The cultural patterning of respect is examined in two first- and second-generation migrant groups: Puerto Rican mothers in Connecticut and Turkish mothers in Bochum, Germany. Cultural and generational influences were found for three aspects of respect: proper interper- sonal behavior, relations within the family, and esteem within the community. Exploring the Concept of Respect Among Turkish and Puerto Rican Migrant Mothers Robin L. Harwood, Alev Yalçinkaya, Banu Citlak, Birgit Leyendecker Individualism and autonomy have been treated in numerous works over the past two decades as primary analytical dimensions of culture that influence parents’ child-rearing beliefs and values (Harkness, Raeff, and Super, 2000). However, cultural analyses of the concept of respect have remained under- specified in the literature. Often subsumed under the larger rubric of inter- dependence (see Harwood, Miller, Carlson, and Leyendecker, 2002), respect is itself a complex concept that needs unpacking by researchers (Harwood, 2006). A closer analysis of the concept of respect and how it may be pat- terned across different cultural groups is a timely undertaking. Respect is a multidimensional construct. Harwood, Miller, and Lucca Irizarry (1995) described three dimensions of respectfulness that emerged in their work with Puerto Rican mothers in both Puerto Rico and Connecti- cut: (1) proper interpersonal behavior that is important to harmonious rela- tionships, such as being polite, well behaved, and well mannered; (2) a dimension that implicitly acknowledges the extent to which one’s life is lived publicly in relation to a larger community, that is, “one’s life is lived under the watchful eyes of an observing community that has the power to 9 2 NEW DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD AND ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, no. 114, Winter 2006 © Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) • DOI: 10.1002/cad.172 This research was made possible through a grant to Robin L. Harwood from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.