Don't End Up in the Fields: Identity Construction among Mexican Adolescent Immigrants, their Parents, and Sociocontextual Processes

Abstract

This grounded theory study of 16 Mexican immigrant adolescents and 20 of their parents examines how they construct relational identities within their families, at school, with friends, and in the larger society. Results focus on a core identity bind faced by the adolescents: immigration messages from parents that say, "don't be like me" and the societal message, "you're not like us." Response to this bind was guided by two contrasting sets of identity narratives: Empowering narratives invited an intentional approach to school and life choices. Restricting narratives maintained an ambivalent approach to school and life choices. Resolution of the identity bind was a collective, ongoing process that has implications for Mexican immigrant families and the professionals who work with them.

The SALUD model of family therapy with undocumented Latinx youth.

“…Psychological practice with undocumented and unaccompanied Latinx youth and their families requires a socially and culturally responsive approach to treatment that emphasizes current knowledge of immigration policies and their impact on individuals and families (Garcini et al, 2017;Silva et al, 2017). Undocumented Latinx communities perceive current U.S. immigration policies as alienating (Gallo & Link, 2015;Gonzales, 2011;Maciel & Knudson-Martin, 2014;Murray & Marx, 2013). For this reason, it is imperative that mental health treatment provides a safe, accepting, and nondiscriminatory environment through the development of a collaborative and supportive relationship (Chavez, 2013: Dreby, 2015Zayas, 2015).…”

Belonging to Multiple Nationalities: A Phenomenological Study

“…Participants' lived experiences encapsulated other salient identities in addition to their nationalities (e.g., influence of gender, religion and spirituality. Most often, research has focused on the interacting effects of gender, race, ethnicity, class, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, and religion/belief system (Cole, Piercy, Wolfe, & West, 2014;Hancock, 2007;Maciel & Knudson-Martin, 2014;Oleksy, 2011).…”

Cultural Attunement in Therapy With Mexican‐Heritage Couples: A Grounded Theory Analysis of Client and Therapist Experience

“…There is considerable diversity among the Mexican population. Whether their families have lived in the United States for generations or are more recent immigrants, Latinos have regularly been scapegoated in times of political and economic stress (Bean, Perry, & Bedell, ; Parra‐Cardona et al., ) and may receive powerful messages that they do not belong (Maciel & Knudson‐Martin, ). While as a group, Latinos value family and cohesion, characteristics often associated with Latino values such as male dominance and rigid generational hierarchies, family orientation and collective goals, fatalism, and Catholicism are much more nuanced and complex than stereotypes suggest and may not apply at all to many (Bean et al., ; Bermúdez, Kirkpatrick, Hecker, & Torres‐Robles, ; Falicov, ).…”