A Brief History of the Cultural Group
- Chosen cultural group: European Americans;
- First Europeans in the US: Spanish;
- “Euro-Americans”: to emphasize geographical origin;
- Arrived in two large migration waves;
- Largest groups: German, Irish, English Americans;
- US citizens still call them “Whites” (“Euro-Americans,” n.d.).
A Brief History of the Socio-Cultural Group
- Chosen socio-cultural group: Polish heritage;
- One of the largest groups;
- Predominantly ethnic Poles speaking Polish;
- Ethnic minorities: Kashubians, Silesians, Górali, Galicians;
- 1850 – the beginning of Poles’ arrival;
- Urban (factories) and rural (farming) communities (“European-Americans,” 2017).
Values of the Cultural Group
- Respect their countries of origin;
- Prefer not to be called Euro-Americans;
- Respect and appreciate different cultures;
- Respect the US and other nations;
- Value family and religious traditions;
- Acknowledge their ethnic and cultural origins (“Euro-Americans,” n.d.).
Values of the Socio-Cultural Group
- Highly appreciate their family ties;
- Adhere to Roman Catholic religious principles;
- Formed a Polish National Catholic Church;
- Hard-working, value labor and dislike laziness;
- Marry mostly Eastern European Catholics;
- Support connections with relatives in Poland (“European-Americans,” 2017).
The worldview of the Culture
- Culture: determined by Western Europe;
- Culture: systematized in traditions and government;
- Regulated traditions of civic education;
- Mostly assimilated into the US culture;
- Sporadic expression of ethnic ties;
- Southern Europeans: high levels of integrity (“Euro-Americans,” n.d.).
Language and Communication Patterns of the Cultural Group
- Euro-Americans speak native languages;
- English: for work and social life;
- Native languages: home, holidays, personal communication;
- High level of identity through language;
- Publish newspapers in native languages;
- Arrange concerts in native languages (“European-Americans,” 2017).
Language and Communication Patterns of Socio-Cultural Group (Specific)
- The Polish language is widely spoken;
- Polish belongs to West Slavic languages;
- It is similar to Slovak and Czech;
- Taught in parochial and Sunday schools;
- Consonants are rather different from English;
- The language has many diacriticals (Jones, 2017).
Art and Other Expressive Forms of the Cultural Group
- James Belushi – an actor, Albanian origin;
- Gjon Mili – photographer for Life magazine;
- Shqipe Malush – poet (Jurgens, 2017);
- Flamenco: a world-known Spanish dance style;
- Angel González: a poet, Spanish origin;
- Pablo Casals – cellist, Spanish origin (Colahan, 2017).
Art and Other Expressive Forms of the Socio-Cultural Group
- Korczak Ziolkowski: sculptor and designer;
- Leopold Stokowski: the Philadelphia Orchestra conductor;
- Stan Musial, Carl Yastrzemski: baseball players;
- Stan Coveleski: pitcher, Hall of Fame;
- Casimir Funk: discovered the term “vitamin”;
- Leon Jaworski – prosecutor, Zbigniew Brzezinski – advisor (Jones, 2017).
Norms and Rules
- Euro-Americans are polite and considerate;
- A sense of humor: usually good;
- Education occupies a significant place;
- Offending the weak and disabled: unacceptable;
- They are interested in social life;
- Close family and ethnic ties (“European-Americans,” 2017).
Lifestyle Characteristics
- Religion and church: an important role;
- Women take care of household chores;
- Men are regarded as breadwinners;
- Modern situation: roles are becoming equal;
- High respect for the elderly;
- Children: obey, may express their opinions (“European-Americans,” 2017).
Relationship Patterns
- Dating: equal expression of the initiative;
- Express great respect for the elderly;
- Children respect parents, pay visits often;
- Families of two generations may cohabitate;
- Marriage preferences: among group members;
- Family structure: patriarchal and nuclear (“Euro-Americans,” n.d.; “European-Americans,” 2017).
Common Rituals
- Wedding: traditionally incorporates several steps;
- Traditional dances: mazur, krakowiak, polka;
- Christening: one-two weeks after birth;
- Godparents: responsible for religious upbringing;
- Funeral: according to Catholic traditions;
- The dead are accompanied by shoes (Jones, 2017).
Degree of Assimilation from Mainstream Society
- Easier assimilation due to skin color;
- It was only outer assimilation;
- Good assimilation at a workplace;
- Diligent and hardworking people: earned respect;
- Level of intercultural marriage: very low;
- Easily learned the language and regulations (Jones, 2017).
Degree of Marginalization from Mainstream Society
- Close cultural ties made assimilation difficult;
- Polish jokes: a great obstacle;
- Jokes show the Poles as simpletons;
- Do not anglicize names anymore;
- They started taking pride in their culture;
- Prefer to stay in Polish communities (Jones, 2017).
Health Behaviors and Practices
- Outdoor activities: a common practice;
- The pattern of diet: Western;
- Create sustainable positive changes in communities;
- Preferred medicine type: traditional Western;
- Preventive medicine: do tests, get immunizations,
- Advanced illnesses: hospice and palliative care (“European Americans in Minnesota,” 2017).
Differential Approaches Needed by Healthcare Professionals for Each Group
- European Americans: rare translation problems;
- Different approaches to medical aid;
- Traditional medicine of some groups;
- Polish group: used to be skeptical;
- Some people have traditional views;
- Some patients need translators (rarely) (Jones, 2017).
References
Colahan, C. (2017). Spanish Americans. Web.
Euro-Americans. (n.d.). Web.
European-Americans. (2017). Web.
European Americans in Minnesota. (2017). Web.
Jones, S. (2017). Polish Americans. Web.
Jurgens, J. (2017). Albanian Americans. Web.