Differential Approaches
Based on the PowerPoint that I give you, you have to make a comparison between the different approaches needed by healthcare professionals between Korean and Mexican heritages.
Korean Heritage and Mexican Heritage
Population Presentation
Korean Heritage
History
Korean history dates back to the lower Paleolithic period; the most significant duration was the Common Era and the Three Kingdoms-Goguryeo Silla, ad Baekje (Injae et al. 2014)
The three Kingdoms dominated the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria anand were economic and military rivals
Goguryeo and Baekje kingdoms yielded tremendous power and successively repulsed Chinese invasions severally
Silla had the most power extending across Korea; eventually it managed to unite the Korean Peninsula in 668 BC forming the Unified Silla (Injae et al. 2014)
Unified Silla fell in the ninth century; its collapse culminated in the formation of the Goryeo Dynasty
Under the Goryeo Dynasty, laws were codified, a civil service system adopted, and Buddhism
Continuation…
The Goryeo Dynasty was succeeded by the Joseon Dynasty, after a coup in 1392
During the Joseon Dynasty, the Korean Alphabet was developed and adopted as a substitute for Chinese characters not to mention the numerous cultural and technological advancements that were developed in the same era
1592-1598 invasion of Korea by Japan and Qing Dynasty invasions of 1620s and 1630s also took place during this era (Seth, 2010)
After forcing China out of Korea, Japan expanded its influence in the country which culminated in the Eulsa Treaty of 1905, which made the state a protectorate
Japan eventually occupied Korea in 1910 amid Koreans’ resistance as manifested during the 1919 March 1st Movement (Seth, 2010)
While the South held elections in 1948, a communist dictator was imposed on North Korea
Values and World View
Familism
The institution of family is critical in Korean culture; Koreans prioritize family-matters above all else
Traditionally, Korea was a patriarchal society; men were valued more than women, and sons preferred to daughters
Chaemyoun
Chaemyoun loosely translates to face and represents an individual’s reputation, dignity, and honor (Cultural Atlas, 2020)
Over time, this value has transformed from factual to perceived status and appearance
Koreans make great efforts to disguise their emotions to preserve the preferred reputation
Other core values include toughness, adaptability, tenacity, and nationalism, filial piety, materialism, and education
Language and Communication Patterns
Korean is the national language; its structure, grammar, and vocabulary closely resembles Japanese
According to the Asia Society (2020), Korean is spoken by 20 million persons in North Korea, and another 42 million in South Korea; there are also 2 million speakers in China and 500,000 in Japan and Russia, and 900,000 in the US
There are two hypothesis about the origin of Korean:
The first is that it is a product of the Altaic languages of Central Asia including Turkish and Tungusic; some allege that the Altaic and Uralic languages also influenced its development
The second theory suggests that the language is a product of Dravidian languages of India and the Austronesian languages
Part of the reason for the ambiguous origin is because of the long and sophisticated history between Korea, China, and Japan
Continuation…
According to the Asia Society (2020) Korean language has two main dialects divided across state boundaries:
South Korean or Seoul dialect
North Korean or Pyongyang dialect
Each of these dialects is then subdivided into numerous regional dialects for different provinces as guided by the national language policy
South Korean regional dialects:
Kyonsang 3. Chola
Chungchong 4. Cheju
North Korean regional:
1. Hamkyong 2. Pyongan. 3. Hwanghae
Art and Other Expressive Forms
Korean art history can be subdivided according to the eras it emerged as:
Pre-historic
Siberia X-ray rock art in the southeast coast proves the Siberian origin
Flat-bottomed clay vessels with zigzag patterns and comb-pattern pottery were also characteristic of this era
Three kingdoms period
Predominant artistic expressions were in the form of pagodas, plastic art, calligraphy, ivory carvings (Yuseop, 2017)
Religious art, mainly in the form of Buddhist temples also became popular during this era, not to mention tomb art, fresco painting, stone culture, and decorative art
Silla Period
Art made in this era was mainly inspired by the Tang style
Continuation…
Goryeo Dynasty
Celadon pottery was produced in mass during this era; these were made in a classic style and were jade-coloured e.g. Goryeo Celadon hard pillow
Buddhist art became dominant as the religion was adopted
Joseon Dynasty
Landscape painting was adopted
A Gyeon, an official painter of the Jonson Court popularized neo-Confucian painting styles which mainly used bold brush strokes depicting strong contrast between dark and light (Kinder, 2013)
Ink and wash painting styles were also popularized in this era
Buddhist iconography was integrated in Korean art as Buddhism declined
Norms and Rules
Korean societies are built on a tight and strict value system based on commonly accepted norms and rules
Some of the generally accepted norms include:
Gibun
Gibun relates to an individual’s emotions and feelings.
The society discourages hurting one’s gibun and Koreans endeavor to undertake their activities with utmost regard and respect for each others’ gibun (Foran, 2013)
Koreans prioritize having a harmonious atmosphere and could even forego their pursuit for immediate goals if doing so would be injurious to other peoples’ gibun
The commitment to preserving other people’s Gibun often influences the series of events; for example bad news should not be disseminated in the morning hours at the workplace but instead towards the end of the day (Foran, 2013)
Continuation…
Nunchi
Nunchi is the ability to assess other peoples’ mood (gibun); nunchi is critical in preserving other people’s gibun
Since people often do not express their emotions, Koreans have to be ardent observers to identify non-verbal cues that could provide insight into other people’s emotions (De Mente, 2012)
The lack of nunchi often puts one on a collision path with the society because they constantly hurt others’ gibun and are often likely to make social blunders
Jondaemal/Banmal
Koreans use Jondaemal in formal conversations to express respect especially where the other party is a stranger, elder, or a senior
Banmal is used in conversations among persons who are acquainted, friends, colleagues, family members, or age mates
Unlike Jondaemal, Banmal is relaxed and social
Lifestyle Characteristics and Relationship Patterns
Koreans value relationships based on mutual trust benefit; they often spend considerable time and effort initiating and fostering meaningful, reliable relations
After these relationships have been initiated, Koreans are relentless in nurturing them through various reinforcement efforts to preserve their value to both parties
Exchanging gifts is also a common practice among Koreans in the effort to foster relationships;
There are strict rules guiding gift-giving, which is a common practice:
The number ‘four’ is a ‘taboo’ in this culture, giving gifts in four’s is discouraged
Gifts should be accepted with both hands, but only opened in the absence of the giver
Gifts should be attractively wrapped
The recipient is also expected to offer something of comparable value in return
Rituals
Wedding
Pyebaek is conducted after the reception and is exclusively attended by family members
After the pyebaek, family members throw chestnuts at the bride who attempts to catch as many as she can in her handbook; the number caught is believed to be an indicator of the number of children she is likely to have
Dol
A baby’s first birthday
Doljabi
Doljabi is done after the first birthday
The baby is placed in front of a variety of items and encouraged to pick only one; the object chosen is believed to indicate their future
Degree of Assimilation or Marginalization
Koreans living outside Korea have undergone substantial degree of assimilation into other cultures
The assimilation has affected their culture, structure, identification
While Koreans in Western countries, such as the US, have adapted to the Western lifestyle, they are still devoted Koreans and mostly identify as Koreans, despite having citizenship in the other country
Some Korean groups convene frequent social cultural activities to preserve their heritage, which shows their commitment to their culture (Kim and Wolpin, 2008)
Koreans communities living in other countries constitute a minority group and are often marginalized mainly on the basis of their ethnicity
Health Behavior and Practices
Elderly Koreans prefer oriental medicine (hanbang) offered by Hanui, traditional oriental medicine specialists
Handbag, which is derived from Chinese traditional medicine, is founded on the principles of yin (um) and yang and employs a variety of diagnostic techniques such as observation, patient history, listening to the patient’s voice and listening to their voice (De Mente, 2012)
Since the society was patriarchal, priority was given to men’s healthcare
Families have a duty to offer care to their ill members, which explains the rarity of nursing homes in Korea (Yi, Stvilia, and Mon, 2012)
Natural techniques of improving health are also prioritized such as saunas and eating natural, uncooked foods
Koreans have a preference for dying at their residences, often in the presence of their eldest son
Comparison and Contrast of Common Characteristics
Koreans are divided into the north and south
South Koreans have a better diet compared to North Koreans and are therefore physically larger and have a higher life expectancy
Both the groups are short-tempered but have respect for their parents and the elderly in the society (Young Kim,…
