Diversity : The Cultural Contexts of Adolescents and Their Families

This chapter examines the issues relevant to the study of ecological and cultural variables that may affect development during early adolescence. In examining conceptualizations such as the social capital thesis, bi-culturality, or familial conflict, researchers can begin to develop adequate norms for specific racial-ethnic groups and research that takes into account historical and other contextually relevant variables. Although reductionistic research strategies have been criticized for their tendency to minimize the diversity of adolescents and their families, there is a need for “normative” information on different racial-ethnic adolescents. The struggle to explain the effects of assimilation and acculturation may be particularly important for first-generation immigrant families where adolescents develop between the conflicting values of their parents and those of their peer group. In considering dimensions such as bi-culturality, assimilation, and acculturation, it is necessary to consider the sociopolitical and historical context of racial-ethnic group families in the United States.