What is it about humor that makes us laugh?  The clue can be…

What is it about humor that makes us laugh?  The clue can be found in the fact that almost all jokes contain a contradiction between two realities, usually a conventional and an unconventional one.  These two realities represent conflicting definitions of the same situation.  To make people laugh, we first make them clearly aware of their taken-for-granted conventional definition of a situation and then surprise them by contradicting that definition with an unconventional one.  Look, for example, at the following joke from a study by one researcher:  My wife comes home and says, “Pack your bags.  I just won $20 million in the California lottery.” “Where are we going? Hawaii? Europe?” I ask jubilantly. She says, “I don’t know where you’re going, Doug, as long as it’s out of here.” The first two sentences set up in our mind the conventional assumption that the married couple will share the joy of winning the lottery.  The punch line strikes down that assumption with the unexpected, unconventional reality that a presumably loving wife wants to be free from her husband. Humor 

A PTA is working with a Middle Eastern female patient who pr…

A PTA is working with a Middle Eastern female patient who presents for outpatient therapy after a total knee replacement. The patient appears hesitant to participate in exercises that require wearing shorts or exposing her legs. What is the BEST initial response by the PTA?

A Middle Eastern male patient recovering from a shoulder inj…

A Middle Eastern male patient recovering from a shoulder injury arrives for therapy with his teenage daughter serving as his interpreter. The PTA needs to discuss private health information and ensure accurate communication. What is the MOST culturally competent approach?