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Biopsychosocial Perspectives on Arab Americans pp 67–88Cite as

Family Values and Traditions

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Abstract

Family values and traditions are a critical source of connection between Arab Americans and their culture. The literature describes traditional Arab culture as valuing kinship, large and extended family forms, patrilineality, marriage, and parent–child relationships. As Arab families faced global social change and immigrated to the United States, they often adjusted traditional value expectations in response to the values of individualism, nuclear family, egalitarian gender roles, adolescent independence, and conformity. This chapter focuses on the interaction between theoretical constructs of acculturation, collectivism, patrilineality, violence, and resilience on the one hand, and Arab family traditions on the other. Identifying how Arab family values and traditions are affected by larger social forces as well as the dominant culture in the United States may inform practitioners and policy makers about how to support and strengthen Arab American families.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Seton Hall University, 312 Jubilee Hall, 400 South Orange Avenue, South Orange, NJ, 07079, USA

    Ben K. Beitin Ph.D.

  2. Counseling and Human Services, Johns Hopkins University, MCC, A&R Building, 9601 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA

    Mireille Aprahamian Ed.D.

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  1. Ben K. Beitin Ph.D.
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  2. Mireille Aprahamian Ed.D.
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Correspondence to Ben K. Beitin Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Curriculum and Instruction, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA

    Sylvia C. Nassar-McMillan

  2. Department of Sociology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA

    Kristine J. Ajrouch

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

    Julie Hakim-Larson

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Beitin, B.K., Aprahamian, M. (2014). Family Values and Traditions. In: Nassar-McMillan, S., Ajrouch, K., Hakim-Larson, J. (eds) Biopsychosocial Perspectives on Arab Americans. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8238-3_4

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