This document discusses cultural competence and diversity. It provides definitions of culture, cultural determinism, ethnocentrism, and cultural relativity. It describes how culture manifests itself through symbols, heroes, rituals, and values. The document also discusses developing culturally competent health promotion programs by understanding an individual's worldview, assessing one's own organization, and utilizing the National CLAS Standards. The overall purpose is to facilitate understanding of cultural diversity.

1. T R U E COLORS Appreciating Our Multicultural World Mary Langley, PhD, MPH, RN, ICPS Alice Jackson, BS, LPN, CPE, ICPS Facilitators

6. TRUE COLORS What are your

7. Man’s project has been to make all those near him just like him. Fortunately, this project is impossible. To sculpt the other into his own likeness fails before it begins. Remove the fangs of the lion and behold, a toothless lion, not a domestic cat. Attempts to change the spouse. Offspring, or student can create a change, but the result is a scar, not a transformation .

8. Valuing Differences and Creating Unity Copyright, 1996-98 © True Colors, Inc. - (888) 558.2577

10. Remember If there is no harmony in your life Try playing another tune

17. Cultural differences manifest themselves in different ways and differing levels of depth. Symbols represent the most superficial and values the deepest manifestations of culture, with heroes and rituals in between. Symbols are words, gestures, pictures, or objects that carry a particular meaning which is only recognized by those who share a particular culture. New symbols easily develop, old ones disappear. Symbols from one particular group are regularly copied by others. This is why symbols represent the outermost layer of a culture. Manifestation of Culture

18. Heroes are persons, past or present, real or fictitious, who possess characteristics that are highly prized in a culture. They also serve as models for behavior. Rituals are collective activities, sometimes superfluous in reaching desired objectives, but are considered as socially essential. They are therefore carried out most of the times for their own sake (ways of greetings, paying respect to others, religious and social ceremonies, etc.).

19. The core of a culture is formed by values. They are broad tendencies for preferences of certain state of affairs to others (good-evil, right-wrong, natural-unnatural). Many values remain unconscious to those who hold them. Therefore they often cannot be discussed, nor they can be directly observed by others. Values can only be inferred from the way people act under different circumstances. Symbols, heroes, and rituals are the tangible or visual aspects of the practices of a culture. The true cultural meaning of the practices is intangible; this is revealed only when the practices are interpreted by the insiders.

25. Dr. Ed Nichol’s Model: The Philosophical Aspects of Cultural Differences Worldview Values (Axiology) Knowledge (Epistemology) Reason (Logic) Process European Euro-American Member-Object The highest value lies in the object or in the acquisition of the object Cognitive One knows through counting and measuring Dichotomous Either/Or Technology All processes are repeatable and reproducible African Afro-American Native American, Hispanics Arabic Member-Member The highest value lies in the interpersonal relationship between persons Affective One knows through symbolic imagery and rhythm Diunital The union of opposites Ntuology All processes are interrelated through human and spiritual networks Asian Asian-American Polynesian Member-Group The highest value lies in the cohesiveness of the group Conative One knows through striving toward the transcendence Nyaya The objective world is conceived independent of thought and mind Cosmology All processes are independently interrelated in the harmony of the universe

33. Utilize resources to appropriately address the diverse needs, histories, cultures and strengths within a community Culturally Effective Health Promotion/Prevention Services