THE SUM OF THEIR NATIONAL IDENTITY IS THIS...........

The sentimental significance of the use of Spanish as its binding cultural tie;

The belief in the integrity of the individual based upon an inner worth, unrelated to worldly status or accomplishment;
A humanistic view of the world, with social values put above scientific values;
A double sexual standard, with a very strong emphasis on female chastity and a belief in the natural inferiority of women;
A much elaborated set of values dealing with maleness and male authority (machismo);
A reliance on shame, rather than guilt, as a form of social control;
A dependence on the opinions of others in forming and maintaining one’s opinion of oneself,
accompanied by a strong gregariousness and dislike of solitude and of loneliness;
A dependence on others, expressed in docility;
The inability to make difficult decisions;

And the unwillingness to handle problems by directly confronting them.

— Sidney W. Mintz

At its core is a feeling that

The Island is a socio-cultural entity,
That It functions as a unit,
And that It has problems

which must be solved in Insular terms.

— Steward

"Among the values that characterize us as a people are:

Our deep sense of humanitarianism, expressed in the national habit of compassion for the less fortunate;
A deeply rooted conviction of human equality, manifested in our racial mixing and exemplary social coexistence;
A constant tendency towards justice, the basis for our love of democracy and freedom;
A vocation for peace which has made our people one of the most civilized in the world;
A devotion to culture [that] is grounded in the centuries-old Puerto Rican interest of schooling and education, and
A tradition of simplicity, which enables us to recognize and value spontaneously all that is good, noble, and great in other peoples."

— Ricardo E. Alegría