DOCUMENT RESUME ED 216 085 UD 022 271 AUTHOR Kim, Jean TITLE Development of Asian American Identity: An Exploratory Study of Japanese American Women. PUB DATE [Oct 81) NOTE 52p. EDRS PRICE MF01)PC03 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Acculturation; *Asian Americans; Cultural Differences; Cultuial Influences; *Culture Conflict; *Ethnicity; Females; *Identification (Psychology); Japanese Americans; Peer Influence; Political Influences; Racial Bias; *Self Concept; *Social Influences; Social Isolation ABSTRACT Interviews with Japanese American women revealed that they developed an Asian American identity by resolving initial identity conflicts, and that the process occurred in five stages. In the first stage, the individuals' interaction with family and friends led to ethnic awareness, or a consciousness of their Japanese descent. In the second stage, contact with white society resulted in a sense of being different from peers, of alienation from self and from other Asian Americans, and of identification with whites. In the third stage, which coincided with the sociopolitical movements of the 1960s and the 1970s, the Asian Americans developed sociopolitical consciousness, a new awareness of themselves and of their rights as minorities, and a feeling of alienation from whites. The fourth stage involved the redirection of experiences toward Asian American consciousness and the gradlial emergence of an Asian American identity. The fifth stage was characterized by the women's ability to relate to different groups of people without losing their identity as _______Asilan-Antericans. Interaction with the social environment influenced the identity development process: in general,, women who grew up in predominantly non-white, racially mixed neighborhoods had less painful experiences with identity conflict than those who grew up in predominantly white neighborhoods. (Ma) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** \ 4, DEVELOPMENT OF ASIAN AMERICAN, IDENTITY: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF JAPANESE AMERICAN WOMEN U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION , NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION EOU AT IONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER ,ER1C1 7 hm clw..ennt hjs been reproduced as e, e,,,..0from the perSOr of Of JanaaflOn ?Omer , h.Inqes hav been nude to Improve feOf0"1 bon '1.104 p,,,, ,, - Of °(m°, crated th,s dock, rw4.,,,,:om.,,,),,,reWn.offic0IFYIE DOS.tOn of pr)44,v PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY 10 THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INrORMATION CENTER (ERIC). Dr. Jean Kim Director of Student Development Western New England College 1215 Wilbraham Road Springfield, Massachusetts 01119 ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the processby which Asian American women resolve their identity conflict aroundbeing Americans of Asian ancestry, living in a predominantlyWhite society. The general goal was to findout how theseidentity conflicts around one's racial membership are resolved, and what therelationship is between identity conflict reso- lution and the development of AsianAmerican identity. Since there were no known studies onthe process of Asian American identitydevelopment (RAID), this study was considered to be anexploratory research in this the present study area. Therefore, instead of specific hypothesis testing, sought answers to a.set ofgeneral research questions: What is the process by which Asian American identityconflicts are resolved and what are its lead to? What salient aspects? What does the identity conflict resolution factors assist the individuals to resolvetoeir identity conflict? As an exploratory study with the desired goalof generating a theory research on the developmentof Asian American identity, a qualitative method was used. The work of Glaser and Strauss(1968) on The Discovery of Grounded Theory provided themethodological framework. Specifically, the study utilized an unstructured,focused, individual interview method to gather the data. en Sansei(third-generation Japanese American) women made up the i' into two groups: those who sampl This sample was further delineated spent their formative yearsin predominantly White (PW) ethnicneighbor- hoods and those who spent the sameperiod in predominantly non-White (PNW) separation was ethnic neighborhoods. The criterion used for making this examine the in- based on self-report. This grouping was made to further fluence of subjects' socialenvironment on the process of AAID. Compara- tive analysis was made onthe collected data. 3 2 , Analysis of the data indicated that the process of Asian American identity development involves five conceptually-distinct stages that are sequential and progressive. These stages are: Ethnic awareness, White identification, Awakening to social political consciousness,Redirection to Asian American consciousness, andIncorporation. In all cases, the resolution of identity conflict around one's racialmembership led to the development of a positive racial identity as AsianAmericans. In general, subjects' interaction with theirsocial environment played an important role in affecting the quality ofthe process of AAID while the categories remained the same. This effect was most evident in the between-group differences of the PNW andPW neighborhood samples. In general, the PNW group's experience withidentity conflict resolution seemed to have been easier, lesspainful, and less lengthy. They experienced identity conflict for a shorterperiod of time and acquired Asian American identity at a slightly younger age as agrbup. The mean number of PW sample was 15.7 years, compared with 4.7 yearsfor the PNW sample. \ 3 Statement of the Problem One of the most cYitical psychological issuesfaced by Asian Ameri- cans today'is identityconflict. Conflictin identity can be said to exist when an individual perceivescertain aspects or attributes of him/ herself which he/she rejectssimultaneously. In the case of Asian Ameri- cans,(jt is the awareness ofself as an Asian which one rejects in favor of the White models that arepervasive in our society. The issue here is not lack of awareness ofone's ethnic self but how one feels about and values that aspect of oneself.* This phenomenon of'identity conflict is manifested in a number of ways, with varyingdegrees of severity. Asian Americans may experience -- identity conflict as a belief inone's own inferiority and those of other Asian Americans, deep-seatedfeelings of self-hatred, and alienation from his/her racial self, fromother Asian Americans, and/or the society at and/or.rejection of Asian Americans large. These experiences of denial contribute toward their negativeself-concepts, as well as low self- esteem, i.e., negativeidentity. To the extent that a negative self-concept and low self-esteem aredetrimental to one's mental health, identity con- and lower flicts, as experienced byAsian Americans, have a negative impact the quality of mentalhealth enjoyed by them. This experience of identity conflict amongAsian Americans is a direct result of their livingin this society which is racist throughout Prewitt, 1969). its major institutions,culture, and value systems (Knowles & *Much research done in the areaof ethnic identity concludes that achild between the ages of 3-6 becomes awareof different ethnic groups and begins to identify with theappropriate one. However, both the minority stimuli (Clark, and majority childrendevelop preferences for White ethnic 1955; Brand et al., 1974). 5 4 Albeit racism experienced by AsianAmericans today is more subtle than what they experienced in the past, andracism directed against other racial minorities; nonetheless, its effects can havenegative impact on Asian Americans' psychological well-being(Chin, 1970; Sue & Kitano, 1973; Sue & Sue, 1971). Various manifestations of identity conflict are, then, the result of Asian Americans'attempts to make it in the White society, which for the most part, devalues itsracial minorities and considers people of color to be aliens andforeigners even though many Asian Ameri- cans are/were bornhere. Identity conflict as experienced by Asian Ameri- cans seemsinevitable as long as White racism operates in this society, where being different is synonymouswith being less. There are a number of researchable problems related tosuch an important and pervasive psychologicalissue as Asian American identity the process of conflict. One of them is lack of a theory that focuses on resolving this kind of identity conflict.* In other words, there is much more information availableconcerning the ways identity conflicts Americans go are manifested,but little data is available on how Asian about resolving their identityconflicts. We also know that identity con- flicts have to be resolved in one way oranother and that some Asian Ameri- cans are able to workthrough their identity conflicts in such a way asto achieve a positive self-concept andhigher self-esteem as Asians in America. However, we do not knowaboutiihe nature of the process(es) which led them to that position. The purpose of this study, then, was to examine the process(es) by whichidentity conflicts experienced by Asian *There are some non-process oriented worksavailable which examine Asian American identity types. Gerald and Stanley Sue's work on Chinese Ameri- can personality(1973) and M. K. Maykovich's Japanese-American Identity Dilemma (1972) are good examples. 6 5 American women are resolved in such a way as to lead to