Verified Document

Anthropology For Me Is Synonymous Essay

Religion is an inherent part or element of a culture or society, and this must be viewed in the context of the society/culture in which this religion developed and thrived. It must be considered that all religions give credit to humanity's existence through a certain god / goddess (or in the case of polytheistic religions, gods/goddesses). Differences across religions lie only on the traditions observed, roles assumed by each member, and worldview and perspectives about specific issues, understood from the context of the society's/culture's religion. However, the central idea of having a creator/creators that govern all living and non-living things in the world remains constant across religions, therefore making it possible for anthropologists to consider and explain the concept of universality of religion. 10. How and why do cultures change?

Cultures change because of changes in the peoples' interactions or geographical phenomena. Changes in the social actors and their interactions with each other almost always result to a specific change in the cultures of the peoples, as in the case of the North and South regions in the U.S., which remained mainly conservative and liberal, respectively, as a result of their histories as 'warring' regions during the period wherein the slavery system is still in practice but constantly opposed/criticized by Americans in the North. Geographical difference is also critical in determining the differences and changes among cultures. This is reflected in African nations, which are geographically divided by their conquerors/colonizers despite the same culture that they share prior to their colonization. As a result of the geographical boundaries set among nations, different cultures emerged and developed in each country, which resulted to the creation of a distinct identity of each nation / country, but this also spurred conflicts/wars between countries, as their differences proved to be irreconcilable in specific cases/instances.

11. Madeleine Leininger: Who is she and what she did?

Madeleine Leininger pioneered the Transcultural Nursing movement that emerged in the late 20th century in the United States, and the influence of this movement eventually led to the recognition of transcultural nursing across countries worldwide. Leininger defines transcultural nursing as a substantive area of study and practice focused on comparative cultural care values, beliefs, and practices of individuals or groups of similar or different cultures with the goal of providing culture-specific and universal nursing care practices in promoting health or well-being or to help people to face unfavorable human conditions, illness, or death in culturally meaningful ways.

This passage is anchored on two main concepts relevant to the concept of transcultural nursing: nursing care and culture-specific practices. Nursing care is universal and particularly centered on medical practices and creating a balance between providing the correct medical or health care to the patient and proving care service that the patient specifically needs -- or, to a wider scope, providing specific care services to distinctly different patient needs. Indeed, through the concept of transcultural nursing,...

Through transcultural nursing, nurses are given the privilege and responsibility to demonstrate responsive and appropriate care to their patients. It is not enough that nurses provide the basic patient care needed and imperative to all patients; under transcultural nursing, nurses are expected to go beyond their "call of duty" and provide patient care that truly responds to the patient's needs and temperament.
Further into her theory and concept of transcultural nursing, Leininger determined the tenets that will drive and serve as nurses' guide towards remaining faithful to the idea of transcultural nursing. These tenets are classified as follows (in summarized form): care, caring, culture, cultural care, cultural care diversity, cultural care universality, nursing, worldview, cultural and social structure dimensions, health, cultural care preservation or maintenance, cultural care accommodation and negotiation, and cultural care repatterning or restructuring. These tenets solidify the foundation of the transcultural nursing framework. Further, the idea of providing responsive and appropriate nursing care to patients are best addressed by the tenets of worldview, cultural and social structure dimensions, health, cultural care preservation or maintenance, cultural care accommodation and negotiation, and cultural care repatterning or restructuring. These tenets provide the extension linking nursing care with transculturalism, creating the concept of transcultural nursing.

These tenets that specifically pertain to transculturalism in nursing highlights the importance of a nurse's cultural competence, the extent by which a nurse is able to provide nursing care and develop care strategies that will help improve the patient's condition or alleviate the patient's suffering or discomfort. Moreover, the transcultural nurse must respect and remain faithful to the patient's cultural background, providing care based on the patient's sensitivity and perceived importance of his/her privacy, particularly in caring for his/her body throughout the patient's illness. It is also a challenge for the transcultural nurse to not only be culturally competent in providing nursing care to a patient, but also to coordinate with the patient's family and be able to communicate with them, competently and with sensitive consideration to their culture, about the patient's condition, the kind of care given to him/her, and the reasons why these nursing care services/strategies were given.

Leininger's contribution to nursing practice is invaluable and up-to-date, considering that nursing has become a universal practice and medical care is no longer restricted to one country only. The rise of medical tourism across nations in Europe, Asia, North America and even Middle East makes it imperative for medical / healthcare institutions and hospitals to adopt the transcultural nursing concept/framework. Using this concept/framework, nurses will truly embody what "care" and "caring" should and must be about, in the medical and healthcare context.

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Anthropology Review and Critique: Gender in Cross-Cultural
Words: 4899 Length: 16 Document Type: Term Paper

Anthropology Review and Critique: Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspectives The textbook by Brettell and Sargent on the myriad and diverse studies of gender is not only written with excellent scholarship and with a style that is engaging, but the subject selections - and their order of placement - contribute to a wholly informative presentation. Even the introductions to each section are interesting and informative; indeed, a bright, alert reader could digest just

Anthropology the Process of Enculturation:
Words: 1470 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

I try not to pry into what I see as the private business of others. Privacy, I believe is something that is strongly valued in America -- in other societies, older societies, what one did was of interest to the community, even if it took place behind closed doors. However, despite or even because of the privacy and freedom given to me, I try to uphold my high moral

Urban Anthropology
Words: 1683 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Religion and Urban Landscape Social Assimilation and Identity in Gods of the City by Robert Orsi Religion as a social institution is considered one of the most influential agents in the society. As an institution, religion plays a vital role in altering or changing the way people behave and think. This is especially true in the case of immigrants and other people of different nationalism and race in the United States. Contemporary

Raymond Williams Keyword: Raymond Williams'
Words: 667 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Additionally, in terms of the study of culture within academia, Williams believes that cultural anthropology has come to reference studying cultural material productions, while history and cultural studies focus on the study of cultures as symbolic systems. But the cultural anthropologist Clifford Geertz's title of his book the Interpretation of Cultures suggests that cultures, like languages and texts are meant to be interpreted. Cultural anthropology as a term has become

Intercultural Communication Explain How Differences
Words: 954 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

In cultures were being or relationality has a greater emphasis, human relations are at the forefront of most individual's concerns. It might even be considered rude to ask what someone does for a living in a social setting, at least before taking in some of the hospitality of the host in the form of food and drink. Social and emotional perceptions of value are of great importance. One example of

American Influence Abroad
Words: 1017 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

American Culture Writers such as Pico Iyer, Richard Pells, and Joseph Nye are in fact correct that the world culture has not and will not be Americanized. These writers are correct in asserting that American culture is ever forceful, but still America remains just one influence in a multicultural world: a manifestation of globalization. With such a supreme focus on America, it can seem like America is the dominant force; however,

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now