Asian American Families and Youth

Similarities among Asian American Families

There are some salient similarities among Asian American families. One important general characteristic is the great influence of the traditional Asian value or belief systems that stress collectivism, interpersonal harmony, social hierarchy, parental authority, filial piety, honor, duty, obligation, and education. Many traditional Asian American families tend to maintain close-knit family relations, support among extended-family members, collective problem-solving practices, reluctance in expressing emotions among family members, preference for tacit communication, duty and obligation to family, and respect and high expectations for education (Fong, 1995; Sung, 1995; Yee, Huang, & Lew, 1998). Another characteristic is the similar changes experienced by Asian American families in acculturation. Traditional extended families are giving way to modern nuclear families (Fong, 1995; Yee et al., 1998), and some superficial cultural habits (such as language, dress habits, and food preferences) and situation-specific manners are being Americanized (Yee et al., 1998).

Differences among Asian American Families

Cultural differences coexist with the cultural similarities. For example, the patriarchal mold of families in Japan is very similar to the Chinese system, but female subordination is more acute in Japanese families (Sung, 1995). In Filipino culture, women are accorded higher status, and families are bilateral instead of patrilineal (Fong, 1995; Sung, 1995). In addition to the differences in heritage cultures, Asian families in the United States are different in circumstances around immigration, experiences of immigration, generations, family structures, family types (intraracial, interracial), socioeconomic status, native languages, ethnic identity, and so on (Sung, 1995). Each Asian American family is a unique configuration [Page 90]of the aforementioned aspects. For different families, acculturation can happen at different paces, based on the interactions among family members in the niches in which the families' heritage cultures transact with the dominant American culture across time. Therefore, although there are similarities between many Asian cultures and many Asian American families, the Asian American family cannot be described as monolithic or generalizable (Fong, 1998; Sung, 1995).

The Bidirectional Nature of Socialization and Intergenerational Conflicts

Family experiences in the dominant American culture and how family members interpret and adapt to these experiences will affect both parents and children in Asian American families. At the same time, families play an important role in shaping their environments by using their cultural, social, and family capital to adjust to the environment and make sense of it. In a reciprocal process, adults model and socialize children in acculturation, and children, on the other hand, socialize adults in their families (Yee et al., 1998) by actively appropriating their heritage culture and the dominant American culture.

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