The Importance Of Culture And Empathy

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Shiraev and Levy (2013) define culture as a set of attitudes, behaviors, and symbols shared by a large group of people and usually communicated from one generation to the next (p. 3). Many cultures have traditions and/or customs directly associated with that culture. There are several different approaches to understanding culture – evolutionary, meaning that culture exists to supply basic human needs (Shiraev & Levy, 2013, p. 13); sociological, meaning that culture is shaped and developed by the demands of society (Shiraev & Levy, 2013, p. 14); and ecocultural, meaning culture is fluid and individuals grow and change with the environment and the individuals in which they interact with (Shiraev & Levy, 2013, p. 15). Within this essay I will discuss a culture that I feel I am a part of, a custom of said culture, explain similarities and differences of the cultural approaches and how they pertain to my …show more content…

In relation to this essay then finding ways to empathize with others is customary. There is a marked difference between empathy and sympathy. Empathy is defined as the ability to share and understand another’s experiences, emotions, and feelings (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Whereas sympathy is defined as caring and compassion for another person’s struggles (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). As a wounded healer I have both empathy and sympathy for others but due to my life experiences, it is my empathy for others that allows me to connect with them on a deeper level. The significance of being a wounded healer in this type of relationship, a practitioner-patient relationship, is that it is what makes the practitioner an equal to his or her patient rather than his or her “master” according to a journal article listed on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website (Daneault, 2008). This type of relationship can encourage and inspire the patient to begin to heal themselves where

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