Italian American Cultural Analysis

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Cultural Assessment of Italian America This paper intends to discuss the Italian American culture and compare it to my own culture, Irish American and the African American culture. I intend to do this through proper research, as well as the interview of an elderly first generation Italian American. Throughout the following pages, I will be looking at traditional customs which he follows, as well as how culturally assimilated he has become. As a nursing student, my intent is to learn and inform others about Italian culture to help understand this specific ethnicity, and in turn help broaden knowledge to encourage the development of trans-cultural care. The Person Interviewed and Circumstances This paper intends to cover trans-cultural…show more content…
While similarly, both have a history of herbal doctors and faith healing, African Americans tend to vary more and include more alternative methods including root doctors and voodoo. Italian Americans seem to depend more commonly on skilled practitioners and modern medicine than do African Americans. Another subject that can be compared is values and beliefs. Similarly, both African Americans and Italian Americans are frequently highly religious. In contrast, African Americans are presently oriented while, as shown by my interview, Italian Americans tend to exhibit more future planning skills. Both cultures show respect for clergy but it seems more so in the African American culture. The biggest differentiations seem to be shown in common health problems. The only disease explicitly common to Italian Americans is thalessemia, which is predominant in Mediterranean areas. African Americans are susceptible to a wide variety of illness such as Sickle Cell anemia, Keloids, Lactose enzyme deficiency, Tuberculosis, diabetes mellitus and higher infant mortality rates. Italian Americans have been noted as having a low hypertension rate, where as African Americans have a higher rate, probably due to the wide contrast in…show more content…
First of all, while the Irish have two main religious group, the Irish Americans have brought over a strong sense of religion, much like the Italians. For example, I have a statue of the Virgin Mary in front of my house, which my mother cherishes. I also have a number of religious pieces spread throughout my home, much like Mr. Buceti, such as rosary beads, statues, prayer cards and crucifixes. Secondly, the elderly members of Irish American families are held at high regard and with great respect, much the same as those of the Italian family. Furthermore, in regards to families, I myself am very close with my extended family, resembling that of Italian American culture. We get together for major holidays, birthdays and deaths. Family is important if not essential to both

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