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 of the historical interaction between Mexico and the United States. Because Mexican Americans have diverse attitudes and behavioral approaches to understanding who they are and how they identify themselves, this information is intended [Page 301]to be used as a lens for understanding the social, cultural, and psychological realities of different Mexican Americans–it is in no way intended to delineate or construct an essentialist paradigm for the “qualifications” of a Mexican American. For example, individuals may have been born in Mexico yet identify themselves as Mexican Americans, whereas others may have been born in the United States yet identify themselves as Mexican. Instead, the salience, adherence, or identification of issues and constructs for individuals of Mexican ancestry is unique to each individual. Ultimately, the dilemma of definition and the intricacies of identity make it difficult to fully define or address all of the different aspects of the Mexican American experience. Therefore, a working source of culturally contextualized information about Mexican Americans is presented.

A descriptive overview of Mexican Americans in the United States will be provided. Next, a working table of constructs, which addresses salient environmental, cultural, social, and psychological aspects for many Mexican Americans, will be presented and discussed.