Researchers have indicated that members of Mexican American (MA) families of low socioeconomic status (SES) may have low self-esteem due to poverty, the patriarchal structure of the family, isolation, difficulties in acculturation, and alcoholism. The purpose of this research was to address these issues through the telling of a metaphorical story to 30 MA families. A preassessment and postassessment tool was used to measure the impact of a metaphorical story on relational esteem of 110 MA family members. The metaphorical story did not significantly affect the relational esteem of MA families of low SES. The story did have a significant impact on adults but not on children. Implications for metaphorical construction and future studies are discussed.
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