Your patient becomes agitated because you failed to touch her son as you complimented him. You recognize that her response is most likely related to her belief in

Question

a. the evil eye. c. witchcraft.
b. magico-religious teachings. d. yin-yang energy forces.

Answer 1

A
The evil eye belief is shared by many Mediterranean, African, and Spanish-speaking cultures. The evil eye is more often than not given unintentionally, for example, by complimenting a child unprotected by an amulet, gold cross, or other protective device or by not touching the child while offering a compliment. It is feared that a child will lose her good looks if complimented for her looks if she was unprotected by a device. It is also feared that such a child will develop symptoms such as headaches, restlessness, irritability, high fever, etc., if the person complimenting the child was not touching the child at the time. Magico-religious perspective is one way people explain the causation of illness. Its basic premise is that the world is seen as an arena in which supernatural forces dominate. The fate of the world and those in it depends on the action of supernatural forces for good or evil. Witchcraft is believed to be the cause of illness because an individual has committed some offense and is being punished, or the illness results from acts of aggression by other individuals. In the yin-yang theory, health exists when all aspects of the person are in perfect balance because all organisms and objects in the universe consist of yin and yang energy forces.