Each member has interdependent responsibilities, which validate their position in the family. The obligations among family members include providing emotional and material support, assistance with problem solving and validation of each other's self worth. Interactions between family members and others are expected to be courteous, polite, honorable and considerate. Respeto is the consideration given to an individual based on a person's status that includes authority, gender, and age variables. The respect is mutual in a relationship, requiring all parties to interact reciprocally.
Communication is an important aspect of the culture.
To communicate in a harmonious manner within Puerto Rican families, means to engage people according to the previously described values of respeto and personalismo, with both verbal and non-verbal expressions. This entails being welcoming, inviting interactions and creating alliances. Children have few demands placed upon them until they get older, at which time they are expected to be respectful and helpful with their siblings and elderly family members. The urban mainland Puerto Rican population reflects the culture of the island but is also influenced by poverty. Various psychosocial stressors compromise many of the families living in economically depressed areas in the Bronx.