Interpersonal Communication - There are some distinct interpersonal communication differences between Puerto Rican communication styles, which tend to be high context and collectivist, and communication styles of the American majority culture, which tend to be low context and individualistic.
In the Puerto Rican culture, as collectivists, they value the extended family: parents, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. There is an emphasis on the following:
- Loyalty to the group = “I belong”
- Group consensus = “We”
- Omission of truth = Harmony
- "No” is substituted with “Well…, maybe…, let's see…”
- Group identity is emphasized
In the American majority culture, the individualists focus on the nuclear family (parents and children) and value the following:
- Loyalty to one's own goals = “I'm self-sufficient.”
- Personal opinion = “I”
- Omission of truth = Dishonesty
- Confrontation: It is healthy to give and receive feedback.
- An emphatic “No” is acceptable.
- Identity based on individual characteristics.