Cultural Diversity
Hispanic / Latino Culture
© Copy written material 2006 – Do not reproduce
without permission from Esperanza Ministries.
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Who are the Hispanics?
Foreign nationals from:
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Who are the Hispanics?
Foreign nationals from:
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Central America
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Mexico
Belize
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Nicaragua
Honduras
El Salvador
Panama
Other Islands
surrounding continent
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South America
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Columbia
Brazil
Argentina
Peru
Caribbean
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Puerto Rico
Cuba
Jamaica
Dominican Republic
Other Islands in
Caribbean Sea
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Nomenclature
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Mexican-American = those who are second
generation Hispanic citizens of the United
States
Hispanics = refers collectively to all Spanish
Speakers, typically descendents of Spain
Latino = refers to those that come from Latin
America, with some romance language.
Mexican = refers to all who are of Mexican
citizens
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Why they are here?
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Economics
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Countries of origin are in
extreme poverty.
United States offers higher
wages even when paid
minimum wage.
Indiana is conservative and
has a large restaurant
industry.
Johnson County offers good
schools and a welcoming
community.
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Future of children
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School in their countries are
unreliable, ill equipped and
understaffed.
School in the mountains
where most normally only
go as far as elementary.
Most children begin working
at an early age to help with
family expenses.
Chances for a country child
to have a future is slim.
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How they get here?
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One village man will be sent
to the U.S.A
This person works multiple
jobs to send money to get
others the means to come
here.
Family members come one
at time via someone who is
paid to get them here safely
($2,000 to 3,000 a person.)
One by one they all arrive to
work hard to send money
for the next family in the
village.
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Their Goal
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Learn English
Get educated
Earn money to help others in village
Help their children have a future.
To live with integrity and honor.
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They would rather be illegal, living with some
dignity than have to steal to feed their children.
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Meeting Etiquette
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When greeting in social
situations, women pat each
other on the right forearm or
shoulder, rather than shake
hands
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Men shake hands until they
know someone well, at
which time they progress to
the more traditional hug and
back slapping.
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Wait until invited before
using a Hispanics first
name.
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Hierarchical Society
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Hispanic society and business
are highly stratified and
vertically structured.
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Hispanics emphasize
hierarchical relationships.
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People respect authority and
look to those above them for
guidance and decision-making.
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Rank is important, and those
above you in rank must always
be treated with respect.
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Hierarchical Society (cont.)
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This makes it important to
know which person is in
charge, and leads to an
authoritarian approach to
decision-making and problemsolving.
Health decisions for the family
members is made by this
person. Typically the father.
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Hispanics are very aware of
how each individual fits into
each hierarchy--be it family,
friends or business.
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It would be disrespectful to
break the chain of hierarchy.
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Machismo
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Machismo literally means
'masculinity'.
There are different outward
behaviors to display
machismo.
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For example, making
remarks to women is a
stereotypical sign of
machismo and should not
be seen as harassment.
Hispanic males generally
believe that nothing must be
allowed to tarnish their
image as a man.
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Relationship
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Hispanics are warm and
gracious.
They have an embrace the
morning attitude, and do not
embrace the time-is-money
mentality of many other
cultures.
The old Mexican saying is
that "North Americans live
to work, but Mexicans work
to live!"
Time is NOT as relevant as
relationship. They usually
will not cut a visit short
because of time.
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More on Relationship
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Most of them will live in the
moment rather than the past
or future.
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If your natural tendency is to
speak quickly or you have a
forceful or sharp tone of
voice, become aware of how
you are coming across.
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They become sensitive to
the pace and tone used it
should be steady, respectful
and grace filled.
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Family Values
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The family is at the center of the social
structure, they are close knit group
and the individual is never as
important as the whole.
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Most of Johnson county Hispanics
come from remote areas of their
countries.
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Outside of the major cosmopolitan
cities, families are still generally large.
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The extended family is as important as
the nuclear family since it provides a
sense of stability. Usually the older
women care for the grandchildren, so
living skills develop later in life.
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More on Family Values
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Hispanics consider it their duty and
responsibility to help family
members. For example, the will help
find employment or finance a house
or other large purchase.
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Most Hispanic families are
extremely traditional, with the father
as the head, the authority figure and
the decision-maker.
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Mothers are greatly revered, but
their role may be seen as secondary
to that of their husband.
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Nuclear Family
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Hispanics can be classified as familyoriented. They tend to be patriarchal
(male dominated).
Roles within the family are assigned on
the basis of gender and position.
Older members of the family carry a
great deal of authority.
Usually the mother’s role is to discipline
the children while the father’s role is to
be responsible for establishing the
standards of behavior.
Children’s role vary with gender and age.
The oldest female takes care of the
youngest; oldest male does the same,
and takes the role of parents if parents
pass away.
Grandparents or elders are highly
respected.
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Communication
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Standing with your hands on your hips
suggests aggressiveness, and keeping
your hands in your pockets is impolite.
Hispanics may not make eye contact.
This is a sign of respect and should not
be taken as an affront.
Men shake hands upon meeting and
leaving, and will wait for a woman to be
the first to offer her hand.
Women may shake hands with men and
other women. Many times a woman may
pat another woman's shoulder or
forearm, or kiss on the cheek.
Longtime friends may embrace, and after
several meetings you may also be
greeted with an embrace.
Punctuality is not rigid because of the
emphasis on personal obligations.
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More on Communication
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Appointments are not
typical, usually they come to
a clinic or school and wait
all day to be seen.
Conversations take place at
a close physical distance.
Stepping back may be
regarded as unfriendly.
Hispanic men are warm and
friendly, and make a lot of
physical contact. They often
touch shoulders or hold
another’s arm. To withdraw
from this touch is
considered insulting.
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More on Communication
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Refrain from using first names until invited to
do so.
Hispanics generally use two surnames.
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The first surname listed is from the father, and the
second surname listed is from the mother. When
speaking to someone use his or her father’s
surname.
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Eating Habits
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In Hispanic countries, a light meal is
served for breakfast.
Lunch, referred as el almuerzo,
usually is the main meal of the day
for Spanish-speakers.
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In some countries, it is customary for
adult family members and children to
come home from work or school for
about two hours to be together for
this meal.
In the early evening, la merienda, a
light snack of coffee and rolls or
sandwiches, is served. This meal is
often very informal and may be just
for children.
In the evening, often as late as 9:00
p.m., la cena, a small supper,
concludes the day's meals.
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Eating Habits (cont)
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Once settled in the United
States, most Hispanics adopt
the three-meal system.
Midday and evening meals are
important family or social
events. Especially when
guests are present, the meal
may be followed by the
sobremesa, a time to linger
and talk over coffee or perhaps
an after-dinner drink.
Usually when food or
additional servings are offered
to Hispanics, they tend to
accept only after it is offered a
second or third time.
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Health
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Hispanic’s view good
physical and mental health
as having a balance with
God and a congruence or
harmony with the family,
other persons, and the
customs of the church.
In order for the American
therapist to treat a Hispanic
successfully, there must be
a style that is comfortable
and acceptable to
Hispanic’s.
Many of the ingredients
used by folk healers must
be taken into consideration.
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Folk Medicine
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People tend to look for reasons for why they
become ill.
Beliefs are that the imbalance between hot and
cold cause illnesses.
Cold disease – cured with hot remedies (teas)
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Menstrual cramps
Pneumonia
Colic
Hot diseases – cured with cold remedies (cold
drinks)
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Pregnancy
Hypertension
Diabetes
Acid indigestion
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More on Health
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Understanding the cultural
knowledge and attention to the
behavioral implications of respect,
personalizing, and conversing is
necessary when dealing with this
population.
The therapist needs to accept and
understand the importance of
familism and church, as well as the
meaning of the client’s relationship
to these cultural entities.
If traditions, beliefs and culture are
ignored it will be difficult to establish
confianza en confianza (trust in
trust) that exists between the Latino
community and with traditional
healers
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Anxiety
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Entry trauma is found
common for many of the
Hispanics in Johnson
county. This is due to
manner by which they enter
the country. Nerviosidad
may describe nervousness
but to a Nica (Nicaraguans
often refer to themselves as
a Nica), it describes being
traumatized and panic
attacks.
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School
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Most of the countries in central
America have unregulated
public education. All schools in
the country are not alike, nor
are they teaching similar
material.
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If a teacher is absent there are
no substitutes and the children
would not attend school on that
day
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School (cont.)
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Parents respect the
teachers a great deal and
will do anything the
teachers ask of them.
Most schools are corrupt in
that they need to purchase
materials from the school
and they often pay too
much for the materials.
Parents are usually not
involved in any of the
decisions about the child’s
education.
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