Running head: CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL WORK 1

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL WORK

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Critical Analysis of Social Work

The dimension of Human Behavior: Person and Environment introduce a present and

complete assessment of human conduct utilizing a multidimensional system. Creator Elizabeth

D. Hutchison investigates the organic measurement and the social factors that influence human

improvement and conduct, urging peruses to interface their very own encounters with social

patterns to perceive the solidarity of individual and condition (Straus, and Giroux. Hutchison,

2018).

Brief summary

Lia’s parents gave her special attention and closely monitored her progress, but did not

administer all her medicine as they were reluctant to hinder the quag dab peg. Despite the

doctors' prognosis that Lia would not have had a long life, the Lees took care of her in their

home. Due to their attentive care, Lia lived a relatively long life for a person with epilepsy.

Peggy Philip and Neil Ernst had grown fond of the Lees, but they did not love or accept them.

The lack of cultural tolerance created a barrier between them and the patients that hindered

adequate care for Lia.

Strengths perspective

The Hmong believe that their bodies are connections to a higher source of life. They

appoint shamans whom they think can cure both the body and the soul. They accredited ailments

to dab and trusted that sacrifices would ease the spirits and make their sick better. The Hmong

made decisions between traditional medicine and modern healthcare by classifying the disease as

either spiritual or not. The Lees were both worried and happy when Lia showed signs of quag

dab peg because they identified it as an illness, but it also meant that she would become a

shaman.
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Systems theory

The situation is a reflection of the general American healthcare system that does not

integrate traditional medicine with modern practices. In recent years, however, the US

government has invested in training nurses in Hmong-populated areas to make them more aware

of the importance of their culture. Had the MCMC staff been more open-minded, Lia would have

had an easier time during her treatment.

The Lees' escape from Laos saved the family from disease and death. The Vietnam War

cost many Hmong lives. The environment was unfriendly, and many infants fell ill. Their

experiences in the US are more stable, and medical care is readily available, though the Lees

preferred to keep their practices. Their living situation, however, did not accommodate every

cultural event they held necessary.

Developmental perspective

When Foua gave birth to Lia, she did not request the placenta from the doctor as they did

not speak the same language. Furthermore, she had no place to bury it since their apartment had

a wooden carpeted floor. While she was pleasantly surprised that many people were around to

help her, she did not think that the nurses cleaned her baby correctly.

After the onset of Lia’s epileptic seizures, the conflict between her parents and doctors

led to events that aggravated the symptoms of the disease. The language barrier often led to

miscommunication and misdiagnosis. However, the Lees’ love and care prolonged her life after

the brain damage she suffered.

Biopsychosocial perspective

The main problem that doctors faced in MCMC was the refusal of Hmong parents to

administer proper medication to their ailing children. They perceived their traditional healing
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processes as harmful and negligent as they often left marks and sores. Many physicians battled

between involving protective services and leaving the children in their homes. Nonetheless, some

practitioners allowed the Hmong to include their traditions in the healing process. For example,

Roger Fife permitted some patients to involve their shamans in treatment procedures. The other

doctors accused him of being negligent and unethical because he invited chaos into the hospital.

Sociocultural perspective

When Lia’s condition got worse because of the inconsistent treatment, Neil Ernst called

the health department and protective services behind everyone’s back. A social worker

ambushed the Lees and Lia spent some time away from her home, worsening her developmental

delay. While the rest of the staff did not agree with the decision to separate Lia from her parents,

Neil knew that it would be unethical to let Foua and Nao Kao keep interrupting Lia’s treatment

plan.

The Hmong are a proud and resilient people whose foundation in their culture is

unshakable. They do not seek power or political advantage; instead, they want others to respect

them and let them live in peace. The cultural beliefs and traditional healthcare greatly influence

the use of modern medicine among immigrants in their host nations (Lor, Xiong, Park, Schwei &

Jacobs, 2016). The US government and other host countries should, therefore, incorporate

cultural sensitization programs in their medical training curriculum.

Integrated summary of the important aspects

After the publication of Anne Fadiman’s book, many medical professionals questioned

their dealings with immigrants with deep cultural values. She brought forth issues that had

plagued the medical field without credible solutions. Her interaction with the Lees, other Hmong
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families, the social workers, and the physicians in charge of Lia's case gave her great insight into

the problematic doctor-immigrant relationship that exists in the USA.

Fadiman’s book served as a reference tool for medical staff that encountered traditional

patients and students in medical schools (Fadiman, 2012). She gave several public lectures on the

book and the lessons it contained. Health education among the Hmong was ineffective due to

their stubbornness and the reluctance of modern practitioners to understand their patients. In

recent years, though, more research and investment in training has created a more conducive

hospital environment for culturally diverse patients.

The companion volume, Dimensions of Human Behavior expands on the components of

individual and condition with the element of time and exhibits how they cooperate to deliver

designs in life course travels. The story of Lia Lee elucidates a paradox of emotions. It is a tragic

story of a young girl's ailment, but it also shows the real value of familial devotion. When Lia

officially became brain-dead, the doctors gave her a few days to live. Her parents, on the other

hand, showered her with love and care despite her vegetative state. The attention that she

received prolonged her life for decades until she succumbed to a pneumonia attack at the age of

thirty. The themes that Fadiman presents through Lia's tale have become essential topics in

medical schools and departments of anthropology. They will serve the purpose of breaking the

cultural wall that still exists between modern medical practitioners and immigrants who believe

in traditional healthcare.
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Reference

Fadiman, A. (2012). The spirit catches you and you fall: A Hmong Child, her American doctors,

and the collision of two cultures. New York, NY: Farrar,

Straus, and Giroux. Hutchison, E.D. (2018). Dimensions of human behavior: Person and

environment (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publication.

Lor, M., Xiong, P., Park, L., Schwei, R. J., & Jacobs, E. A. (2017). Western or traditional

healers? Understanding decision making in the Hmong population. Western journal of

nursing research, 39(3), 400-415.