Cultural Identity and Personal Values in Health and Wellbeing Sector

HWB401- Assignment 1
I am working as a Residential Support Worker for children with intellectual
disabilities in Hohepa Homes in Hawke’s Bay. I work with eight children and
eleven co-workers in this home setting. I work 40 hours a week with different
child every day. The children are Maori and European ethnicities. The workers are
Maori, Filipino, Indian, North American, German and American ethnicities. ✓
Thank you!
Task 1: Your cultural identity
The nation where I belong to is India. India is a land of diverse cultures and
religions. The various ethnic groups, who coexist in this sub-continent, contribute
to its variety. The different religions like Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Buddhism,
Christianity and Jainism that is practised within this one sanctum lends to the
spirituality found in this nation (Paniagua, 2013). The type of culture prevalent in
India is primarily collectivist. Collectivism refers to personality disposition
whereby family needs and goals of work group are given more importance than
individual desires, for example, the choice of career or marriage of an individual
are mostly governed by the decision of the elders in a family. ✓
Factor one Family
How this factor has made me who I am
today
My family in India is that of a
traditional joint family which where I
had learnt the values of selflessness
and interdependence. It is ingrained in
my nature to keep a cohesive bond
with my acquaintances. ✓
How this factor influences my work as a
worker in the health and wellbeing
sector
The values which my family had
imparted encouraged me to pursue a
higher education in the field of health
and social work for children with special
needs. ✓

Factor two Socio-Economic and Socio-Cognitive
Environment
How this factor has made me who I am
today
The environment in which I had
grown up laid high emphasis to
become support system for the ones
who need it and share my benefits
with others in the family. ✓
How this factor influences my work as a
worker in the health and wellbeing sector
Children are the future of a country
in terms of progress and betterment.
However, the ones belonging from
the backward sections often fall prey
to malnutrition and severe neglect
(Muhammad et al., 2015). These are
few of the various causes that lead
to their disability. It was my
objective to help these children
overcome barriers within the range
of their possibility. ✓
Factor three Culture
How this factor has made me who I am
today
The type of culture prevalent in India
is primarily collectivist. Collectivism
refers to personality disposition
whereby family needs and goals of
work group are given more
importance than individual desires,
for example, the choice of career or
marriage of an individual are mostly
governed by the decision of the
elders in a family. ✓
How this factor influences my work as a
worker in the health and wellbeing sector
Collectivism has helped me
understand the idea of sacrifice in a
favourable way. Being a health
worker, a large amount of my time is
required at the centre which gives
me little scope of personal activities.
However, the culture in which I was

brought up has taught me to keep
my responsibilities before my
personal interest. ✓
Factor four Education
How this factor has made me who I am
today
I have studied social work for few
months, specialisation in human
development, Maori culture and
interpersonal skills. Due to my sheer
commitment in my domain, today I
could manage to find a professional
space at my workplace. ✓
How this factor influences my work as a
worker in the health and wellbeing sector
My Educational background has
helped me to understand the
nuances in working for the
betterment of disabled children. ✓
Task 2: My Personal Value
Values make up our standard of living that guides us towards our goals. It
helps us to rationalize our decision to act in a particular way and prevent us from
indulging in unacceptable behaviour (Adger et al., 2013). Excellent
Value 1 Understanding the significance
associated with the criticality of
human relationships. ✓
Value description Collectivist culture attaches great
importance to human relationships as
it determines the kind of person one
grows up to be (Adger et al., 2013). In
this physical world, each one of us has
our own vulnerabilities and limitations.
When the person next to us can
understand the positive or negative
impact his or her action can have on
our course of life, it makes our survival
easier. ✓
How the value influences the way I This value has taught me to build

work in my health and wellbeing setting healthy connection with others,
understand their priorities as well as
conflicting ideas. ✓
Value 2 Practicing equality to inculcate the
importance of social justice ✓
Value description This value strives to promote anti-
discriminatory sensitivities. ✓
How the value influences the way I
work in my health and wellbeing setting
This value has influenced the
sensitivities in my role as a Health
worker for Disabled Children. The
concept of building healthy
relationships has helped me build
rapport with the patients and
understand their needs. Disability
often hinders an individual from
participating effectively in different
activities, physical as well as
psychological, in life. My second value
has urged me to motivate the patients
and instil confidence in their mind that
they can achieve their life goals. ✓
Task 3: Cultural Identity of Two Tribes
New Zealand is a multi-ethnic region. Amalgamation of the customs and
practices of various groups to frame socio-political policies is what defines the
culture of this country (Adger et al., 2013). Being a part of the healthcare sector
in New Zealand, majority of my co-worker population is dominated mostly by
Maori and Filipino Cultures and to some extent by Pakehas (Bécares, Cormack &
Harris, 2013). Maoris constitute the native residents of New Zealand, the Filipinos
had mostly migrated to New Zealand during 1936 in search of better
opportunities and to overcome the poverty stricken circumstances in their
country whereas, Pakehas, also known as Pasifika people, are the immigrants
from the Pacific Islands who had settled in New Zealand since British Colonization.