Pilar Monreal-Bosch

Ecocultural effects on self-concept. A study with young indigenous people from different sociodemographic contexts

This study explores self-concept among indigenous young people from different ecocultural niches in Chiapas (Mexico) through a particular self-concept task. Previous theory and research has described 3 cultural models linked with specific sociodemographic settings that foster particular psychologies. Our aim was to compare the results of the self-concept test among indigenous groups from different sociodemographic settings in order to observed possible differences. We predicted that individuals from rural communities with little formal education (hypothesised to be Interdependent) would have self-concepts with more social and less personal components than would those with an urban, highly educated (hypothesised to be Independent), and we expected a third group of highly educated young people living in an urban context but with a rural background (hypothesised to be autonomous-related group) to value social and personal components equally. The results supported this hypothesis. Based on ecocultural theory, it is suggested that sociodemographic contexts affect the self-concept.

A qualitative study on transnational attachment among eight families of foreign origin

Abstract Traditionally, place attachment has been used as an explanatory concept to analyze the relationship between people and where they live; their immediate physical surroundings, basically the home, neighbourhood or community. However, the limitations of studies into place attachment include the spatial restriction of the notion of place and the methodological approach used, based on questionnaires. In this respect, there are a few studies within environmental psychology about transnational attachment, i.e. the relationships that people establish, in contexts of movement across national borders (migration), with their countries of origin and their destination. The results illustrated and described in this paper show the multi-place character of eight immigrant families. It is suggested that the support networks of family and friends are key elements in the development and maintenance of transnational attachment.

Schooling and Identity: A Qualitative Analysis of Self-Portrait Drawings of Young Indigenous People from Chiapas, Mexico

One of the features associated with schooling and formal education is their decontextualized nature, a characteristic that has been related to the advancement of logical abstract thinking. The aim of this study was to compare and contrast self-portraits through the graphical representations and verbal explanations made by young indigenous people from the Altos de Chiapas with different educational levels ranging from primary school to university. Participants were of the same age. The results show the abstract nature (as opposed to the concrete character) of some of the self-portraits made by the group of university students and the prevalence of individual aspects (rather than social contextual factors) especially within this same group.

La construcción de la identidad nacional como un proceso de construcción social: un estudio comparativo entre los contextos de desarrollo de Catalunya y Andalucía

Resumen Estudiar el proceso de desarrollo de la identidad nacional está relacionado con la construcción de la identidad, no siendo suficiente considerarla en un contexto social, sino que es necesario considerar su construcción social. Este artículo presenta los datos sobre el desarrollo de la identidad nacional en la infancia y la adolescencia en Cataluña y Andalucía. La muestra consistió en 719 niños de 6, 9, 12 y 15 años. Se tuvo en cuenta en Cataluña la variable lengua familiar. Los resultados muestran que los niños al igual que los adultos utilizan la lengua para marcar su pertenencia a un grupo nacional. También queda demostrado que en los niños existe un patrón diferencial de afecto y evaluación de los distintos grupos según su identificación nacional