Cross-Cultural Comparison: Latinos and African-Americans

Introduction

The demographic composition of the American population has changed significantly in recent decades, as the percentages of Latinos and African-Americans have increased faster than the general population. As a result, approximately 88 million Americans are currently Latino or African-American, and these rates are expected to continue increasing well into the foreseeable future. Given these trends, it becomes timely and important to gain fresh insights into these cultures.

To this end, this paper reviews the relevant literature to provide descriptions of these two cultures and why they are of interest, as well as a comparison of similarities and differences related to time orientation, communication, physical and mental health, group relationships, and perceptions and measures of intelligence between Latinos and African-Americans and mainstream American culture. In addition, a description of the theoretical framework that guided the analysis of both cultures is followed by an explanation of how each culture influences human development, identity development, and personality development. Finally, an examination of how each culture influences the expression of emotion, the development of morality, gender, aggression, and marital fidelity is followed by a discussion of potential biases that may affect the analysis of these cultures. A summary of the research and important findings is presented in the conclusion.

Descriptions of the Cultures and Why They Matter

For the purposes of this study, the term "Latino" is used interchangeably with "Hispanic," and — notwithstanding some controversy in this area — the term "black" is used interchangeably with "African-American." The two cultures of interest are partly selected because of their sheer size. Approximately 15.1% of the total U.S. population is Hispanic and 12.5% is African-American (American people, 2016), meaning there are approximately 48,773,000 Hispanics and 40,375,000 African-Americans in the United States today.

Given these enormous numbers and the fact that their representation in the larger population continues to grow, these demographic groups will have a significant impact on American society in the future. As Gutierrez and Yeakley (2000) emphasize, "Latinos, people of Latin American descent, will be the largest ethnic minority group in the United States in the 21st century" (p. 541). Notwithstanding their growing presence in the larger American population, Hispanics, like other minority groups, remain marginalized along a number of important social metrics. Hanson and Santas (2014) emphasize that, "Although growing as a proportion of the population, Hispanics tend to live in ethnically isolated areas, in housing units with worse quality, and in neighborhoods with worse public services and more crime than the white majority" (p. 136).

According to the cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede, the mainstream American population is regarded as highly individualistic, and it is reasonable to extend this analysis to the African-American population as well (Montoya & Huang, 2013). This assertion is congruent with research dating back to the first half of the 20th century, when studies confirmed the individualistic nature of the African-American community (Steely, 1934). By contrast, a study by Gutierrez and Yeakley (2000) characterized the Latino population in the United States as more collectivist in nature, marked by "a sense of identity and commitment to collectives and groups, rather than the individual [and] a focus on intergroup and intragroup harmony, with an avoidance of conflict and confrontation" (p. 541). Taken together, it is clear that African-Americans reflect the individualistic characteristics of the larger American population while Latinos remain a comparatively collectivist population, most likely due to their vastly different American experiences.