Bicultural Social Development

Abstract

The conditions that result in bicultural social development among Latino children and adolescents represent the central focus of this article. The literature surrounding bicultural development is reviewed from four perspectives: (a) immigrant children and adolescents, (b) second generation Latinos or the offspring of immigrants, (c) later generation ethnic children and adolescents, and (d) mixed ethnic and racial heritage individuals. Each of these situations presents different socialization contexts and challenges for parents and children in the transmission of culture across generations and for the development of bicultural competence. The concepts of acculturation, marginality, and biculturalism are examined for the assumptions inherent in each of these constructs. An important assumption in the analysis is that maintenance of ethnic identity and bicultural orientation may be imposed on Latinos depending on their phenotype, which marks them as ”outsiders” to the dominant social group. Thus, ethnic loyalty and biculturalism may serve as positive coping responses in a racialized society.

The relationship between Mexican American cultural values and resilience among Mexican American college students: A mixed methods study.

“…Many Latino/a adolescent students find themselves needing to adapt to the mainstream culture while also maintaining ties with the culture of origin; this in turn may cause pressures to live by certain ethnic standards at home while also experiencing pressures to conform at school and in the broader community (Padilla, 2006). As it has been suggested that certain values may promote positive outcomes, it is important for cultural values to be studied when trying to understand a Mexican American college student's ability to be resilient.…”

How preschoolers react to norm violations is associated with culture

“…In addition, the enculturation from the parent born outside the child's residence country is thought to be assisted by remote enculturation (Ferguson, Costigan, Clarke, & Ge, 2016). Children from such intermarriage parents are competent in both of their cultures (Padilla, 2006), develop a multi-ethnic identity (C. W. Stephan & Stephan, 1989) and their cultural values and attitudes lie between those of the immigrant culture and the native culture of the country of residence (Kalmijn, 2015;W. G. Stephan & Stephan, 1991).…”

Ethnic and American Identity Development: A Developmental Systems Approach

“…Although few studies have examined differences across sub-groups, Cislo (2008) found Cubans young adults reported higher levels of ethnic identity than Nicaraguans (Cislo, 2008). As such, Study 2 predicted significant differences across site and nationality in recently While adolescents are exposed to American culture through participation in the school system (Padilla, 2006), as previously stated, adults settling in ethnically enclaves may not be inclined to adopt to the United States culture and/or identify as an American . That being said, research has emphasized the role adolescents, particularly immigrated adolescents, have in transmitting American values and culture (Padilla, 2006).…”

“…As such, Study 2 predicted significant differences across site and nationality in recently While adolescents are exposed to American culture through participation in the school system (Padilla, 2006), as previously stated, adults settling in ethnically enclaves may not be inclined to adopt to the United States culture and/or identify as an American . That being said, research has emphasized the role adolescents, particularly immigrated adolescents, have in transmitting American values and culture (Padilla, 2006). As such, adolescents are likely encourage their caregivers' to explore the meaning of what being an American means to them.…”