Cultural programming
Cultural programming is a type of built in software that influences our views, ways of interpreting and processing data, and the manner in which we express our feelings and ideas. They are perceptions that are instilled in a person during childhood and they adapt them as they grow older. The most influential part of my own cultural programming is perceptions. This is because my professional and personal culture has an impact on the way I carry out my duties as a health care provider.
My cultural programming affects communication with others in various ways for instance: Firstly, I find it difficult to interact with patients from varied cultural backgrounds and value systems. Secondly, it has influenced my capability to carry out a cultural self-assessment. This implies that I should be in a position to evaluate myself, my relationships, and come up with a sense of our own cultural uniqueness. As a health care provider, I am in a position to understand my own cultural programming and the manner in which it shapes my communication, perception, and beliefs. This enables me to establish the way in which I can freely interact with people from different cultures. Cultural programming enables me to foresee barriers and reduce the negative impacts of cross-cultural differences. For instance, the unconscious responses towards patient may not be consistent with an individual’s conscious values and beliefs. Consequently, examining a personal cultural influence can result in a better understanding of one’s self and other. This is because some simple disparities can result in key misunderstandings. For instance, when one is looking forward to provide teaching for patients who are at home, there can only be effective communication if he/she understands the meaning of a family and family involvement to both the family and the patient.
References
Van Servellen, G. (2009). Communication skills for the health care professional (1st ed.). Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.