The meaning of silence varies among cultural group. Silence may be     1    , or they may be empty when a person has nothing to say. A silence in conversation may also show stubbornness, uneasiness, or worry. Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable; therefore attempts may be made to fill every     2     with conversation. Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a person’s needs. Many native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of     3     among people, just at some traditional Chinese and Thai persons do. Therefore when a person from one of these culture is speaking and suddenly stops, what may be     4     is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing. In these culture, silence is a call for     5    .

Other cultures may use silence in other ways, particularly when dealing with     6     among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power. For example, Russian, French, and Spanish persons may use silence to show     7    between parties about the topic under discussion. However, Mexicans may use silence when instructions are given by a person in authority（权威）rather than be rude to that person by arguing with him or her. In still another use, persons in Asian cultures may view silence as a sign of respect, particularly to an elder or a person in authority.

Nurses and other care-givers need to be aware of the     8     meanings of silence wen they come across the personal anxiety their patients may be experiencing. Nurses should recognize their own persona and cultural construction of silence so that a patient’s silence is not     9     too early or allowed to go on unnecessarily. A nurse who understands the healing     10     of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients from their own and from other cultures.