Case Study: HCR-20 (Essay Sample)

CASE STUDY
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Rationale
In my critical intercultural analysis, I chose the case presented in the journal article HCR-20 - Vurdering af voldsrisiko (HCR-20 Assessing risk for violence. Version 2) (Translated after the original version "Webster CD, Houghton, G. Brown, Marshall, Scott Poole, and Thomas, L. Rodgers (June 06, 2004), by Liselotte Pedersen, and Helle Hougaard. I picked this case for my analysis basing on its context and the way it integrated socio-cultural factors in the development of conflict at the workplace. Most professionals find cultural approaches to different issues an obstacle at the workplace, one that causes tension among them, as they are required to bend their cultural believes and conform to those of others, or those of which provide a comfortable approach for their clients.
The healthcare sector stands out to be one of the sectors that experiences various cases of intercultural problems as the health care providers interact with different patients with cultural diversities each day. To sum it up, the different cultural perspectives among the healthcare providers provide further room for differing opinions on how certain matters concerning patient health care should be handled. This forms a perfect field into which researchers can direct their efforts to find out the major drives of intercultural conflict and the various approaches that can be embraced to promote development of a common culture through compliance, which would promote positive interactions between the healthcare providers. This case provides a perfect choice for intercultural analysis because it involves the introduction of a social and cultural issue of high sensitivity among health professionals with different cultural backgrounds. The differences in the cultural identity among the professionals provide room for differing opinions on the presented social and cultural issue. It is more unlikely that some of the health professionals will overlook their cultural perspectives and embrace those of others, an aspect that propagates conflict. As such, the case provides room for investigation on the various aspects behind cultural conformity, which prevent individuals from compromising their cultural identities and providing room for different approaches in issues of importance to their social context.
Such an investigation would allow a researcher to develop a proper understanding of how critical thinking would provide an ultimatum for intercultural integration in order to allow for an environment that would promote an understanding between different individuals, basing an understanding of the social construct in which they exist and creating room for tolerance of cultural differences. This would promote cultural adaptability and adjustment and a better understanding of the uniqueness of each cultural identity, which would promote improved relationships in turn. This case is also appropriate for critical intercultural analysis because it provides two differing dimensions of approach to a common problem, which allow the researcher to determine the conflicts brought forth by intercultural differences, and how such conflicts can be solved without disadvantaging any individuals on cultural grounds. As such, the case presents a conflict and a solution, which build on the understanding of the need to embrace a common approach on intercultural issues in order to achieve positive results.
Investigation
The case presented by Liselotte Pedersen and Helle Hougaard involves a conflict in a professional setting among a team of researchers comprising of nurses and social workers in a health care setting. The conflict is because of diverse cultural perceptions concerning gay and lesbian patients, and the importance of experience among the nurses and social workers with such patients who have been placed under long-term care. It is with no doubt that poor intercultural communication concerning the issue is a major drive behind the conflict (Pedersen & Hougaard, 2005). Members of the team are confined to their own way of thinking and they create no room for a diverse approach to the issue. This kind of approach to communication among the team members is an indication of poor intercultural communication, an aspect that inhibits ones understanding of the people around them, with cultural differences.
Intercultural Communication and Emotion
One of the most important aspects when considering the drives of the conflict in the presented case is the role that culture plays in language development and general emotions. Each cultural group is characterised by a different language or languages. In the case of subcultures, their also exists different dialects within the same language. These languages act as symbols of the things that different cultures deem important (Matsumoto, Leroux, & Hee Yoo, 2005). Perceptions of synchrony, personalization, and communication difficulties inside or outside groups vary with different cultures. Each cultural construct has defined ground rules that govern their communication. These rules define the use of different facial expressions during communication and the display of emotions as per the different social circumstances that one may be subjected to. The decoding of information is also in a great way influenced by culture. This is facilitated by the influence that culture has on the development of stereotyping, ethnocentrism, and social (Matsumoto, Leroux, & Hee Yoo, 2005). These psychological components shape the day-to-day lives of individuals.
The rules of cultural decoding are mainly associated with value judgements and emotions, which combine to form an individual’s self-concept (Matsumoto, Leroux, & Hee Yoo, 2005). All these cultural differences in language are important in intercultural communication. Like in the above case, conflict is inevitable, as the behaviours of other individuals may not conform to the expectations of others. In most cases, they are naturally interpreted as transgressions against an individual’s value system. As a result, individuals develop negative emotions that upset their self-concept. Case in point, the nurses and social workers have different self-concepts, which they expect others to conform to. The fact that the cultural identities of the other members of the teams are distinct and do not allow them to conform to each other’s expectations leads to misunderstandings among them, and thus development of conflict (Pedersen & Hougaard, 2005). In addition, uncertainty is an important contributor to the conflict presented in the case. As such, there is development of intolerance of ambiguity and impatience among the team members, which leads to frustration, anger, and resentment. This causes the team members to interpret the underlying purpose of their teammates in a different way.
It is evident that emotions play a major role in the conflict between the IR team members in the case study, where each of the team members experiences a negative arousal of negative emotions because their counterparts fail to agree with their cultural perception of the issue of gays and lesbian experience in long-term care. Emotions are greatly important because they tend to take over the feelings and thoughts of an individual, leaving even those people with the ability to apply critical thinking in determining altruistic ways of acting in different situations, in no position to think or act that way (Matsumoto, Leroux, & Hee Yoo, 2005). As such, the fact that the nurses and social workers are not able to control their negative feelings, and thus such feelings overcome the way they think and act, thus limiting their engagement in other processes that would help them to expand their attribution and appraisal of causes of ...