Explains a theoretical approach to understanding individuals, families, and society that embraces a more complex notion of the individual embedded within a family, which is embedded within a culturally diverse context. For example, work with Cuban refugee families revealed that they were embedded in a culturally diverse context in which parents and children were exposed to both Hispanic and mainstream values and customs; however, while the young people acculturated quickly to the mainstream, their parents remained more attached to their traditions, which complicated family dynamics. Practical application of the theory involves imparting skills to parents and adolescents that give them greater competence in managing their cultural differences within the family and successfully functioning in a culturally pluralistic milieu.
