Untitled

Abstract

Aristotle's doctrine on causation identifies four distinct types of cause: formal, efficient, material, and final. Science is said to have differentiated itself from philosophy by concentrating solely on efficient causes. Nonetheless, when applied to narratives of causation, Aristotle's doctrine provides a useful heuristic to explore the issues such as Aboriginal and biomedical perceptions of causal factors for non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. This paper also outlines two divergent causal stories for NIDDM and the associated moral positions regarding the 'righteous' pursuit of health. Biomedical narratives emphasize the role of lifestyle factors, particularly the impact of obesity, in causation. In the case of diabetes, the moral course of action is pursued through lifestyle choices. In contrast, Aboriginal narratives emphasize the role of genetics in causation. These narratives describe diabetes as collectively affecting Aboriginal people - thus identifying Aboriginal people as different. Aboriginal frameworks for health venture beyond the 'efficient' cause of biomedicine and thus the moral pursuit of health within this framework involves returning to an initial state of health and purity through traditional knowledge.

Patterns of hopelessness among American Indian adolescents: Relationships by levels of acculturation and residence.

“…Due in part to such findings, some have argued that an effective strategy for improving the mental health of American Indian adolescents is through involvement in traditional activities and ceremonies of their heritage and culture. Enculturation, the process of socialization to and maintenance of the norms of one’s indigenous community (Kim & Abreu, 2001; Kim & Omizo, 2006), has been shown to provide a mechanism for coping with acculturative stress (LaFromboise, Hoyt, Oliver, & Whitbeck, 2006; Sunday, Eyles, & Upshur, 2001; Zimmerman, Ramirez-Valles, Washienko, Walter, & Dyer, 1996); indeed, this is one of the assumptions on which the relatively recent “retraditionalization” movement is based. In his study on the treatment of substance abuse among First Nation people, for instance, McCormick (2000) found that reconnection to cultural traditions helped them discover meaning in life.…”

Broken Heart Stories

“…Research on diabetes, conducted in the Opaskwayak Cree Nation in Manitoba and two Anishnaabe communities in Ontario, found that health care providers attributed diabetes to individual lifestyle factors and thus undergird personal responsibility, whereas individuals in the community viewed diabetes as being rooted in collective and historical experiences and tied to a sense of powerlessness (Bruyere & Garro, 2000; Sunday, Eyles, & Upshur, 2001). In our study, we did not explore narratives of health care providers, but as far as the participants were concerned, there was no such sharp division between the biomedical and collective cardiac narratives.…”

A latent class analysis of urban American Indian youth identities.

“…Although some studies suggest that enculturation may not universally function as a protective mechanism (De Coteau, Hope, & Anderson, 2003;LaFromboise, Medoff, Lee, & Harris, 2007), a larger body of research suggests that enculturation is a mechanism for coping with acculturative stress (LaFromboise, Hoyt, Oliver, & Whitbeck, 2006;Sunday, Eyles, & Upshur, 2001;Zimmerman, Ramirez-Valles, Washienko, Walter, & Dyer, 1996), facilitating healing (Iwasaki, Bartlett, & O'Neil, 2005), and discovering meaning in life (McCormick, 2000). A number of studies suggest that bicultural competence encourages healthy coping strategies and positive mental health outcomes (Bankston & Zhou, 1997;Berry, 1997;Berry, Phinney, Sam, & Vedder, 2006;Phinney et al, 2001;Suinn, Rickard-Figueroa, Lew, & Vigil, 1987;Garrett & Carroll, 2000;Whitbeck, Hoyt, McMorris, et al, 2001;LaFromboise et al, 2010).…”