Working Affirmatively with Puerto Rican Men

Caballerismo may protect against the role of machismo on Mexican day laborers’ self-esteem.

“…He argued machismo might have developed in response to an attempt to regain some form of dignity and honor after Mexican men's emasculation and feelings of inferiority, powerlessness, and defeat by Spaniards. Although some scholars have suggested the construct of machismo is not distinct to Latino men (Casas, Wagenheim, Banchero, & Mendoza-Romero, 1994;De La Cancela, 1986, 1991, we argue that the unique historical context of much of Latin America, coupled with the manifestation of Latino cultural values and scripts, make for a culture-specific gendered experience.…”

“…This is consistent with Mirande's (1997) contention that Latino men who demon strate responsibility and integrity through hard work to provide for family is what defines success as a man, regardless of how much money is made. Nonetheless, given the relatively low average monthly income ($614.08) and education levels (6.18 years), along with literature noting the importance of social class and education to Latino men (De La Cancela, 1986, 1991, more research is warranted. In addition, the significant correlation between higher education and lower self-esteem warrants further investigation.…”

“…The importance of exam ining factors such as social class, education, and sociohistorical context in relation to Latino men and masculinity has been addressed in the literature (De La Cancela, 1986, 1991. One study found Latinos who experienced financial hardships were likely to experience marginalization from society (Ponterotto & Casas, 1991) and, as a result, were more at risk of mental health problems (Casas & Vasquez, 1996).…”

Changing Constructions of Machismo for Latino Men in Therapy: “The Devil Never Sleeps”

“…These authors also suggest that it would be useful to see Latino men's behaviors within the context of other Latino ideologies such as familismo , dignity, honor, and family pride. These studies contribute to an amplification of relational meanings of machismo that includes many positive elements not addressed previously (Arciniega et al, 2008; Casas et al, 1994; De La Cancela, 1991; Mirandé, 1997; Torres, 1998; Torres et al, 2002).…”

“…The monolithic simplifications embedded in the machismo mystique are increasingly being questioned by contemporary constructions of Latino heterosexual masculinity. These alternative constructions emerge primarily from the past 20 years of Latino scholarship based on ethnographic and research findings in psychology, sociology, and migration studies (Casas, Wagenheim, Banchero, & Mendoza‐Romero, 1994; De La Cancela, 1991; Gutmann, 1996; Mirandé, 1997; Torres, Solberg, & Carlstrom, 2002). My observations of first‐ and second‐generation Latino men in individual, couple, and family therapy also support a much wider and more complex range of multiple masculinities than the machismo stereotype.…”