Intergenerational value continuity in the context of migration: The case of Portuguese families in Luxembourg

The intergenerational transmission of values is not only essential for the continuity of a society as it facilitates communication between members of different generations, but also within families, where shared values constitute a part of the family identity and regulate intergenerational relations and exchange. In the context of acculturation, traditions can provide a secure base for migrants who have to adapt to a new living context. However, although parents in migrant families might find it particularly important to transmit their values to the next generation, their offspring can be confronted with diverse value orientations in the receiving culture. This leads to the question of how value continuity evolves in migrant compared to non-migrant families.
Earlier studies have conceptualized the process of intergenerational transmission by drawing on the two step model of internalization by Grusec and Goodnow, with an accurate perception of the parental message and the acceptance of the message by the child as prerequisites for successful transmission. Several recent studies have provided evidence in particular for the importance of parental socialization values and parental motivation for intergenerational transmission. Taking aspects of communication and bidirectionality into account, we argue here that apart from the explicit motivation to transmit values from one generation to the next, also more implicit processes occur within the process of intergenerational value transfer. Our theoretical assumptions are illustrated by findings from quantitative as well as qualitative data collected within the framework of the FNR-funded research project IRMA (“Intergenerational Relations in the Light of Migration and Ageing”), including a cross-cultural comparison of n = 154 triads of parents and their (young) adult children from Luxembourgish native and Portuguese immigrant families in Luxembourg as well as in-depth interviews with n = 20 family dyads from both subgroups.
Results show that parental motivation to transmit values was particularly high in Portuguese families, although no differences in perceived value similarity between the subsamples occurred. Concerning consensus in values, the role of motivational processes will be further explored, and effects of culture and migration will be discussed in an integrative framework of intergenerational relations in light of migration and ageing.