considered more of a salad bowl. There are many languages ​​and religions that are very different from each other. Although these different languages ​​and religions are all part of Indian culture, they each have their own beliefs, values ​​and even alphabet without “blending” into one. Moving on, I feel the biggest difference between American culture and Indian culture would be the societal themes. India is a hierarchical society. Although India is a political democracy, notions of complete equality are rarely evident in daily life. Societal hierarchy can be seen in caste systems that place people in different "ranks" or "status" based on wealth and power. This seems strange to me because I wouldn't place importance or value on someone based on their wealth or power. I think in the United States, for the most part, everyone is equal. Furthermore, it appears that the rank in which a person is born or placed cannot be changed during their lifetime. Jacobson says: “People are born into groups – families, clans, sub-castes, castes and religious communities – and feel a deep sense of inseparability from these groups. » While I was taught to be independent and follow my own beliefs. I wasn't raised to believe that I was "born into a group" and expected to stay within that group. Jacobson also goes on to state that “psychologically, family members typically experience intense emotional interdependence. Economic activities, too, are deeply anchored in a social bond. practical support." In this aspect, I can understand Indian family dynamics. I am extremely close to my family and would never move away from them. I depend on them greatly. Although I depend on them mainly emotionally to support me, I feel I was encouraged to be very independent and do things on my own. While Indian culture relies so intensely on family, people rarely do things on their own. simplest tasks on their own Due to this nature, Indian households often include an extended family The joint family is the most common and most popular These are families often and ideally made up of several generations living. , working, eating, and practicing together. My family's household does not include multiple generations or any extended family members. My aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. all live in separate households. see how multi-generational households would be ideal given the emphasis on family ties within Indian culture. When it comes to family authority and harmony, in Indian culture, the eldest man acts as the head of the family. The youngest women in the family held the least authority. In my own beliefs and culture, I don't feel like I was taught that someone has a higher rank within our family. Of course we respect elders, but men are not valued higher than women. A significant difference between men and women in Indian culture would be the women's veil, or otherwise known as "purdah". Indian women follow strict rules of covering their bodies and wearing modest clothing. "These practices emphasize respectful relationships, limitunapproved encounters and reinforce family lines of authority". While women generally dress extremely modest and non-revealing, men typically wear a Nehru jacket. A Nehru jacket is a well-fitted, collared, button-down style top, named after Jawaharlal Nehru, former Prime Minister of India Although men and women seem to dress very differently, both wear jewelry. These jewelry can include everything from toe rings to necklaces. adorn their foreheads with bindi or decorative dots, in red or black. In addition to bindi or dots, many Indians decorate their hands and feet with henna tattoos. Health care depends a lot on socio-economic status. of each person In Indian society, socio-economic status mainly depends on the caste system, occupation, education, property, family and gender. Caste systems define the privileges of an individual. in Indian society. However, gender plays an even bigger role in a person's socioeconomic status. The main objective of the Indian woman is to take care of the household, children and her husband. Women rarely work. Great importance is placed on women's workload and they are often submissive to their husbands. From a health care perspective, Indian women often try to hide when they are sick. Pitlane Magazine says: “A woman's sole purpose in life is to devote her life to her husband and children. Due to the social views of women in society, a sick woman is less likely to admit that she is in poor health and seek treatment. Indian women face so much pressure to raise their children and provide for the household that they often feel it is necessary to hide their illnesses. I don't think gender defines the socioeconomic status of the typical American. I think it's more based on job title and wealth. Coming back to the health care aspect of this topic, I feel like Americans may not seek health care because of cost rather than their status in the household. There are many Indian etiquettes and customs that are similar to American customs, but there are also some that are very different. For example, eating without utensils is very different. It is Indian etiquette to eat with your hands. They also consider the left hand to be “unclean” and the right hand to be “clean”. It is therefore appropriate to eat with the right hand only. Another different custom is that it would be rude to arrive on time. Indians think it's a good way to arrive 15 to 20 minutes late. Whereas I would normally consider being on time 10-15 minutes early. Indian cuisine includes rice as a staple food. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are very different from what I'm used to. A typical Indian breakfast includes a small, light vegetable dish accompanied by chapatis or flatbread. Lunch may include rice, lentils, curry and salad. Dinner is usually more substantial and includes several vegetable curries, chicken dishes, lentils, rice, pickles and yogurt. These meals are very different from what I am used to. Even being half Vietnamese, we don't normally eat rice for multiple meals throughout the day. Many Indians are vegetarians because they try to minimize harm to other life forms. Cows are also considered sacred as they are honored for their gentle nature. Moving on to communication, Indians prefer to stay alone with minimal physical contact. They prefer.