Being An Asian American Essay

Words: 633
Pages: 3

An Asian American may be reluctant to show or communicate emotion, pain, or grief due to their cultural background and this can be very difficult for Western practitioners to understand when it comes to health care.
Asian American’s are very aware of their situation and environment when communicating. The use of hand gestures, body language, eye contact, pitch, inflection, and the use of silence are just important as the actual words being spoken. Asian Americans often lack directness in their conversations because they feel it is more important to keep harmony and peace than it is in getting to the facts of the matter. They prefer politeness over confrontation and are not comfortable with direct questions. This can also pose a problem
…show more content…
An Asian American is much more comfortable in close proximity when communicating, especially the Chinese American and this may be due to living under close conditions. Space is limited in most Asian countries and multiple generations live under one roof, eating, sleeping, and playing near to one another. Even though someone from the Asian culture may occupy your personal space, they are physically reserved and they dislike public displays of affection and are uncomfortable with hugging, kissing and, touching, especially touching the head. The head is considered to carry the soul and is thought of as holy by some. Asians do not like to be touched by strangers and this can make it difficult for the healthcare provider because they are taught the importance of touch. It is best to ask before touching and explain why the need to touch them.
Culture background along with socioeconomic status determines a person’s focus regarding time. Time focus can be past, present, or future. Cultures based on past time focus relate to culture and tradition. Past orientated cultures respect traditions and honor their elders, both living and dead. Asian culture exhibits past time focus because past orientated culture see time as continuous or cyclical and repeating. The Asian culture is not time orientated and are often late to appointments or