Study Guide for the "The Cultural Components of Pain"

The following includes a very broad set of questions to help you understand your assigned reading. You are responsible for material in the article that these questions may not directly address. That is, to do well on the quiz you must read the entire article at least once if not more than once. On the day of the quiz, you will have a five question multiple choice quiz in class. Study hard and enjoy understanding why "pain" has cultural components!

Does everyone experience pain in the same way?

Is what we define as pain and our reactions to our feelings of pain result from biophysical causes?

What do our "interpretations" and "expectations" have to do with our pain experiences?

How is this study relevant for doctors, nurses, and patients?

How did the author collect his data?

What three enthocultural groups did the author study?

Why did the author select Jews and Italians?

Zborowski discovered that Jewish and Italian patients exhibited similar reactions to pain, exaggeration and sensitivity, yet he also discovered that they differed. How did they differ?

Would you treat Jewish and Italian patients differently if you were a doctor or nurse and they were experiencing pain?

Do male Italians and Jews express their pain differently in their homes than in the hospital?

What functions do these differences serve?

Which ethnocultural group expresses their pain as if they are detached scientists?

What does the author mean when he argues that Americanized patients think of their body as a machine that periodically needs a check-up?

Would "Old American" patients rather be treated at home or in a hospital? Why?

How do a person's occupation, immigration status, and educational level influence their interpretations and expectations of pain?

How does the family influence an individual's perception and expression of pain?

What kind of person would most health care professionals consider a "good patient?"