Moving away from using ethnicity as a proxy for cultural values

What does it mean to value and expect social interactions that are polite, positive, and warm? Simpatía, a Latino cultural value, represents such expectations—emphasizing warmth and positivity, while de-emphasizing negativity and conflict in social interactions. Simpatía is common in Latin America and among people of Latin American descent in the United States. Too often, however, empirical studies rely on racial/ethnic background to infer cultural values. This use of ethnicity as a proxy for cultural values is simplistic and may mask differences between and within sociocultural groups.

One reason that researchers have relied on race/ethnicity as a proxy is the relative absence of well-validated measures of cultural constructs of interest. Thus, it is particularly important to develop and use measures to assess cultural constructs and the extent to which they are personally valued. These measures can help scientists avoid the pitfalls of overly broad generalizations and achieve a better understanding of within-group variation.

In an article in Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychologyopens in new window, psychologists Amanda Acevedo, Clara Herrera, Sharon Shenhav, Ilona Yim, and Belinda Campos reported on their development of a scale to measure simpatía. Unlike other existing simpatía measures, this scale taps into two components of simpatía that emphasize (a) positivity and warmth in social interactions and (b) the avoidance of conflict and expressions of negativity to promote polite social interactions. In validating the scale, the authors found that simpatía was associated with a disposition to express and experience positive emotion. Some may wonder how similar simpatía is to either the personality trait of agreeableness or the tendency to respond to questions in a socially desirable manner. The authors found some (albeit weak) evidence for a small to medium association of simpatía with agreeableness but no evidence that simpatía was related to social desirability.

The authors concluded that simpatía merits further investigation. Generally speaking, in the absence of stress or conflict, the warmth and positivity component of simpatía may be particularly conducive to fostering smooth social interactions with others, which can help people have good relationship quality, perceive social support, and feel less lonely. However, the part of simpatía that emphasizes conflict distancing and politeness might come into play during stressful or uncomfortable social situations, such as when others do not return or reciprocate positive expressions, warmth, and politeness.

The authors emphasize that defining and measuring cultural constructs can help advance the understanding of all the ways that culture can shape emotions, behaviors, relationship outcomes, and even health. Assessing cultural constructs, rather than using ethnicity as a proxy, acknowledges the differences within groups and increases the representation of marginalized peoples in psychological science.

Notes: The content of this paper and the opinions expressed here are solely the researchers and do not necessarily represent the official views or policies of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, or Department of Health and Human Services.

This article is in the Social Psychology and Social Processes topic area. View more articles in the Social Psychology and Social Processes topic area.

Acevedo, A. M., Herrera, C., Shenhav, S., Yim, I. S., & Campos, B. (2020). Measurement of a Latino cultural value: The Simpatía scale. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 26(4), 419–425. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000324opens in new window

Amanda Acevedoopens in new window obtained her doctorate in psychology from the University of California, Irvine, and is now a Cancer Research Training Award Post-doctoral Fellow in the Basic Biobehavioral and Psychological Sciences Branch at the National Cancer Institute. Acevedo’s research examines sociocultural factors that influence biobehavioral responses to stress and pain, with a particular focus on the Hispanic/Latino cultural context.

Clara Herrera was a member of the Culture, Relationships and Health Laboratory from 2010 to 2013. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Irvine, and her master of science degree from California State University, Fullerton. Clara is now practicing as a licensed therapist who primarily works with Spanish-speaking Latino families.

Sharon Shenhav obtained her doctorate in psychology from the University of California, Irvine. She studies the intersection between family relationships and romantic relationships among families of varied cultural backgrounds, with a particular focus on family processes that relate to young adults’ experiences with intercultural romantic relationships.

Ilona S. Yim is professor of psychological science at the University of California, Irvine. Her research focuses on biopsychosocial pathways linking stress and health, particularly in the context of women’s and minority health.

Belinda Campos is professor and chair of the Department of Chicano/Latino Studies at the University of California, Irvine, as well as an affiliate of the School of Medicine PRIME-LC Program and the Department of Psychological Science. Her research examines the role of culture in shaping relationship experience and health. Her work is recognized for showing that the cultures of U.S. Latinos shape relationships, stress, and social support experiences in ways that matter for mental and physical health.