Cultural Diversity In The Spirit Catches You And You Fall...

Cultural Diversity What happens when two very different or even mutually exclusive cultural perspective are forced into contact with one another? In Anne Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, there is a division between the shamanistic insubordinate cultural of Hmong refugees in Merced, California and the cold analytical approach of western medicine. In the early 1980s, the child of a Hmong refugee family in Merced, California is born with epilepsy, her name is Lia Lee. Anne Fadiman traces the interaction between these two cultures and Lia’s disease, she reviews that misunderstanding and miscommunication can have calamitous consequences for all involved. The author introduces many characters throughout the book and they all†¦show more content†¦The doctors assuming the Lee were giving their daughter her medications, were surprised to not see levels of the medications in her blood. Dan Murphy who was one of Lia’s doctor questioned the parent s and he learned that due to their cultural beliefs, Lia’s parents have not been administering her with the proper medicine. Where Lia’s mother believes she is doing the right thing for her daughter, Murphy has sympathy for the mother and told Fadiman â€Å"I remember having a little bit of awe of how differently we looked at the world†. A key feature of the Hmong is that they have no interest in being rule, do not like to be told what to do, and are rarely persuaded by the customs of other culture. The mistrust and open hostility between the medical staff and the Lee family seemed to overshadow Lia’s disease. Both side obviously loves Lia and wants her healthy but neither was willing to compromised and meet half way. Social Worker Jeanine Hilt was one of the character who appeared to empathize with both side. Unlike the doctors and nurses at MCMC who are also American like Jeanine, she falls in love with not just Lia but also her family. She makes it her duty to understand every aspect of Lia’s life from her illness to her culture. A young American woman, Jeanine is assigned to Lia’s case after Neil Ernst contacts Child Protective Services (CPS)which was aShow MoreRelatedThe Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Anne Fadiman1277 Words   |  6 Pages The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman, is the story of two very different cultures lacking understanding for one another leading to a tragedy due to cultural incompetence. Today in America there are very many different cultures. Health care providers need to be aware of cultural diversity and sensitivity when caring for patients. If a health care provider is not sensitive towards a patient’s culture it can cause a relationship of mistrust to form, lead to barriers in the planRead MoreMedical Beliefs of the Hmong People Depicted in the Book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down1495 Words   |  6 Pagesspirituality influenced. In the book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, refers to the Hmong culture and their beliefs on medicine while their baby Lia Lee, is suffering from epilepsy in which they have a hard decision. Traditional Hmong’s have their own medicinal beliefs which they obey prior to obtaining Western medicine. The gulf between Western medicine and Hmong health beliefs is an impossible abyss. Also, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down describes the life of Hmong refugees assimilatingRead MoreExploring Cultural Implications From Hmong Perspective1681 Words   |  7 Pages Exploring Cultural Implications from the Hmong Perspective Justin D. Hawker Texas Christian University-Harris College of Nursing Abstract Cultural implications were evaluated from the Hmong perspective, using the book â€Å"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down.† The assessment was based on the Hmong people and followed the Geiger and Davidhizar’s transcultural assessment model. Five areas were focused on in particular from their model: Environmental Control, Social OrganizationRead MoreThe Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down1993 Words   |  8 PagesThe Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down It is difficult enough to go to the emergency ward with a family member and speak the same language as the staff. The admitting nurse wants all insurance information, another nurse/secretary asks for injury/illness history and, meanwhile, the person who needs to see the doctor is waiting in pain. The stress mounts and communication becomes harder. Now, take that same scenario when someone in the ER does not speak the language or know the culture of theRead MoreHispanic And Non Hispanic Americans951 Words   |  4 Pagesculture takes in this problematic? There is a considerable difference between Hispanic and Non-Hispanics. Many factors can be the reasons for this difference in numbers, but the most influential factors are culture, acculturation and, the medical cultural competence. First, for Latinos, studies have found that the prevalence of total diabetes, diagnosed and undiagnosed, among all Hispanic/Latino groups was roughly 16.9 percent of both men and women, compared to 10.2 percent of non-Hispanic whitesRead MoreThe Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down2167 Words   |  9 PagesStructural Causes of Cultural Insensitivity in Anne Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Many years ago, an epileptic Hmong girl named Lia Lee entered a permanent vegetative state due to cross-cultural misunderstanding between her parents and her doctors. An author named Anne Fadiman documented this case and tried to untangle what exactly went wrong with the situation. Two key players in her narrative were Neil Ernst and Peggy Philp, the main doctors on Lia’s case. As Fadiman describesRead MoreWe Are All Frogs Or Cows By Anne Fadim The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Essay1845 Words   |  8 Pagesparticularly the new rules and laws that they must follow to be considered a good neighbor. The book of Anne Fadiman: The spirit catches you and you fall down is about the struggles of the Hmong family from Laos who had a child (Lia) that suffered from intractable epilepsy. Her parents have a difficult time adjusting to the American society particularly the language barriers, cultural impediments and the US health care physicians. As a result, multiple medical m istakes, uncertain decision making and ultimatelyRead MoreCultural Competency: Trasforming Conflict into Unity1540 Words   |  6 PagesThe United States of America is infamous for being a melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities. The diversity in America is great and in theory is an amazing asset to this nation. However, as a society we tend to allow our differences to segregate us and alienate those who are different. By not embracing the diversity among us, many complications are created. For instance, as a result of an inability to respect other cultures, prejudice, discrimination, and tragic violence often occurRead MoreThe Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Anne Fadiman Essay1533 Words   |  7 PagesWhile most of my colleagues and myself who migrated to the United States were able to understand and speak the language, the cultural differences perpetuate the feeling of anxiety. Now think about those migrants who could not speak and understand the language, how do you think they would feel living in an unfamiliar place like America? The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, dare us to ponder what we assume we know about health care and what are the ultimate challenges that influencedRead MoreThe Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Essay1896 Words   |  8 PagesCultural Diversity in the U.S. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down or quag dab peg is said to mean â€Å"a soul stealing dab; peg means to catch or hit; and quag means to fall over with one’s roots still in the ground, as grain might be beaten down by wind or rain† (Fadiman, 1997). The Lee family belonged to the Hmong tribe, which was the basis of their differing beliefs in comparison with modern medicine. Lia’s parents believed that when she was three months of age, she had been startled when