Atenas Barquet-Toledo
PSY 280H 0900
Prof. Komolova
May 02, 2023
Mexican Values and Ideologies, and How They Affect Mexicans Individually and Collectively: A Cultural Psychology Assessment from an Insider Perspective
Introduction
Within the cultural psychology umbrella, it is essential to remember not to define individuals by cultural stereotypes, nor to reduce them to be completely detached from their cultural values, or to presume that cultural values are nonexistent. After months of deeply studying cultural psychology and analyzing different cultures and different psychological perspectives of the psycho-socio-cultural factors that homogenize these cultures into a whole, I have reached a self-reflective point for my individual self, my collective self, and my acculturation and socialization as a Mexican woman in the United States.
In this academic paper, I have gathered empirical data on traditional Mexican values, supported by research that reveals the psychological effects of cultural values and ideologies on the individual and collective self. I explore carefully how socially and culturally constructed concepts affect one’s notion of what is, and therefore, who I am.
This research paper primarily focuses on concepts of intelligence and cognate, power and status, emotional affection, gender norms, mental health stigma, and how these concepts affect self-identification and result in self-fulfilling prophecy induced behaviors which create a systematic cycle that leads to a struggling society.
Finally, as a conclusion, I offer some thoughtful insights, at a smaller and greater scale, on how to target these sociocultural issues.
Intelligence and Cognate
In most cultures throughout the mid-twentieth and twenty-first centuries, intelligence has been measured by cognitive testing. Tests such as IQ tests, achievement tests, and other standardized tests have been thought to be biased, used to manipulate minority groups throughout history, and have been unsuccessful in capturing the true intelligence of a person (which is abstract and subjective, and therefore can’t be measured through such determined, specific and technical ways). Moreover, intelligence and cognitive testing are a controversial discourse due to the student’s psychological influences when taking standardized tests, the creation and measurement of these tests, and the consequences these tests have on the student.
The psychological influences on IQ and other cognitive testing are genetic and environmental. Research concludes there is indeed a genetic influence on children’s intelligence, but there is also a strong influence from the child’s environment. Three observations were made from a research conducted by Doctor Virginia Welle regarding the correlation between environmental influences and test results: The connection between early social deprivation and poverty and lower IQ scores, the importance of schooling and early childhood interventions, and the exposure to environmental toxins and its impact on intelligence (Welle, V., 2017).
Mexico’s standardized testing doesn’t differ much from the United States in matters of structure, subjects of study/intelligences to be measured, and creator bias. The structure of the trimestrial diagnostic evaluation from the public education bureau (SEP) is similar to that of the Regents exams in regards of length, regulations, timing and organization. The subjects of study, or intelligences to be measured, are also based on logical mathematical, or of orthodox intelligence standards, excluding any artistic, linguistic, or creative intelligences. Lastly, there are environmental and opportunity factors disregarded in the creation process of these intelligence-measuring tests. These standardized tests enhance the lack of opportunity that those with lower IQs possess, which in Mexico, like in the United States, are most likely those living in poverty who haven’t been offered a proper education, a higher education, or a fair quality of life and upbringing.
One’s environment does affect one’s intelligence, or the construct of what intelligence means according to culture. First, it’s important for me to highlight that intelligence is defined differently in Mexico than it is in the United States. In her academic article on intelligence assessments in the U.S. being inadequate for outsiders of American culture, Patricia M. Greenfield, writes about the difference between Educacion and education. Educacion in spanish-speaking cultures reflects values of etiquette, respectful or correct behavior, and social skills and status quo. Contrastingly, education in the U.S. has more cognitive connotations (Greenfield, P. M., 1997).
Additionally to the point made by Greenfield, there is a section in the Mexican diagnostic evaluations called “Educacion Civica y Etica”, which is taught from middle school up to high school and it translates to “Civic and Ethical Education”. This systematic educational approach reveals the importance of traditional Mexican values, such as Educacion, and the impact these values have on Mexicans’ psyche, life, and behavior.
Through this approach of intelligence, we can begin to understand that indeed, as Greenfields mentions, the meaning of intelligence is reliant on the shared values, knowledge, and communication of a symbolic culture. Through ethics, morality, and communication, Mexicans share an intelligence based on the values of respect, dignity, honor and problem-solving. Mexicans’ conceptualization of education, or Educacion, helps conserve an individual’s “normalcy” apart from how literate they are, without thinking of him or her as less valuable than those with higher IQs, because cognition isn’t attached to individual value. Therefore, power in Mexico has not such a sharp correlation with “intelligence” or cognate. Power in Mexico is more closely related to money and connections, which contrastingly from the U.S., is not always acquired through an education or a successful business.
Power and Status
As mentioned, cognitive intelligence in Mexico is considerably neutral in regards to value and identity. Thus, a Mexican’s value, within a cultural and social scale, is not defined by their intelligence. Power, on the other hand, is a much stronger element when it comes to defining one’s identity in Mexico.
Power is the capacity to influence others, differently from status, which is the respect one gets from peers and colleagues (Keltner, D., 2021). “Respect”, as Keltner mentions, is one of those essential Mexican traditional values, both to be respectful and to be respected, and this is where other values such as dignity and morality blend in as well. I remember watching the show Friends with my uncle Carlos Toledo, a 45 year-old Mexican now living in the U.S., and there was a scene in which Joey uses the phrase, “You bastard” as a joke. My uncle then turned to me and said, “In Mexico, calling someone a bastard, back when I was a kid, was the worst insult you could possibly tell somebody. It was worse than “fuck you” or any other curse word. It was about respect–you were pretty much disrespecting their entire family and identity.”
The desire for respect is what leads Mexicans to seek power, status, and even dominance. The search for personal value within these cultural principles and desires can lead to greater-scale negative consequences. In Mexico, according to the national institute of statistics and geography (INEGI), only 18% percent of Mexicans have a college degree, which means, deducibly and empirically, that there are a lot of people that have money, power and status that do not employ lawful jobs. Although one could argue that due to this being the same percentage of middle to upper class Mexicans,formal education and class in Mexico do have an orderly and inductive relationship. According to a NYTimes article, 10% of Mexicans living in Mexico are upper class, only 8% are middle class, and 82% are lower class (living in red poverty or moderate poverty). But there are still concerns and questions on how the political system in Mexico executes their power on their people–how lawful it truly is and which potentially illicit organizations it’s aligned with.
On an external level, power affects how the Mexican government works through the endless ambition and dissatisfaction of political leaders and the corruption techniques they use and abuse to keep as much of the national income as they can, even if it means less for the people. Mexico’s government applies kleptocracy to their ruling strategies. Kleptocracy is defined as a society in which the ruling people use their power to steal their country’s resources. Mexico is a megadiverse country, meaning it offers a lot of natural resources, such as raw oil, minerals and agricultural goods. The trade balance surplus Mexico earned in 2021 was a total of 14.87 billion USD, according to the International Trade Administration (ITA). And although policy making and policy applicability is expensive, Mexicans can’t help but wonder where most of the national income goes.
Corruption doesn’t just play a part at a government level, these same practices effectuate throughout the whole nation, including federal agencies, and sadly even amongst Mexicans, as we can understand and associate this with high crime rates. “Despite recent improvements, Mexico’s homicide rate remains near historical highs, at 26.6 deaths per 100,000 people, resulting in over 34,000 victims. This equates to 94 homicides per day on average in 2021” (Vision of Humanity, 2022).
In Mexico, Mexicans are more scared of police officers than criminals, because the police officers are criminals themselves (the same goes for the military). These political and federal abuses of power and corruption are also interrelated with status, because the reason for these immoral behaviors is the desire for money, recognition, and respect. Moreover, these same corrupt powers are aligned with the Mexican puppet masters, the Narcos. Sadly, the trafficking imperium is still the most powerful entity in Mexico today, not just drug trafficking, but sex trafficking as well, making Mexico a dangerous place for Mexicans, and especially Mexican women. In sixteen years, there were reports of 80,000 women disappearances in Mexico after the “war against Narcos” was declared by former Mexican president Felipe Calderon (Arista, L., 2022).
On an internal level, the status desired by Mexicans affects self-esteem, identity and emotions. The need for status; to be respected and have a sense of dignity, affects the Mexican’s self-image and self-value, triggering an unhealthy cyclic process of thought-emotion-behavior, in which a thought is created, “I have no money, so I cannot buy the same pretty shoes and clothes as Jenni. Therefore, I am not as cool and popular as she is”, then an emotion, “I feel less valuable, less loved and less respected by others because I am of lower class and status than some of my classmates”, then behavior, “I start looking for ways to make easy money, even if that means not finishing school”. In the last example of the thought-emotion-behavior process, the exemplified behavior is what happens to a lot of Mexicans and the reason why there is a drop-out trend. In Mexico, there are very minimum and hard to find part-time jobs, almost negligible in quantity, therefore, since students cannot go to school and work at the same time, as in the U.S., drop-outs are very common. Being of low-class and not having the status or quality of life desired, therefore, can create low self-esteem due to the link between class and identity in Mexico; I am what I have, if I don’t have a lot or can’t afford a lot, I am not a lot; I am of low value.
Mexicans exist in this dichotomy of corruption and warmth, which makes it a difficult culture to understand because of its complexity. But these cultural concepts ingrained in the Mexicans psyche are the door to entering what could be a new Mexican reality. See, if Mexicans understood the psycho-cultural connotations of cultural constructs; and how values of respect, dignity and honor affect the thought-emotion-behavior process, then perhaps there could be an exponential growth through changing one’s initial thoughts that leads to negative behavior–from a single individual to the entire Mexican society. “My value is not in the status or the power I hold. I have dignity and honor, despite what others think of me, despite how much money I have, and despite how ‘intelligent’ I am according to questionably designed tests”.
But this desperation for power and status, the lack of proper education, a low quality life, environment and upbringing, plus the desire and social comparison of what the media (mostly from first-world countries) portrays as the “proper way of living and looking”, makes it difficult to ever change one’s initial, damaging thought.
Emotions and Affection
The corruption and crime in Mexico contrast the warmth, friendliness, and humor of the characteristic Mexican personality and service that is so cherished by tourists and Mexicans.
In an informal poll I conducted on Instagram asking my Mexican friends and acquaintances to define a Mexican’s personality, some said, “loving”, “warm”, “sociable”, “romantic”, and “funny”. These are all descriptions that can be linked with emotions; emotions of love, happiness, etc. Mexicans are indeed warm and welcoming, as many tourists have described from their experiences of traveling to Mexico and meeting Mexican people, as well as how we Mexicans describe ourselves.
Some of my first cultural shocks when I moved to the United States from Mexico were actually regarding the “coldness” or lack of physical demonstration of affection and emotion in the U.S. There are three experiences I could highlight as examples (1) In Mexico, we have a custom of always saying “good morning”, “good afternoon”, and “good night” to friends, family, neighbors, and strangers. I was walking my aunt’s dog, and out of habit (because it is a habit for Mexicans), I said “good afternoon” to two older ladies walking their dogs. I’d never seen them before and neither had them, since I’d just moved into the neighborhood. I kept walking the dog and then the ladies came back and said to me, “You know, no one says ‘good afternoon’ anymore, especially young people. It is so nice and refreshing to hear it from you”. (2) I moved to the U.S. during my Sophomore year of high school. In the hallways when I was walking to find my class, there were two things that stood out about me from the rest of the students. One, I smiled a lot, to absolutely everyone, even if I didn’t know them. Two, I asked a lot of questions: “Where’s the bathroom?” “What does this mean?” “Where is this room?” Etc. A lot of other students were surprised, but seemed to appreciate the friendly gesture and smile back, or answered my questions kindly. Others were thrown off and either didn’t know what to do, looked away, looked at me with a facial expression of confusion, or answered my questions with indifference. (3) The funniest one to me was how my “natural” way of showing affection appeared as “flirting” within the high school environment I was in. Interestingly and funny enough, I was as affectionate towards my girlfriends as towards my guy friends, if not more towards girls, but for some reason I was only “flirty” towards guys. Because I would hug my guy friends often and some of them had girlfriends, it was immediately assumed by the other students that I was romantically interested, when this wasn’t the case at all. If they only knew that in Mexico, in some families it is customary for family members to kiss each other on the mouth; parents, kids, siblings, cousins, no exceptions. My brother and I too had to kiss our family members, not each other ever (thankfully), on the mouth; mom, dad, grandma, some aunts, until we were old enough to decide we didn’t want to do that anymore. Most of my family members still practice kissing each other on the lips without any sexual or romantic connotations.
There are many more ways in which Mexicans show affection and emotion towards each other that can be very physical. Kissing, hugging, smiling and polite interactions with strangers are just some of them. It is also common for Mexicans to have to sleep next to each other (not with each other) when they live with multiple family members in smaller houses. I myself had to sleep with my mom until I turned fifteen and moved to the U.S. We used to cuddle, watch movies, and before we went to sleep we would kiss each other on the lips, up until I was fifteen. It wasn’t sexual or weird, as many Americans may think of it–perhaps even grossed out by this practice. It is a simple peck, and it is just part of the culture.
Another common practice to show affection is dancing and laughing, usually within a party environment. My brother and I always dance salsa and cumbia together at parties, and I even sit on his lap sometimes, which is another “sexual” behavior in American culture, but not within Mexican culture. It’s very common to sit on a friend’s or family member’s lap, especially if there is nowhere else to sit, or just because. It is not seen as sexual behavior.
Some of the practices Mexicans employ to demonstrate affection, or just customary behaviors and habits, could be described as warm, sociable and loving, which are related to emotions that characterize our culture and Mexicans.
In recent research conducted by Paul K. Piff and Jake P. Moskowitz, it was found that social class is aligned with emotions. Social class underlies patterns of attending to the self versus attending to others. Higher class was found to be more self-oriented with feelings of contentment and pride, while lower class was found to be more prone to other-oriented feelings of compassion and love, with a greater awe (Piff, Paul K. and Moskowitz, Jake P. 2017).
These research’s findings could be associated with the link of “warm cultures” to third-world countries. Additionally, Mexicans are a part of a collectivist culture, which means empathy and compassion are essential when interacting with each other within a social environment. In an interdependent model of the self, the individual is not alone responsible for her own well-being or behavior; instead, people who are interdependent bear some responsibility for each other. This model emphasizes that the person is inherently and fundamentally connected to others, stressing empathy, reciprocity, belongingness, kinship, hierarchy, loyalty, respect, politeness, and social obligations (Markus, H., R., & Kitayama, S. 1991). This model aligns with Mexican values, personality traits, emotions and behavior.
Understanding emotions and how they could be triggered, enhanced, or provoked by cultural beliefs is primary to understanding oneself as an individual within one’s culture. And understanding oneself is imperative to taking responsibility over one’s behavior.
Although Mexicans are proud of their collective love, emotional expression, friendliness, service, and humor, Mexicans should still take responsibility for their actions, which is something we can lack in collectivist cultures. Perhaps taking responsibility for wrong-doings, thinking critically about victimization and leaving a side prejudice and pride, could help us see more clearly the negative side that comes from our cultural beliefs and values.
Another important and worth-mentioning part of emotions employed in Mexican culture is the dichotomy between how men and women express their emotions.
Gender Roles
According to Mexican traditional ideologies, only men and women exist, and not on the same terms. Consequently excluding any gender and sex fluid individuals and creating a dangerously obvious imbalance between men and women.
Mexico is a country that, after its independence in 1810 from the Spanish monarchy, adopted radical and fundamentalist religious beliefs, customs and values. According to the INEGI, in 2020, 78.6% of Mexicans identified as Catholics. Traditional catholic and biblical teachings can be interpreted in various ways in an anti-secular context. Unfortunately, a lot of religious values practiced by Mexican catholics are associated with prudery, virginity, hegemony, heteronormativity and throughout history have been used to oppress, creating a patriarchal society.
Patriarchal societies are characterized by inequality between men and women, even outside of a legal umbrella. Meaning that even if the law says that men and women are equal, social practices say otherwise. Gender stereotypes in American media reflect women as passive, private, emotional, and sexually objectified, while men are stereotyped as active, public, logical, and sexual subjects (Otto, Brian L. and Mack, Robert L. 2014). These traditional gender roles may apply to other cultures outside of the American culture, which may be influenced by the American media, but are appropriate and suitable to any patriarchal system nonetheless. Furthermore, Mexican media throughout history has done a similar job as American media in making sure that these gender norm messages are encoded in the most famous and recognized Mexican telenovelas and movies; offering a fantasy of a woman that is mistreated and/or misunderstood by society, usually an emotional, passive and private woman, who is then rescued by the handsome man who usually has a better status and holds a greater power than the woman; an active, public, logical man. Some of these media examples include Betty la Fea, one of the most famous Latin American shows (which has a Mexican adaptation), of an “ugly” woman that is shy and insecure, but then receives a make-over, becoming more beautiful and now recognized and valued by society. After this transformation, and other dramatic events, Betty finally gets the man of her dreams, the Galan de Telenovelas. Others follow similar sexist plots, of a poor girl who’s been mistreated because of her low status, falls in love with the rich boy, and finally becomes “somebody” in society after overcoming the challenges to be with the man subject, such as Maria la del Barrio, Esmeralda, Marisol, Cuidado con el Angel, La Gata, etc.
As a result of gender norms and stereotypes in Mexican culture, men and women have been affected emotionally, socially, economically, and psychologically. Within a patriarchal system, when it comes to expressing emotions, women are stereotyped as emotional and men as rational. This has a great effect on the suppression of emotions from men. Growing up, men have toxic masculinity ideals ingrained in their psyche, thinking that they ought to be strong and rational. Men are raised to be providers, strong and silent, and are discouraged and even shamed for expressing vulnerable and tender emotions. They are required to engage in masculine practices and avoid feminine practices. Unlike their sisters, they receive little, if any training in nurturing others, being sensitive and being empathic (Levant, Ronald F. 2003).
The lack of emotional education rooted from environmental factors has consequences in the way men suppress their emotions; leading to poor anger management, anger issues, frustration, and other reactive behaviors. The National Library of Medicine conducted a study on gender differences regarding emotional intelligence and concluded that women are more prone to identify intended, target, and subtle emotions than men, as well as believing that they are more emotionally intelligent than men (Fischer, Agneta H. 2018).
Traditional gender norms don’t just impact emotional intelligence, they also affect socialization amongst Mexicans. The role we are given by society makes us who we are; the social-self, unconsciously manipulating the perception we have of ourselves through the view of others. The social-self, within this context, is the meeting point between this is how it is and this is who I am. Otherwise explained as a syllogism: Mexican women stay home to cook, clean and raise children; I am a Mexican woman; I stay home, cook, clean and raise children (because this is how it is). In Mexico, only 45% of women work, unlike men, “the providers”, that make up 78% of working men, according to recent INEGI findings. According to this same data, women make 54.5% less than men yearly, and men make 34.2% more hourly. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why women decide to stay home with their children.
These emotional, social, and economic repercussions of traditional gender norms in Mexico have a psychological impact on the self; on how one views themselves, on their collective and interdependent values, on how one interacts with others, and on how one falls into the self-fulfilling prophecy of the “Mexican” by believing and accepting these roles. 69.3% of low-income Mexican women have suffered some type of violence, 70.1% between the ages of 25 to 37. Furthermore, 42.6% of Mexican women have been sexually abused, 37.8% have been raped. There are abnormal and environmental psychological reasons as to why an abuser may commit a crime of this sort, as well as major psychological consequences of these traumatic experiences for the victims.
The traditional gender norms adopted from malleable religious interpretations have had violent effects in Mexicans. And perhaps it is not just the cultural or religious construct of gender norms, but how they are unconsciously decoded and practiced by Mexicans. Although things have been changing in Mexico, with more awareness, feminist, social, and activist movements than ever before, contrastingly and statistically, there has also been more femicides and violence in Mexico than ever before. Wherever these horrific practices of violence are rooted from, culturally and/or psychologically, we need a new approach, one that starts with deep analysis, self-reflection, and collective reflection.
Mental Health Stigma
In Mexico today, there is still a stigma regarding mental illness. According to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), 1 out of 4 people globally have had mental health issues or mental illness. In Mexico, only 20% of people go to a therapist or psychiatrist when they have accepted to have psychological problems or disorders. Apart from the financial burden that is paying for therapy when you can barely afford meals for the week, it is common for Mexicans to “shove it under the rug”.
My grandma is one of those people who didn’t believe in therapy until now. In junior high school in Mexico, my friends were already going to therapy and taking medical treatment. When I told this to my grandma, back when I was thirteen years-old she laughed and said, “As my mom would say, with a couple of slaps you’ll be fixed”. This is the way a lot of Mexicans think. I recall another conversation with my grandma in which she told me she’d never been anxious. But later on told me that there were times in which she couldn’t sleep throughout the entire night just thinking about her worries, and I said, “Mom, that’s anxiety”. She laughed as a form of agreement, but didn’t explicitly agree with me.
My grandma is always happy, or she appears to be. She always says, Feliz toda la vida, which translates to “Always happy”, that’s her motto. She’ll always say she is happy, but there is a lot of trauma which she’d never talked about to anyone, until I started asking. She will deny that it affects her, but I’ve seen her cry and she’s told me things that, as a student of psychology, I could only define as deep, untreated wounds.
My mom, on the other hand, doesn’t say much. She has a cut on her finger from a traumatic experience, I know this because I was told by someone else what had happened. When I asked my mom what happened she said she cut herself cutting an onion. She lies because she doesn’t want to talk about it, because “it’s in the past”. In Mexico, a lot of people believe in just letting go of the past and moving on, because when you live day by day; paycheck to paycheck, it makes life easier to believe this.
There are a lot of factors previously mentioned that interrelate here; identity, power, status/class, gender norms, violence, and deeper psychological factors that influence the behavior of Mexicans, like traditional values, upbringing, environment and trauma. The impact of trauma and PTSD is very profound and impactful on individuals and society. It disrupts interpersonal relationships; increases risk of anxiety, depression and substance abuse and addictions; increases drop-out risk and academic failure; and reduces the ability to work (Kearney, D. J. and Simpson, T.L. 2020).
So despite “shoving trauma under the rug”, trauma comes back through incomprehensible, negative behavior: Why do I stay in a relationship in which I am abused? Why can’t I stop doing drugs? Why can’t I stop having sex with strangers? Why do I push my friends away? Why do I make bad decisions? A lot of these questions are related to coping mechanisms, which we employ to “deal” with trauma instead of treating it.
It is hard to encourage Mexicans to treat their psychological wounds when the stress, anxiety, poor emotional management, and negative coping behavior might not only be rooted in biological factors, but most likely in environmental factors. It is even harder to attack a long-time corrupted and patriarchal system. Nonetheless, ideologies are changing, and that is a good way to start. Sometimes traditions may be beautiful, healthy and admirable; like Mexican folklore dances, traditional food, holistic medicine practices, classic Mexican music, warmth and demonstration of affection, and even certain traditional practices like learning how to saw, cook, and clean at a young age (although it should be implemented for all children, not just girls). But not all traditions are healthy and cheerful. As I’ve mentioned, certain cultural ideologies, traditions, beliefs and values, can have a negative impact on how Mexicans live life.
Conclusion–How to Target Negative Behavior, Systematic Cycles, and a Struggling Mexican Society
The Environment
Ideologies are changing. This is already having an individual and collective impact. But systematically, we need more. As mentioned, the statistics of people with a higher education in Mexico are concerningly low. Education is a major environmental factor that, if improved, may affect the individual and collective bodies positively.
Mexican president, Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, said in La Mañanera, a political news show broadcasted to the entire Mexican nation, that most of the people that go against his re-election campaign are those who have a college degree, a higher education, or are middle class. As innocent as this might sound, and emotionally reactive from the president, it says a lot about democracy in Mexico. When more than 80% of a nation is living in poverty, is uneducated, and is reasonably desperate for a better quality of life, Mexican politicians use this to their advantage. This political strategy is called demagoguery, and in Mexico, it is employed through a “buying votes” technique. A “More for the poor” motto that offers pensions and promotes “better quality of life” promises, but these promises are empty and tend to lack a structured, organized plan on how to get there.
The Mexican environment needs to change for a better quality of life for Mexicans. And perhaps the Narco imperium might be the most difficult target to start with, so I would propose to target education first. A higher quality, more available and reachable education, and with a strategy that allows and encourages all Mexicans to attain it. Improving the Mexican education system is key to improving the Mexican economy, well-being, quality of life and lowering crime rates.
This political proposal could be effectuated through creating safer and more rigidly supervised environments in public schools in Mexico; adding more variety in programs of study and international opportunities to public universities; creating a healthier, free meal plan in all public schools to also target food insecurity; offering free school supplies and books; and encouraging Mexican and international businesses to employ full-time as well as part-time jobs for students, this will not only increase job opportunities, it will also result in higher income for the businesses and overall Mexican economy, as well as give Mexican students a chance to attain an education while supporting their families or themselves.
The Smaller Scale Plan: The Self
Education has a powerful impact on how we see the world. The more we learn and know, the more we understand. The more we understand ourselves, the more we are capable to self-reflect and to think critically, as well as to develop a growth mindset.
I still remember when I was in 4th grade and in the last two class periods we were taken to the auditorium for a speaker event. I remember it vaguely, but he spoke about the “first-world mindset” vs the “third-world mindset”. He offered this example: “In the United States, when a person sees someone who is successful, they say to themselves ‘How did they get there? I must work hard and be smart to get to where they are.’ When in Mexico, we say, ‘How did he get there? That’s so unfair. He probably had money, that’s why.’ We feel jealous and try to bring the other person down instead of trying to get to their same level of success.”
Although I wouldn’t have used the same terms that the speaker used, he was referring to a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset. Carol Dweck wrote a book using this terminology in 2007, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. A growth mindset means going from “failure is the limit of my abilities” to “failure is an opportunity to grow”; from “my abilities are unchanging” to “I can learn to do anything I want”; from “feedback and criticism are personal” to “feedback is constructive”; from “I could never be like them” to “I am inspired by the success of others”; from “I stick to what I know” to “I like to try new things”.
The Mexican mindset could be a growth mindset, but that requires self-reflection and taking responsibility, which contradict some of the interdependent-self constructs. From a cultural psychology perspective, it is fair to say that although there is an admirable beauty in the empathy and compassion of the collective, it is also important to detach oneself from the Whole to be the Self and to take responsibility for who we are, especially to become who we want to be.
My grandmother is an example of breaking through negative cultural values and practices to engage in a positive family dynamic, which led to growth. My grandma was raised conservative. She held grudges against her mom, but made sure she didn’t make the same mistakes of oppressing her own children because of the “traditional” beliefs she was raised with. My grandmother changed. She shifted her mindset, her ideologies, and her behaviors, to end the cycle of oppression. My grandmother raised me like her own, in the way that she couldn’t raise my mom because she was too young when she had her, while my mom worked hard to afford to pay the bills and my brother and I’s private school, so we would get the best education possible, the education no one else in our family was able to get. I grew up with values of education, love, sympathy and achievement. My grandmother always taught me that I could be and do anything I wanted, even if my dreams seemed “unreachable” to others, she would say they were crazy. I can’t remember a single time in which she ever put me down, not once.
It’s a mindset. If you grew up in an oppressive environment, be the one to break the cycle. That’s how real change begins, through awareness, reflection, ownership and action, or in this case, by changing the thought, that will change the emotion, that will change the behavior. It starts with the self, and a single growth mindset could lead to a better life for all Mexicans.
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