Model Minority Myth and Mental Health Problems in the AA community

Model Minority Myth and Mental Health Problems in the AA community Essay Assignment Paper

From the beginning, Asian Americans have defied the stereotypes that white society placed upon them. In defiance, their extraordinarily high marks of success within higher education would contribute to their fiscal and professional success that puts them ahead of their counterparts. Such defiance would eventually lead to the “Model Minority Myth.” The “Model Minority Myth” is defined as “the cultural expectation placed on Asian Americans as a group that each individual will be smart (i.e., “naturally good at math, science, and technology”), wealthy, hard-working, self-reliant, living “the American dream,” docile and submissive, obedient and uncomplaining, and spiritually enlightened and never in need of assistance,”(UTA). Along with the lack of national focus towards mental health, this myth has grown to take on a significant role influencing a mental health issue that continues to plague the Asian American community today.

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There are many different factors that can attribute to bad mental health that begin as early as childhood. Growing up, many Asian Americans including myself experienced one or many of the following stereotypes growing up. Generally, others make presumptions of our goals and career solely based on academic performance; professors and classmates assume that you “study all the time” and that you’re “doing just fine” without requiring any additional help; family members ponder over the personal choice of a major like Art or Journalism instead of a medical or STEM (Science, Technology, Mathematics, Engineering) majors in comparison and contrast towards other family members such as siblings and cousins. College peers express envy or resentment towards you “probably get A’s all the time,” or that “you surely were easily admitted into a good university” due to ethnicity alone. Others being surprised when you “stand up for yourself” or any extroverted expression in contrast to the preconceived notion of being soft spoken. The feeling of inadequacy that comes with not “living up to” the image of academic excellence that others seem to expect of you” (Juon & Lee, 2008).Model Minority Myth and Mental Health Problems Essay

One would think that it is great for people to have this perception of myself and other fellow Asian Americans. However, that is not the case. Rather, it is much more detrimental than anything else. Many Asian Americans have been brought up with the perception that we need to succeed in life in order to be happy. Success meant achieving the highest marks in the highest levels of education that would incur a well-paying job to cover any sort of living expenses. Many Asian American parents have defined this as the ideal vision of success, passing down this train of thought to each succeeding generation. This idea has been found itself to become the traditional upbringing of Asian Americans, who would become influenced by other families and the community in which they have grown up in. Model Minority Myth and Mental Health Problems Essay

In reality, Asian Americans are a diverse group of people with varying life experiences. For example, Asian American college students are more likely to seek medical leave, more likely to go on academic probation, and are less likely to graduate in 4 years. Another interesting point is Asian American students were more likely than White students to report difficulties with stress, sleep, and feelings of hopelessness, yet they were less likely to seek counseling. 33% of Asian American students dropout of high school or don’t graduate on time. In 2004, 11.8% of Asian Americans lived below the poverty line, experiencing the greatest rise in poverty among all groups (UTA). Parents may present this information as a warning for their children to heed moving forward in life. The child, however, might take this idea from a different perspective. It may be perceived as pressure from their parents, which would only be magnified if they fail to achieve this idea of “success”, only earning the disapproval of their parents on the account of failure. This filial expectation of success does not stop after having to attend the most prestigious school and work for a well off job. Rather, the social aspect showcases itself in the pressure to get married and have children in order to guarantee the family line’s survival. This multifaceted problem of educational, professional, and familial pressure from not only their families but society as well forces a multitude of mental health issues upon many young Asian Americans such as anxiety and depression.