Puerto Rican Phenotype: Understanding Its Historical Underpinnings and Psychological Associations

Posted in Articles, Identity Development/Psychology, Latino Studies, Media Archive, United States on 2009-12-29 18:57Z by Steven

Puerto Rican Phenotype: Understanding Its Historical Underpinnings and Psychological Associations

Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences
(2008)
Vol. 30, No. 2
pages 161-180
DOI: 10.1177/0739986307313116

Irene López, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Kenyon College

The following is a historically informed review of Puerto Rican phenotype. Geared toward educating psychologists, this review discusses how various psychological issues associated with phenotype may have arisen as a result of historical legacies and policies associated with race and racial mixing. It discusses how these policies used various markers to demarcate an “authentic” Puerto Rican identity, and how we continue to reference these variables when defining Puerto Rican identity, despite the fact that identity is contextual and fluid. In reviewing the historical underpinnings and contextual nature of phenotype, it is hoped that the reader will gain a greater appreciation of the role of phenotype in the lives of Puerto Ricans and understand how phenotype, and, most importantly, historical trauma can be related to a host of psychological concerns.

Tags: ,