Hearing and listening are
two different terms although they both involve the auditory sense. The former
is the use of the faculty, which is the ears while the latter involves comprehending
by interpreting the sound and the nonverbal aspects of the message sent by the sender.
Listening is the beginning of understanding and understanding is the result of
effective communication. However, what
happens when the message gets distorted and causes chaos that perturbs both parties.
To seek and discuss the varied reasons
for misunderstanding will be a stepping stone to build communication gaps.
Barriers to Multicultural Therapeutic Communication
Barriers create ineffective
communication patterns and structures. According to Luckmann (2000) in her book Transcultural
Communication in Health Care, she identified eight therapeutic
transcultural communication barriers.
Lack of knowledge comes first in the barriers of communication
as there is an adage that says, “little knowledge is dangerous”. There are many anecdotes describing such
barrier that come out funny yet most often than not offensive, too. Thus, it is
important to get to know the client’s culture and heritage to be more
culturally adept. Another barrier is fear and distrust. Clients coming from different
countries bringing with them their respective cultures or talking and dressing
in a particular way may cause discomfort and dislike on the end of the HOA. The
color of the skin of the client may also pose as a barrier as some races are
superior or inferior and the way to communicate with them may differ. Bias,
prejudice, and ethnocentrism are considered as barriers as well because they
form negative thought processes or beliefs that hinder communication. Stereotyping
is another barrier which places a person in a box. For instance, a person with
tattoo has incarceration experience or no sense of self-direction and the like.
Health care rituals will also pose as a barrier, when they are different from
that of the client. For example, having family members accompany them while
seeing the medical physician. Language is an obvious barrier even if according
to Lapakko (2007), verbal is only 7% while non-verbal is 93% in communication. Absence
of a common language creates a barrier when one does not speak the same
language or there is no point of understanding the message. Finally, differences in perception and
expectation will become a barrier as each person will have their individual
interpretation of external stimuli such as sounds, visuals, etc., and anticipation
of events that proceed.
As the barriers were discussed and identified above, we
have done the first step in addressing the hindrances. Lack of knowledge; fear
and distrust; racism; bias, prejudice, and ethnocentrism; stereotyping; health care
rituals; language; and differences in perception and expectations are barriers
that can be resolved and eliminated if the HOA learns to have an open heart and
mind to accept and to learn the ways in which they will be dispelled.
REFERENCES
Lapakko, D. (2007). Communication is 93% Nonverbal: An
Urban Legend Proliferates. Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal, 34, 7-19.
Tamparo, C. & Lindh, W. (2019) Therapeutic
Communication for Health Care Professionals (4th Edition) [2.5.8484.0]
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