Introduction
In this paper I will discuss examine how the unique cultural aspects of Korean-Americans and acculturation contribute to the high rates of depression and suicide ideation, using John Berry’s Four-Cell Typology as a model. I will also discuss how their culture influences views on mental health, and how these views determine their attitudes toward seeking treatment and mental well-being.
Psychological adjustment to acculturation is a key factor for Korean-Americans. Coming from a uniquely strong patriarchal and collectivist society, Koreans have deep religious roots in Confucianism that emphasizes obligation to family and society. It is no wonder then, that the process of acculturating into the individualistic, multi-cultural patchwork of America would be a variable in the high rates of depression and suicide ideation of this under-represented population.
Framework of Korean-American Culture and Issues of Acculturation
Koreans are the third largest and fastest growing minority populations in the United States. They are mainly middle to upper middle class, well-educated individuals who are strongly defined by their native culture. This population is defined by three groups: first generation- which are people born in Korea to Korean parents, who have immigrated and reside in the United States, and are either American citizens or have obtained permanent status. A very small part of this population is made up of college-age young adults who have student visas who may or may not have established family or social support. The second generation is comprised of individuals born in the United States to first generation Korean parents. There is a third group, who are individuals who have been in the United ...
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She clearly and logically illustrates her point of view. She writes, “cultural differences are assumed and expected. But when the cultures of individuals are under scrutiny, it becomes clear that cultural borders do not hold their dividing power.” (98) Combined with her ability to logically expound on her view of cultural borders, she uses several anecdotes to further her point. She identifies four individuals who exemplify multiculturalism. Each of these examples share a Korean heritage but have adopted many other cultural markers from additional sources including non-Korean parents, U.S. society, immigration, and through adoption. Chang poses the question, “Would it be possible for one to become culturally more Korean in the morning, German for lunch, ‘American’ in the afternoon, and back to Korean in the evening? In her conclusion and in answer to that question she states, “Once different standards are embraced by individuals, the differences are incorporated into their individual cultures…the cultural differences are reframed into multiculturalism.”
Culture is a collection of religion, traditions, and beliefs that are passed down from generation to generation. Culture is created and maintained through the repetition of stories and behavior. It is never definite because it is continuously being modified to match current trends, however, historical principles are still relevant. With respect to mental illness, culture is crucial to how people choose to deal with society and the methods used to diagnose and cope with mental illnesses. In Watters’ The Mega-Marketing Depression of Japan, he focuses on how Japan and other cultures define depression, but also displays how the influence of American treatments in eastern countries eventually becomes the international standards. Even though the
Trickett, E, & Jones, C. (2007). Adolescent culture brokering and family functioning: a study of families from vietnam. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 13(2), 143-150.
According to the Pew Research Center data, recent trends shows that Asian Americans are the “the highest-income, best-educated and fastest-growing racial group in the United States” ("The Rise o...
The dominant biomedical model of health does not take into consideration lay perspectives (SITE BOOK). Lay perspectives go into detail about ordinary people’s common sense and personal experiences. A cultural perspective, like the Hmong cultures perspective on health, is considered a lay perspective. Unlike the Hmong culture, where illness is viewed as the imbalance between the soul and the body, the dominant biomedical model of health views health in terms of pathology and disease (SITE THE BOOK). Although the Hmong culture considers spiritual and environmental factors, the dominant biomedical model of health only looks at health through a biological perspective, and neglects the environment and psychological factors that affect health. Depression in the U.S. is a medical illness caused by neurochemical or hormonal imbalance and certain styles of thinking. Depression is the result of unfortunate experiences that the brain has difficulties processing (SITE 7). Unlike the Hmong culture, where Hmong’s who are diagnosed with depression report the interaction between a spirit, people diagnosed with depression in the Western culture report themselves to having symptoms such as feeling tired, miserable and suicidal (SITE
On January 13, 1903, the first Korean Immigrants set foot in Hawaii. There were eighty six people on that first voyage, and since then there have been over 550,000 Koreans who have made the journey to the United States over the past 100 years. The original immigrants and their descendants now total over 1.6 million. Korean Americans make up one of the most prominent Asian communities in the United States. Many elements of Korean Culture, ranging from Kim Chee to Tae Kwon Do, have made their way into the American Lifestyle. There have been many events that have shaped the Korean American community and there are many current issues that affect Korean Americans.
In this paper I will be sharing information I had gathered involving two students that were interviewed regarding education and their racial status of being an Asian-American. I will examine these subjects’ experiences as an Asian-American through the education they had experienced throughout their entire lives. I will also be relating and analyzing their experiences through the various concepts we had learned and discussed in class so far. Both of these individuals have experiences regarding their education that have similarities and differences.
Because of these high rates of suicide and such low utilization of mental health services among Asian American families, it is important to determine the most obstructing underlying reasons or barriers of this underutilization to better assist and provide services to the Asian American community as well as attempt to minimize these barriers. To identify such hindering barriers that lead to the underutilization of mental health services, three empirical articles regarding this concept, most importantly their findings, will be analyzed. The most recent study pertaining to the topic of underutilization of mental health services was publish in 2015 by Meekyung Han and Helen Pong in the Journal of College Student Development. This study aimed to assess whether well-developed cultural contributing factors (stigma, acculturation, and preference for racially/ethnically concordant counselors) among Asian American four-year college students might also predict help seeking behaviors for mental health issues among Asian American community college
Throughout their history in America, Asian immigrants have struggled in many different ways to encourage this country to accept and respect the diversity of its citizens. Through efforts in labor strikes and military aid such as that in World War II, the American society has gradually moved to accept racial minorities. Asian today have much more freedom than when they first began traveling across the Pacific. However, many still find that they are unjustly viewed by society and treated as “strangers from a different shore” (474).
Acculturation and assimilation are treated as complex, multifaceted phenomena. The acceptance of new cultural traits or social associations and retention of traditional cultural traits and social associations are viewe...
The conflict between the intergeneration is a direct representation of the Western society. Vu & Rook (2013) stated “The second generation Vietnamese Americans experience supportive behaviors (e.g., affirmation of worth, provision of advice or assistance) and conflictual behaviors (e.g., criticism, failure to provide needed assistance, excessive demands) while acculturating” (p.228). Some of the families are less likely to accept the acculturation of the young to the Western society causing a lack of
Before I analyze how my social location has influenced my experiences, I need to talk about my family’s demographic characteristics in comparison to our community and the larger U.S. society: In my hometown, Asians make up the third largest racial group (23%). Whites make up 51.3% and H...
Tong, V.M., Huang, C.W. & Mclyntyre, T. (2006). Promoting a positive cross-cultural identity: Reaching immigrant students. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 14(4), 203-208.
Lee, Peter . 2000. "The conception of depression in Chinese American college students." Cultural Diversity and Ethnic minority Psychology 6: 183-195.