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The Lived Experience of Chinese American Christians in Family Life Jessica Lynn Chenfeng Loma Linda University TheScholarsRepository@LLU: Digital Archive of Research, Scholarship & Creative Works Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects 6-2014 The Lived Experience of Chinese American Christians in Family Life Jessica Lynn ChenFeng Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd Recommended Citation ChenFeng, Jessica Lynn, "The Lived Experience of Chinese American Christians in Family Life" (2014). Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects. 191. http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/191 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by TheScholarsRepository@LLU: Digital Archive of Research, Scholarship & Creative Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects by an authorized administrator of TheScholarsRepository@LLU: Digital Archive of Research, Scholarship & Creative Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY School of Behavioral Health in conjunction with the Faculty of Graduate Studies ____________________ The Lived Experience of Chinese American Christians in Family Life by Jessica Lynn ChenFeng ____________________ A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Marital and Family Therapy ____________________ June 2014 © 2014 Jessica Lynn ChenFeng All Rights Reserved Each person whose signature appears below certifies that this dissertation in his/her opinion is adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree Doctor of Philosophy. , Chairperson Carmen Knudson-Martin, Professor of Counseling and Family Sciences Brian Distelberg, Associate Professor of Counseling and Family Sciences Douglas Huenergardt, Professor of Counseling and Family Sciences Timothy Nelson, Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy, Friends University iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am deeply grateful to my dissertation committee for the time and energy they have expended to support me through this process. Dr. Knudson-Martin, thank you for the ways your life and teaching have shaped such critical pieces of who I am and continue to be; your encouragement and high expectations have allowed me to keep pursuing, creating, and embracing. To Dr. Tim, thank you for your endless words of faith and belief in me; your care for me as a Jesus-loving older white male has given me an experience of safety and hope that will shape my life for years to come. To my partner, best friend and husband Andre, I could not have completed this chapter of my life without your endless, sacrificial mutual support. Your value of me, my aspirations, my talents and hopes is a priceless gift that I am so blessed to have as a Taiwanese American woman. To my family, thank you for unconditionally loving me and raising me to question, pursue, achieve, and reach higher; thank you mom and dad for the sacrifices you made to let me know that I am no less as a woman and for affirming my voice in the world. To my mei mei Jackie, I am so grateful to have an amazing sister who mutually cherishes our identities as Taiwanese American women and to have each other to keep growing together. To my amazing aunts and female cousins: I am grateful for the ways you have modeled courage and bravery as Taiwanese American women. To my cohort of white conscious female PhD MFT friends: our friendships have been the most priceless piece of my time at Loma Linda; your love, embrace, curiosity, and authenticity has forever changed my heart and mind. To my dear girlfriends: thank you for walking alongside, supporting, and sometimes carrying me through four of the hardest iv years of my life thus far. To my therapist: thank you for moving me towards accessing myself more and more so that I could persevere and thrive through this significant season. I am grateful to the Evangelical Formosan Church of Hacienda Heights, my dear home church; the sisters and brothers here showed me what it means to love the body of Christ. This dissertation is dedicated to those who love and serve the Asian American body of Christ and to the Chinese parents who sacrificed so much to give to their children and future generations. Thank you Jesus for turning the ashes of my life into beauty; you are the reason we can experience redemption, liberation and wholeness in this life. v CONTENT Approval Page .................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv List of Tables .................................................................................................................... xii Abstract ............................................................................................................................ xiii Chapter 1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................1 Purpose ...............................................................................................................1 Background ........................................................................................................2 Immigration History.....................................................................................3 The American Dream and Context ..............................................................4 The Search for Identity and Belonging ........................................................5 The Pain of Familial and Cultural Disconnect .............................................6 Objective ............................................................................................................7 Rationale ............................................................................................................9 2. Conceptual Framework ..........................................................................................11 Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory ...............................................................11 Critical Race Theory ........................................................................................12 Locational Feminism/Intersectionality ............................................................14 Application of Frameworks to Chinese American Families ............................16 3. Literature Review...................................................................................................18 The Significance of the Chinese American Church .........................................18 The Larger Social Context .........................................................................18 Chinese Family Life and the Church .........................................................19 The First Generation ............................................................................22 The Second Generation ........................................................................23 Chinese American Christian Family Life and Intergenerational Dynamics .........................................................................................................23 vi The First Generation ..................................................................................24 The Second Generation ..............................................................................25 Support for the Chinese American Christian Family .......................................27 Culture and Help-Seeking Attitudes ..........................................................27 Spirituality and Help-Seeking Attitudes ....................................................30 The First Generation ............................................................................31 The Second Generation ........................................................................31 Summary ..........................................................................................................32 4. Method ...................................................................................................................34 Phenomenology................................................................................................34 Method Overview ............................................................................................36 Participants and Data Collection ................................................................36 Phase I ..................................................................................................37 Phase II.................................................................................................40 Self of the Researcher ......................................................................................41 Reflexivity and Assumptions .....................................................................42 Data Creation and Analysis .............................................................................43 Transcription and Data Storage .................................................................44 Steps of Analysis........................................................................................44 Step One: Reading and Re-reading ......................................................45 Step Two: Initial Noting ......................................................................46 Step Three: Developing Emergent Themes .........................................46 Step Four: Searching for Connections Across
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