Mexican Americans

Individuals of Mexican descent, or Mexican Americans, are the largest ethnic group of Latino/as in the United States. Differences in language, immigration experience, generational status, and social and political concerns have created a vastly heterogeneous group. As a result of these different cultural, social, and psychological influences, Mexican Americans hold a mixture of attributes, attitudes, behaviors, and values.

Several working assumptions will be used to synthesize the literature and research that describes Mexican Americans and to provide an integrative perspective on the experiences of Mexican Americans. That is, we acknowledge the role that acculturation, ethnic identity, and other factors (e.g., environmental and social attitudes) have in the socialization of individuals as they understand and make sense of themselves as Mexican Americans. Doing so necessitates the examination ...