A Biculturalism Inventory for Mexican American College Students
A Biculturalism Inventory for Mexican American College Students

Author: Manuel Ramirez (III.)

Publisher:

Published: 1977

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13:

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The work reported herein is part of an ongoing investigation into the psychodynamics and development of biculturalism among Mexican Americans. The research is based on recent theoretical developments which suggest that a cultural identity need not be exclusive. Instead, a person may develop in such a way as to make possible identification with more than one culture and in the process acquire a wide range of competencies and sensitivites. If so, biculturalism could prove a highly significant asset with regard to development to the levels of intra- and interpersonal sophistication required of persons who staff settings characterized by ethnic diversity, complex team work, and recurrent problems of a human relations nature. The bicultural person may be a superior candidate for a variety of organizational and social roles. Confirmation of this possibility awaits development and validation of a comprehensive instrument for measuring biculturalism and, more specifically, particular personality, life history, and behavioral correlates of biculturalism that predict career and leadership potential in different settings, personal and social adjustment in those settings, and satisfaction in living. Initial efforts at developing an instrument suited to this purpose are summarized in this report. A selection instrument for identifying bicultural persons was developed from intensive interviews of a small sample of bicultural adults. Revisions and refinements, combined with field testing, yielded a three part instrument suited to identifying individual's exposure to, or involvement in, primary institutions (family, religion, politics, education) of Chicano and Anglo cultures.

Psychology of the Mexican
Psychology of the Mexican

Author: R. Díaz-Guerrero

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2014-07-03

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 0292772734

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In his quest to understand and describe the behavior of the Mexican, the distinguished Mexican psychologist R. Díaz-Guerrero combines a strong theoretical interest in the relationship of culture to personality with a pragmatic concern for methodology. This collection of essays is rooted both in studies of Mexican psychology as an independent phenomenon and in cross-cultural comparisons of Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, and Anglo-Americans. Dr. Díaz-Guerrero discusses Mexican attitudes toward sex roles and the family, motivations of the Mexican worker, and other topics. He compares Mexican and American concepts of respect and analyzes the relation between neurosis and the Mexican family structure. He attempts to determine the degree of mental, personal, and social health of urban Mexicans. The importance of basic sociocultural premises, such as "The mother is the dearest person in existence," and "The stricter the parents are, the better the children turn out," is explored. In one essay, Díaz-Guerrero notes the differences in typical reactions to stress in Mexico and the United States, concluding that the American pattern involves active response to stress, whereas the Mexican response tends to be more passive. Psychology of the Mexican deals with a variety of historical, psychological, biological, social, economic, and anthropological variables, attempting to treat them in a scientific way through the use of carefully constructed questionnaires, with detailed statistical analyses of the results. On the basis of data obtained in this way, the author formulates broad conceptual schemes with immediate application to the understanding of human behavior in real situations. He is particularly intrigued by the way the individual relates to the significant people in his environment. For the Mexican, he says, such interpersonal relationships are the most important part of life; in contrast to the American insistence on liberty and equality, Mexican culture emphasizes affiliation and love.