| This exploratory study examined the developmental process by which Cuban and Puerto Rican women living in the United States formed their self-concept and body-image and the effects of immigration and acculturation on this process. Twelve participants, of ages 40 through 50, six Cuban and six Puerto Ricans, were interviewed and asked to trace the development of their self-concept and body-image through childhood, adolescence and adulthood. The method was qualitative and the analysis of the data, contextual. The results were utilized to generate theoretical formulations applicable to Hispanic women's development.;The findings suggest that over the life span, experiences and psychological states are mediated through the body. They also suggest that the language of the body is the means of expression and conceptualization the self. During adolescence and adulthood, with an increased capacity for cognitive process, the self-concept and body-image become more clearly defined and articulated. The self-concept and body-image are not static phenomena, rather, they change from moment to moment in response to experience and psychological states. A core self-concept and body-image are established during childhood, and dimensions are added with maturation and experience. Structural changes to the core self-concept and body-image can occur under extreme distress or trauma. The most psychologically distressful experiences implicated in the development of the self-concept and body-image are conflicted interpersonal relationships, psychological and physical trauma, and ethnic and racial discrimination.;A positive directional relationship between self-concept and body-image, and between self-concept and body-image and psychological and physical trauma for all developmental phases was found. The most important contributing factors in the development of the self-concept and body-image were interpersonal relationships, maturational changes, education and career, marital and maternal relationships, and immigration and acculturation. Immigration and acculturation in late childhood and adolescence had a greater impact on the self-concept and body-image than during adulthood.;This study aimed to increase understanding of development and immigration and acculturation factors related to the self-concept and body-image of Cuban and Puerto Rican women living in the Unites States. It will contribute to building a theoretical framework of the psychology of Hispanic women and a body of scientific knowledge for the Hispanic population. |
