| Abstract: | Reviews the 2 prevalent theories of the Puerto Rican machismo concept found in the Puerto Rican and mental health literature, including the traditional and the culturalist perspectives. A new paradigm that integrates historical and sociopolitical interpretations of the male role configuration is proposed. This model examines machismo more as a result of the socioeconomic status (SES) of Puerto Rican males rather than an intrapsychic, ethnic cultural, or national characteristic issue and aims to educate the client as to how machismo functions for society and for his ethnic group. Recommendations for the use of this dialectical perspective in counseling approaches to Puerto Rican males are offered. It is suggested that a recognition of the class-related nature of machismo provides the possibility of approaching therapy or service delivery goals from a similarly based socioclinical model, with a focus on engagement and education. A group therapy case example is presented to illustrate the application of this approach to clinical practice, and its general applicability to individual, couple, and family work is noted. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
