The investigations examined drug usage-based and culture-based differences in young Puerto Ricans living in New York (100 nonusers and 192 drug users), Americans living in New York (100 nonusers and 99 drug users), and Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico (100 nonusers and 98 drug users). The Associative Group Analysis method was used to measure cultural change in three dimensions: dominant perceptions, priorities, and evaluations. The findings show that the Puerto Rican drug user and nonuser groups in New York differed significantly in their paths of acculturation. The nonusers were shown to progress successfully in learning American meanings and adopting American perspectives and cultural norms. The drug users were attracted to dominant American priorities (e.g., wealth and freedom) but showed little progress in adopting deeper American cultural meanings necessary for effective coping.

This investigation tested the Associative Group Analysis (AGA) for its analytic sensitivity in assessing perceptions and attitudes and in mapping changes in cognitive organization indicative of substance abuse. Based on inferences drawn from the distributions of thousands of spontaneous, free associations elicited by strategically selected stimulus themes, AGA offers an unstructured approach to assess images and meanings, and to map systems of mental representation evasive to the more direct methods of using questions or scales. This article compares pretreatment and posttreatment samples, tracing the psychosocial effects of treatment. The investigations focus on variables related to substance abuse such as self-image, social nexus, and perceptions of illicit substances. The results indicate a sensitive approach, useful in treatment evaluation.

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