Cultural Orientation Gaps Within a Family Systems Perspective

Abstract

The intersection of a family's heritage culture and mainstream cultural norms results in person‐to‐person differences in values, beliefs, and behaviors, particularly among immigrant families. These differences often lead to divergent cultural views and patterns of behavior both within and between family members. According to the acculturation‐gap distress hypothesis, cultural orientation gaps between family members have consequences for family functioning, particularly adolescents' adjustment. Studies supporting this notion have primarily focused on processes in parent–adolescent dyads. Although scholarship on family cultural gaps emerged from a systems perspective, applications of key systems tenets are notably limited in existing work. In this article, we review the background and current state of research on family cultural gaps, provide an overview of key principles of systems perspectives, and integrate the literature on cultural gaps with key systems principles to identify future directions in research and theory.

Sibling Relationships in Adulthood: Research Findings and New Frontiers

“…Finally, in a study of older adults, siblings whose parents were alive had warmer relationships than those whose parents were deceased (Stocker et al, 2020). Overall, this pattern of findings suggests that parents may play a kin‐keeping role that promotes communication and contact between their adult children; future research should address whether this role varies by race, ethnicity, or culture (Bámaca‐Colbert et al, 2019).…”

“…The extant research on adult sibling relationships has focused almost exclusively on white, middle‐class Americans. Guided by the social exchange, family systems, and life course perspectives, which highlight both the cultural context and social structural positions in which families are situated (Bámaca‐Colbert et al, 2019; Bengtson & Allen, 1993; Gilligan et al, 2018; Sherman et al, 2015), future research should consider how diversity between and within families affects sibling relationships. Some anthropological research has examined the cultural norms and practices that influence relationships between adult brothers and sisters, such as in relation to marriage practices (Kolenda, 1993) or shared obligations among brothers (Derne, 1993).…”

“…Cultural beliefs regarding aging and care for older relatives may have an impact on characteristics of sibling relationships in later life. In addition, broader societal factors such as discrimination and immigration patterns are likely to influence sibling relationships in adulthood across multiple racial and ethnic groups (Bámaca‐Colbert et al, 2019). Research is needed on the nature and function of sibling relationships in diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural contexts.…”

“…The life course perspective emphasizes the interrelated nature of individual agency and social structure (Settersten & Gannon, 2005). Further, social exchange, family systems, and the life course perspective have all been extended to encourage scholars to consider diversity (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status) both between and within families to provide important context to studies of interpersonal family relationships (Bámaca‐Colbert, Henry, Perez‐Brena, Gayles, & Martinez, 2019; Bengtson & Allen, 1993; Gilligan et al, 2018; Sherman, Wan, & Antonucci, 2015). Thus, the integration of these theoretical perspectives promotes the examination of variations in sibling relationships both between and within families.…”

A Cross-Cultural Study on Attachment and Adjustment Difficulties in Adolescence: The Mediating Role of Self-Control in Italy, Spain, China, and Poland

“…Indeed, although mothers have historically been the parental figure mostly and mainly involved, compared to fathers, in the child-rearing process [17,[30][31][32][33][34], fathers also contribute to children and adolescents' adjustment [35][36][37][38][39][40]. However, research findings have highlighted the differential contribution of paternal vs. maternal attachment upon youngsters' adjustment and mental health changes as a function of the youth's gender [31,35,38,39,41], culture [42,43], and the related parenting practices [43,44]. As such, although it is clear that attachment to both parental figures is protective toward adolescent adjustment [35][36][37][38][39][40], the different influence of attachment to mothers vs. fathers needs to be further investigated.…”