Evidence that a simpático self-schema accounts for differences in the self-concepts and social behavior of Latinos versus Whites (and Blacks).

Abstract

On the basis of the assumption that Latino Americans use a simpático self-schema more than White Americans do, the authors predicted that the effects of this difference would be evident in the participants' self-concepts and social behavior. As predicted, Studies 1 and 2 revealed that Latino participants reported significantly more simpático-related terms in their spontaneous self-concepts than did White participants. Complementing these findings, Study 3a revealed that the level of interactional involvement and the perceived quality of initial same-sex interactions was significantly enhanced by the presence of Latino dyad members. Study 3b tested the prediction that the content of the dyad members' thoughts and feelings would reveal a greater use of the simpático self-schema by the Latino participants. This prediction was confirmed, and follow-up analyses indicated that a simpático self-schema plays an important mediating role in the subjective experience and social behavior of Latino individuals.

Attuned to the positive? Awareness and responsiveness to others’ positive emotion experience and display

“…To better understand the extent to which positive emotion attunement is a human universal, future research will need to examine these processes across varying social contexts. For example, it may be useful to study positive emotion attunement in cultures that emphasize elevated positive emotion expressivity, as is true of U.S. Latino culture (Holloway et al 2009), or more moderated positive emotion, as is true of East Asian cultures (Tsai 2007).…”

Hablo Inglés y Español: Cultural Self-Schemas as a Function of Language

“…Mexicans are polite and kind; they show respect toward others, avoid conflict by emphasizing positive behaviors and deemphasizing negative behaviors. Cultural scientists have used the cultural script Simpat í a to label this kind of social interaction among Mexicans and Latinos (Triandis et al, 1984; Díaz-Loving and Draguns, 1999; Holloway et al, 2009). However, when Mexicans and bilinguals respond to the questionnaire in Spanish, they saw themselves as less agreeable than U.S. Americans and bilinguals, when responding to the questionnaire in English.…”

Are the costs of neuroticism inevitable? Evidence of attenuated effects in U.S. Latinas.

“…In East Asian background sociocultural contexts, a combination of interdependence and physical proximity is valued, but emotional positivity is less emphasized and open support seeking is avoided (Kim, Sherman, Ko, & Taylor, 2006;Markus & Kitayama, 1991;Ruby et al, 2012;Taylor et al, 2004). Notably, the distinctive emphasis that Latino culture places on readily accessible social support, emotional positivity, and physical proximity in interdependent relationships is diluted with U.S. acculturation, but it continues to differentiate Latinos from non-Latinos into the third U.S. generation (e.g., Desmond & López Turley, 2009;Holloway et al, 2009;Sabogal et al, 1987;Triandis, Marin, Betancourt, Lisansky, & Chang, 1982;Triandis et al, 1984).…”

“…U.S. Latino culture has been shown to have these characteristics (e.g., Campos et al, 2008;Holloway et al, 2009;Sabogal et al, 1987). A large literature documents that the sociocultural contexts of Latinos in the United States and in Latin America emphasize accessible social support (e.g., Campos et al, 2008;Keefe, Padilla & Carlos, 1979;Lugo Steidel & Contreras, 2003;Sabogal et al, 1987;Triandis, Marin, Lisansky, & Betancourt, 1984), emotional positivity (e.g., Holloway et al, 2009;Ruby, Falk, Heine, & Villa, 2012;Triandis et al, 1984) and physical proximity (e.g., Desmond & López Turley, 2009;Keefe, 1984;Lugo Steidel & Contreras, 2003;Sabogal et al, 1987) in interdependent relationships. These sociocultural characteristics have been implicated in the better-than-expected mental health and longer life of immigrant U.S. Latinos, a pattern at odds with the group's substantial disadvantage of low socioeconomic standing and ethnic minority status (e.g., Abraído-Lanza, Dohrenwend, Ng-Mak, & Turner, 1999;Alegría et al, 2008).…”

“…If so, we reasoned that neuroticism's costs should be attenuated for members of these contexts. U.S. Latino culture fits these sociocultural characteristics (Campos et al, 2008;Holloway, Waldrip, & Ickes, 2009;Sabogal, Marin, Otero-Sabogal, VanOss Marin, & Perez-Stable, 1987). The goal of the present research was to test whether three key costs of high neuroticism-less support (Study 1), more distress (Study 2), and blunted cortisol reactivity (Study 2)-would be attenuated in U.S. Latinas.…”