Page 79 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

what they “know” about the world, and how they should respond to the social and material environments in
which they find themselves. It is reflected in their religions, morals, customs, technologies, and survival
strategies. It affects how they work, parent, love, marry, and understand health, mental health, wellness,
illness, disability, and death.

Culture is a “framework that guides and bounds life’s practices.”10 It enables a person to identify with a
specific group or population. People begin to learn their culture at a very young age. By the time they are in
school, they are already ingrained in their culture. As a deeply innate concept, cultural practices evolve
gradually. They affect and guide the activities and daily behavior of specific groups.10

Culture influences many aspects of a person’s identity; it shapes the foods served, methods of food
preparation, meal patterns followed, the way holidays are celebrated, values, beliefs, spirituality, child-rearing
practices, and expected family roles. Cultural roots influence attitudes and have a profound influence on
behaviors.

Values differ related to cooperation versus competition, activity versus passivity, youth versus age,
importance of family versus friends, and independence versus interdependence. For example, some cultures
encourage competitiveness whereas others promote cooperation and teamwork.8,9

CASE ANALYSIS 2

What resources can you suggest for Judy to assist in her counseling? Where would she find them?

Enculturation and Intercultural Variation

Culture is learned, not inherited. It is passed from generation to generation in the home by a process called
enculturation. Yet, within each culture, there exist different customs, practices, ideologies, and viewpoints.
Many countries throughout the world have populations that comprise one major group as well as many
subgroups that differ from one another in various ways. This is also called intracultural variation. For example,
the Latino or Hispanic population is a major ethnic group in the Americas; yet within this community there
are many subgroups, including Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Central and South Americans. With
these subgroups are further subcultures, and among these subcultures there are probably many similarities, but
also distinct cultural differences. Another example is in the Asian culture. There are over 25 countries of
origin that are classified under this one heading. Each country and region has its subcultures that have their
own customs, lifestyles, traditions, foods, language, and dialects. We also see this in the African-American
and many other cultures. Subgroups and variety in culture are the norm, rather than the typical stereotype.8–10

Acculturation and Assimilation

The process by which people from one cultural group modify their traditional behaviors, attitudes, and
viewpoints as a result of contact with a new, dominant culture is termed acculturation.11 Unlike the process of
assimilation, in which members of a minority group adopt the practices and belief system of the dominant
group, acculturation implies that both the traditional ethnic culture and the new, dominant culture play an
important role in the process of cultural identity. As a result of this process, people may move toward the
dominant culture, integrate the two cultures, reject the new culture while reaffirming their own traditional

79