Adolescence, Autonomy, and Acculturation: The Immigrant Mexican-American Adolescent Peer Group Membership Model

• In Event: Behind the Scenes: Methods and Approaches to Intercultural Communication

Abstract

Building from Berry’s (1980) acculturative framework and research on immigrant Latino adolescent autonomy-seeking, I present a model of the role of peer group memberships in differentiating immigrant Mexican-American adolescents’ experiences with cultural dissonance and acculturative stress, expectations about and engagement in autonomy-seeking behaviors, and the quality of their relationships with their parents as they simultaneously undergo the acculturation and individuation processes. I conclude with a discussion of the model’s theoretical and practical implications.

Author

• Rebecca Speer, University of California, Santa Barbara