Familism

Familism is [Page 836]the term used to describe valuing family relationships in a way that promotes strong attachment and identification among family members. The study of familism developed from early efforts to document similarities and differences in the family relationships of people of European and Latino/Hispanic background in the United States. Familism is not only central to U.S. Latinos but also relevant to people of other cultural or ethnic backgrounds. Early scholars characterized the levels of familism typical of U.S. Latinos as a deficit and disadvantage that overly focused on family at the expense of the self’s well-being and mobility. Contrary to these early perspectives, however, evidence increasingly shows that this emphasis on family interdependence can often be beneficial and advantageous. Familism has been associated ...