Cross-Cultural Communication and Culture Shock

Cross-Cultural Communication and Culture Shock

Eckermann, a-K, Dowd, T, Chong, E, Nixon, L, Gray, R & Johnson, S 2006,

Binang Goonj: Bridging Cultures in Aboriginal Health, Churchill Livingstone

Elsevier, Sydney.

The Papadopolous, Tilki and Taylor model of developing cultural competence, pp. 7-23 in Papadopoulos, I (ed) 2006,

Transcultural Health and Social Care: Development of Culturally Competent

Practitioners, Elsevier, London.

Omeri, a. Transcultural nursing: the way to prepare culturally competent practitioners in Australia, pp303-318 in Papadopoulos, I (ed) 2006,

Transcultural Health and Social Care: Development of Culturally Competent

Practitioners, Elsevier, London.

SUMMARY:

Within chapter five of this text, second edition of Binang Goonj: Bridging Cultures in Aboriginal Health, many questions are immediately brought to the reader's mind. What do the words in the term Culture Shock actually mean together? How would one prepare him or herself to adapt culturally? What are the signs and symptoms? What major stressors amplify Culture Shock? How could one identify cross-cultural communication barriers? Accordingly, how would one then systematically prioritize any management strategies? This chapter answers all these questions, plus some.

Right up front in chapter five,-page 122, "Culture shock is often marked by physical and psychological changes that occur as a result of the adaptation required to function in the new environment for a prolonged period of time." Then Lynette Nixon outlines personal experiences. From Phases of Culture Shock to Signs and Symptoms of Culture Shock, pertaining to the readjustment phase (after the "Honeymon phase," one point made by Nixon stands out and summarizes everything: "Why? Because when we adapt to new cultural experiences we develop changed perceptions towards our own traditions and beliefs... we may "forget" some of the intricacies of expected behavior, customs, and interactions."

Let's look into Lynette Nixon's personal background: Aboriginal Australian citizens maintain the lowest healthcare prominence and standing amongst any other race indigenous to the Australian continent. This cultural imbalance needs to be resolved. Despite that the High Court of Australia, which is the highest supreme court in Australian Court hierarchy, recognizes this group as relatives of the earliest domesticated inhabitants, these inhabitants are still seemingly below the average level of Australian citizens. This peculiarity seems striking, at least that it should gain the notice of bipartisan diplomatic mission. Awareness of this shall be brought to notice at the forefront of any administrative governance.

The reader then understands her standpoint more clearly, and why she would want to pursue such knowledge; thus, her personal life provides a great example. Physical and psychological changes that occur as a result of the adaptation required to function in the new environment for a prolonged period of time, therefore, are of a different realm entirely. From a mindset dictating that necessities for survival are the goal, to, say, the competitive and pretentious mindset of Beverly Hills "spoiled brats" where the vitals for survival are covered, and thereby taken for granted, by a society of people exhibiting similar behavioral problems, these Phases of Culture Shock and Signs and Symptoms of Culture Shock become quite apparent, and even more so by having lived this transition.

This text is full of examples so the reader can learn to identify and label these reasons one would experience such shock faced when one adapts to new cultural experiences and develops changed perceptions towards our own traditions and beliefs. "Shell shock" or "combat fatigue" or absentmindedness, up to a diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder makes sense once having read this text and thereby defining such psychological intricacies.

II. Critique

Due to technological advances in biological ancestry research, intercessions, strategic investigation, and the systematized analysis noted herein, this second edition of Binang Goonj: Bridging Cultures in Aboriginal Health from Anne-Katrin Eckermann, Toni Dowd, Ena Chong, Lynette Nixon, Roy Gray, and Sally Johnson examines the customs and methodology behind these in-the-now circumstantial dangers. By gaining a full grasp of the creation of this mess, the history behind the what-went-wrong in this situation, hopefully an answer will be discovered. In this paper, I will focus in on articles by Gina Taylor, Migrants and Refugees, and Irena Papadopolous, Promoting Culturally Competent Research.

Both Papadopolous and Taylor appear up front, in the opening five-chapter theoretical section, which oversees the aesthetic proficiency and capability of our current cultural competence in the practices exercised. This subsection concerns the evolution, expansion, progression, and development of cultural competence as well as culturally competent healthcare attentiveness, or at least the European view; many matters in question concerning ethics, refugees, moral, and behavioral fieldwork and experimentation are addressed as well.