"The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of it's people"


 This quote is so beautiful as it basically says that it takes all types of people, with different beliefs, different values, different ways of life and different cultures to make the world go round. I think this is such an amazing quote because it speaks of acceptance, consideration and awareness. As OTs, we need to be aware of the various aspects that make up a client as we work holistically by finding out what motivates a person and the way they behave.

One of these things is culture. What is culture? The Cambridge English Dictionary defines it as “the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society” ("CULTURE | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary", 2019) But I feel that this really puts a person into a single box, when really, a person is so multifaceted because there are so many factors that influence a person. I have always thought of it as a marriage between how a person is raised, their personality, their belief system, and the ethnicity of their family. All these aspects come into play, and it depends on how a specific individual integrates them.


This really impacts on intervention as specific cultural norms will dictate what type of activities a person can take part in and their level of participation in these activities. An easy example of how it would impact an intervention session is within the Hindu culture, there are specific days and periods of time when Hindus fast. As an OT, we need to be aware of this if part of our intervention plan is feeding or meal preparation. We will need to work within the person’s times of fast or use an activity with foods that they are allowed to eat during that time.

I had an experience with a young woman who believed her stroke was a punishment from the ancestors for getting a divorce. This would impact the way she approached our intervention sessions. She would be very demotivated and often would say she could not do therapy because there was no point as this was a punishment. As an OT, we need to be aware of the cultural implications of a certain condition and convince the client that therapy is still necessary and they need to actively participate. This needs to be done in a way that does not dispute the client’s cultural beliefs as they are unlikely to want to work with you if you are dismissive of them.

An easy way of ascertaining culture is by talking to the client about his family and his routine. When asking about family, you can ask about certain holidays the family celebrates, certain traditions the family follows and by asking about weekly routine, many will tell you they have bible study on certain days or that they go to church on a Sunday. This allows for easy flow of the conversation and created a more informal setting, as if you are just chatting to a client. I have found it is easier to get information from a client when they are feeling like you are chatting to them, rather than just “interviewing them,” and this specifically works for something as abstract as culture.



For my SCI client, when we spoke about culture, he said that his family follows a traditional Zulu culture but integrates Christianity with this. He says that they have specific rituals and ceremonies that are deemed traditional (such as sacrifices to the ancestors), but they also follow a Christian way of life in that they go to church every Sunday and celebrate all the Christian holidays such as Easter, Ascension Day and Christmas. However, my client has said he does not believe in Ancestors as his religion and education have “enlightened” him, and that if you believe in God, you cannot believe in ancestors punishing you. Even within one family group, there is already a difference in culture.

I have always loved to explore topics such as religion and culture with people I meet. It gives me a deeper understanding of a person, the way they behave, their day to day life, and I have found that once an interest is shown, people are very open to talk about it and how their specific understanding of their culture is different to another person or another family group. We learn by talking to one another. 
I want to end off with a quote I found that summarizes this post. 

"My culture is my identity and personality.It gives me spiritual, intellectual and emotional distinction from others, and I'm proud of it."
                                                                                    M.F. Moonzajer




CULTURE | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. (2019). Retrieved from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/culture
Culture GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY. (2019). Retrieved from https://giphy.com/gifs/culture-HiH7djt1nXCOk
Talking GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY. (2019). Retrieved from https://giphy.com/gifs/talking-gGiQ2wkWGQZu8
gallerygogopix.net. (2019). Retrieved from http://ww12.gallerygogopix.net/


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