The Puerto Rican Family: Cultural Factors and Family Intervention Strategies

Much has been said and written about the Puerto Rican family over the past 30 or 40 years. Most of the data have been impressionistic, derived from clinical observations or from studies which were limited in sample size or by randomization. Whereas such studies have provided extremely valuable information (Steward, 1956; Fernandez Marina et al., 1958; Wolf, 1952), the conclusions to be derived from them are limited in scope. Information obtained in the Forties and Fifties presents still another limitation, since Puerto Rican society has undergone dramatic changes over the past several decades. There has been a rapid transition from an essentially rural and agrarian society to a more urban and industrial one. The large migration waves to the United States, coupled with the factors of return migration and the colonial status of the island, have produced a strong Americanizing influence on traditional cultural norms.

A variety of cultural traits are ascribed to Puerto Rican society. Many of these are assumed to exist because Puerto Rican society is thought of as basically Hispanic and Latin American. Bird and