Michelle Arroyo

SOC2024: Minority Group Relationships

Exam 1
 Michelle Arroyo
A1
An ethnic group can be defined in various ways. Pierre L. Van Den Bergh describes an
ethnic group as a group that shares a cultural tradition and also has some degree of consciousness
of being different from other groups. Additionally, an ethnic group can be defined as the product
of peoples thinking and a proclamation if their existence. Regardless of these definitions, there
are five key components that are needed to describe an ethic group. These components include,
unique cultural traits, a sense of community, ethnocentrism, ascribed membership and finally
territoriality.
The first essential component of an ethnic group is that it must have unique cultural traits.
There are many different components to culture that are often times not considered and these
components can be broken up into two distinct categories. The first category can be defined as
the institutional elements of any culture, which can include the governance, religion, instruction,
economics and family. These elements vary vastly between ethnic groups, but a key component
is that they have them all in common. Different ethnic groups may have the same religious
elements for example, but that does not make them a part of the same ethnic group. Additionally,
there are the affective elements of culture. This includes the art, techniques, artifacts, language
and knowledge systems of a group.
The second component that is needed to describe an ethnic group is the sense of
community. When one is part of an ethnic group they should experience the consciousness of a
kind, or the we feeling. This feeling can be described as knowing that you relate to someone
else in one way or another, and feel connected to that person, even if you do not know them
personally. People should also have the same perceived common cultural roots on ancestry,
whether these can be backed up by fact or not. This feeling of having the same cultural roots
plays a large part in the we feeling that people often experience within their ethnic groups.
When one is in an ethnic group, there are generally no shades of grey, you are either in it or you
are out of it. However, keeping this in mind it is important to note that there has often times been
debate on whether or not these ethnic groups are objective social units or collectivities that
people define themselves. Because of this there has been a push to acknowledge the subjective
bounds that are generally drawn by group members. This element of an ethnic group is often
times where two different views are brought into play. There is the debate that an ethnic group is
an objective unit that can be identified by persons distinct cultural traits, and the opposing view
that it is a product of peoples thinking. The latter part of the debate it what proves to be true.
The third component is the element of ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is essentially the
belief that your culture is the right way to do things, and often times this means judging others by
that standards that are withheld within your own group. Sometimes these judgments that are
passed on other groups can play a part in scorn and contempt that people within an ethnic group
have for other ethnic groups. This can often times be the reason that there are such sharp divides
between different ethnic groups and can play a large role in the hostility between different
groups. While ethnocentrism is essential to have an ethnic group, it is important to know this
concept and its opposite, which is cultural relativity. Cultural Relativity is the concept that a
individuals beliefs should be understood in terms of their own individual culture.
The fourth element is that of ascribed membership. Ascribed membership is essentially
written to you at birth. This is not always the case because certain ethnic groups can adopt or re-
ascribe people to their ethnic groups. The key element that should be taken away from this

A1 continued Michelle Arroyo

concept of ascribed membership is the fact that it is generally not very easy to leave or become a
part of an ethnic group, and if it is then it is actually probably not an ethnic group.
The fifth and final characteristic of an ethnic group is territoriality, or the concept of
space. Territoriality is generally but not always an element of interest for a certain ethnic group/
These groups generally already have a place or space that they reside, and if they do not they
typically desire for one. Often times in regards to territoriality, there are nations within nations,
such as the Welsh and the Scots both residing the United Kingdom. This geographic
concentration can be considered to be the desire for these groups to have their own separate
spaces, where they can live and reside. Territoriality can also play a large part in each of the
previous elements. When an ethnic group has their own territory they are more free to practice
their specific cultural traits without worry of the scorn of others if they carry out these practices
differently.
 Michelle Arroyo
B2

In Romantic Relationships among Immigrant Adolescents Rosalind King and Kathleen

Harris look into the importance of the family and friend groups as two crucial developmental
contexts for the relationships that adolescents tend to have. Page 362 introduces a graph that
shows the association between the proportion of friends who are of the opposite gender and then
the likelihood of a romantic relationship. The reason that this graph is included is because this
article is examining three questions that address adolescent romance. The first question is how
immigrant generational status affects the likelihood of participation in romantic relationship, and
what these romantic relationships are like. The second question focuses on the likelihood of
participation in these romantic relationships and sexual activities within these relationships.
Third and finally, this article aims to address whether or not the peer aspect of developmental
processes in adolescent romance differs between immigrant and nonimmigrant children. While
all these questions are answered in the article, this graph addresses the first question.
In order to fully understand this study it is important to know what first and second-
generation immigrants are. People who immigrate to the United States are considered to be first
generation, while U.S. born children of immigrants are considered to be second generation. This
category of second-generation students is considered to be the fastest growing segment of the
child population, and one that I can also relate to because both of my parents have immigrated to
the United States. My father came over from Puerto Rico with his parents while he was a child,
and my mother came over to the United States from England to pursue nursing further. King and
Harris also state in the article that ethnic minorities in the adolescent population are primarily
adolescents who are members of immigrant families. Little is known about the development of
these youth and how they have adapted to the American culture, which is what makes this study
not only useful, but important.
Additionally, there were many different variables used in order to come up with this
figure. Age, generation, ethnicity (which was based on the respondent and the parent reports of
their own ethnic background), respondent and parental religiosity, family structure, and parents
education and supervision were all examined. Other variables that were considered involved
friends; the number of them, the gender composition and also their generational status. In regards
to romantic relationships the study looked at the ethnic similarities, their sex-related activities as
well as their dating activities and their desire for a romantic relationship as well.
 The graph on page 362, titled Effect of Opposite-Gender Friends by Generation
displayed the results of the proposition that the effects of friends might differ by generational
status. The two major research variables that this graph examines are the odds of a romantic
relationship and the proportion of opposite-gender friends. In order to obtain results for this
question a series of interaction models involving friendship group characteristics were tested.
The results from this represent the first of three significant interactions that were found. This
graph displays the interaction between generation and proportion of friends who are opposite
gender for predicting romantic relationships. The results show that this association is only
negative for first generation adolescents. Second and third generation adolescents show a
positive association however. This article continues on to suggest that the negative association
for first generation adolescents is a result of the traditional views that the immigrant adolescent
has on inter-gender relationships. Essentially, these results can be interpreted with the knowledge
that adolescents generally sort themselves in terms of their similarities such as ethnicity. This
B2 continued Michelle Arroyo

study suggests that they also sort themselves in regards to their generational status, which can
help explain why there is a negative association in first-generation immigrants. By relating and
speaking with others who are also first generation, these adolescents are able to solidify their
traditional views of marriage and dating. What this is essentially saying is that while these first
generational students may have a lot of opposite gender friends, their odds of having a romantic
relationship do not increase.
 Michelle Arroyo
C1

While assimilation and pluralism are two different concepts, they can often be related
conceptually. Assimilation is often times thought about in more negative terms, however it can
be described as a process of boundary reduction that can often occur when members of two or
more societies or two or more smaller cultural groups meet. Assimilation is also described by
Harold Abramsom as a process that can lead to greater homogeneity in society. An example of
this can be looked at in the context of culture. Sometimes when different cultural groups live
near one another they can begin to influence each other in regards to language, religion and other
traditions. This can happen from the inter-marrying between cultural groups, and then the result
in the adoption of different traditions within these groups.
In order to better understand assimilation, the different assimilation theories should be
noted as well. There are order theories, which address the patterns of inclusion; there are power-
conflict theories, which address persisting patterns on inequality in power, resource distribution,
and racial and ethical subordination. There is also the pre-caste theory, which is typically about
political and economic structure. As these different theories show, assimilation has many
different parts and even contains different steps that can be looked at as a multi-dimensional
perspective.
Pluralism is typically the opposite of assimilation and happens when conditions produce
strained ethnic differentiation and continued diversity. However it should be noted that this is not
absolute and groups are often times still bound by different political, cultural, social and
economic factors. There are also different categories of pluralism including cultural and
egalitarian pluralism. Cultural pluralism essentially implies the maintenance of many varied
cultural systems within a larger sociocultural system. In the United States we often refer to this
concept as multiculturalism. An example of multiculturalism can be thought of in the context of
the United States and how vast it is in terms of the people who live here. The United States is
essentially a melting pot of different cultures, beliefs and religions, and all of these different
elements coexist typically without violence. Different cultures are allowed to express themselves
in the United States, for example in my hometown of Martinsville, Virginia there is a large
Hispanic population, myself included in this demographic, and because of this there are many
different Tiendas that sell ethnic foods. These tiendas coexist with stores that are typically seen
in the United States, and provide a good way for people to express their culture by providing
ingredients essential to traditional dishes that are generally not found in other stores.
The other type of pluralism is egalitarian pluralism and this is when groups live in the
same area but maintain their cultural and structural autonomy and may even be considered equal
in economic and political power. Based on these definitions of the different types of pluralism
and assimilation it is clear to see how they are connected. Both assimilation and pluralism are
similar due to the fact that they both deal with how different cultural groups function together,
however they are vastly different because they can be viewed as the opposite of each other.
Assimilation leads to greater homogeneity while pluralism, which produces, continued
heterogeneity. Moreover it should be noted that order theories, which are a category of
assimilation theories, address patterns of inclusions, multiculturalism and pluralism.

Michelle Arroyo
D

There are many different types of migration that are seen throughout the world today.
Two very big categories of this are forced migration and voluntary migration. Forced migration
can happen for a variety of reasons, the first is that refugees are fleeing their home and the
second is human trafficking. The third is forced labor, the fourth and one that is seen very often
today is natural disaster, and the fifth and final reason for forced migration is environmental
catastrophe. Unlike forced migration, voluntary migration is when the conditions at either the
origin or the destination favor the destination.
One example of this forced migration is Syria. In 2012 more than 800,000 people were
displaced as refugees across international borders, with over 400,000 refugees waiting for
assistance. The reason that this is categorized as forced migration is due to the fact that Syria has
been the scene of an armed conflict that has been causing the deaths of tens of thousands of
civilians, causing people to leave to protect themselves and their families. Many people who live
in Syria have found safety in the neighboring countries such as Turkey and Lebanon. However,
these countries cannot keep up with the thousands of people who are migrating, Turkey was
reportedly close to being beyond its capacity to protect refugees, and Iraq, a popular place for
refugees has become strained from due to all of the Iraqi refugees who are residing there for the
purposes of safety as well (http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/top-10-2012-issue-4-forced-
migration-no-resolution-sight-syrians-violent-outbreaks-displace)
An example of voluntary migration is the migration that many of us are seeing happening
in the United States today. Many people are moving from Mexico and to the United States for
numerous reasons, these reasons can be categorized as push and pull factors. Push factors are
essentially things that are pushing people away from Mexico and can include the fact that 5% of
Mexicos population is undernourished, 88% of Mexico has access to clean drinking water and
the average hourly wage is significantly lower than the United States at $3.49. Additionally
unemployment in Mexico is already high and still rising and only 2 out of 10 people own a car.
High crime rates in Mexico including homicide and drug related crimes are also a push factor
due to the fact that many people living in Mexico are scared for not only their own lives, but the
lives of their families as well. Finally a very big push factor from Mexico is the fact that there is
little government spending on healthcare and education. In addition to these push factors, the
United States has many pull factors, which are essentially things that make people want to come
to the United States.
Some of the pull factors include the fact that the average wage is significantly higher at
$6.75 in California, and even higher in other places. There is also easy access to quality
healthcare and education, and 8 out of 10 Americans own a car as well. Additionally, there are
very high rates of literacy in the United States, and the United States also offers better academic
opportunities. This is a pull factor because it offers people living in Mexico and their families a
chance for an improved education and a brighter future for their children, which will eventually
allow them to get higher paying jobs.(https://geographyas.info/population/mexico-to-usa-
migration/)
However, these high levels of immigration into the United States have not been met
without some adversity. Egalitarian Symbiosis is not happening because there is little fruitful
coexistence between the people coming from Mexico and those who already live here. There has
also been as issue of assimilation due to the language barrier between those from Mexico and
those who reside in the United States. However, Spanish is also being taught in almost every
D continued Michelle Arroyo

school in the United States, with programs also to help students who speak English as a second
language. Some other negative outcomes of this migration are economic. While migrants will
work at a low wage, many Americans will not which is making it harder for Americans to find
jobs.