scholarly journals Commentary: Persistence and Health-Related Consequences of the Model Minority Stereotype for Asian Americans

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella S. Yi ◽  
Simona C. Kwon ◽  
Rachel Sacks ◽  
Chau Trinh-Shevrin
Keyword(s):  
Health Disparities ◽  
Asian Americans ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Model Minority ◽  
Aggregate Level ◽  
Model Minority Stereotype ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
American Society ◽  
Racial Ethnic

<p>Fifty years ago, the term model minority was coined to describe the extraordinary ability of Asian Americans to overcome hardship to succeed in American society. Less well-known is how the model minority stereotype was cultivated within the context of Black-White race relations during the second half of the 20th  century, and how this stereotype, in turn, has contributed to the understanding and prioritization of health disparities experienced by Asian Americans. The objectives of this article are to define the model minority stereotype, present its controversies, and provide examples of its social and health-related consequences (ie, implications for obesity and tobacco) across multiple levels of society and institutions. A salient theme throughout the examples provided is the limitation of data presented at the aggregate level across all Asian subgroups which masks meaningful disparities. The intent is to increase the visibility of Asian Americans as a racial/ethnic minority group experiencing chronic disease health disparities and deserving of health-related resources and consideration. <em>Ethn Dis</em>. 2016;26(1):133-138;doi:10.18865/ed.26.1.133</p>

Model Minority

2015 ◽  
pp. 259-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Sy de Jesus
Keyword(s):  
Asian Americans ◽  
American Dream ◽  
Model Minority ◽  
Social Injustice ◽  
Paradoxical Effect ◽  
Exceptional Group ◽  
American Society ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Societal Relations

Since the 1960s, Asian Americans have been hailed as the model minority of American society. Seen as the exceptional group of immigrants and the example of successful assimilation, they are presumed to have achieved the American Dream and to be free from racialization. This chapter disrupts the idealization of the myth by analyzing the ways it contributes to maintaining social injustice. Grounded in Michel Foucault's (1977) notion of the norm, this analysis demonstrates how an affirmative stereotype that reflects exceptionality and exemplariness fosters and reproduces relations of discrimination and alienation. Butler's (2004) work on vulnerability is used to illuminate how this paradoxical effect of the norm takes place through the structuring of relations between Asian Americans and White mainstream Americans, between Asian Americans and other minorities, as well as among Asian Americans. This chapter challenges the reader to re-examine the myth and to explore ways to transform societal relations.

The Intersection of the Asian American Model Minority Myth and Sports

2015 ◽  
pp. 63-89
Author(s):  
Teresa A. Mok ◽  
David W. Chih
Keyword(s):  
Asian American ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Model Minority ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Model Minority Myth ◽  
Model Minority Stereotype ◽  
American Model ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
The Media ◽  
American Society

While the model minority stereotype depicts Asian Americans as having somehow “made it” in American society, rarely does the discourse involve Asian American athletes. The purpose of this chapter is to delineate how race and the model minority myth were an integral part of the media coverage and affected perceptions of the phenomenon known colloquially as “Linsanity,” which charted the unprecedented rise of Jeremy Lin. In 2012, Jeremy Lin became one of the most famous players in the NBA. By exploring the popular press coverage of this event, fueled by the Internet and social media, the intersection of the model minority myth and athletics are investigated. Through a combination of media critique and analysis, narrative, psychological literature, and coverage of other Asian and Asian American athletes, the authors illustrate how racism was a prominent factor and a significant part of the everyday discourse that permeated the coverage of Jeremy Lin.

Asian Americans

Sociology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer C. Lee ◽  
Alexander Lu
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Asian Americans ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Model Minority ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Socioeconomic Outcomes ◽  
Interdisciplinary Field ◽  
Racial Ethnic

Asian Americans currently make up about five percent of the US population and are one of the fastest growing racial/ethnic groups in the United States. The history of Asians in the United States spans more than 200 years. The term “Asian American” covers over twenty nationality groups. It covers a wide variety of identities, languages, cultures, and experiences, yet this diversity has been masked with the assumption of homogeneity and the model minority image. Research within sociology on Asian Americans often focuses on dispelling the model minority myth through the empirical analysis of heterogeneity within the Asian American population, particularly in regard to educational and socioeconomic outcomes. Other sociological research examines contemporary stereotypes and discrimination against Asian Americans as well as the racial stratification of Asian Americans in relation to other racial/ethnic groups in the United States. However, it is important to note that Asian American Studies is an interdisciplinary field, and much sociological work is informed and influenced by multi- and interdisciplinary work. Therefore, although focused primarily on sociological works, this article will include books and articles from other disciplines that have important implications for sociological research.

A Double-Edged Sword

2015 ◽  
pp. 231-258
Author(s):  
Bita H. Zakeri
Keyword(s):  
Asian Americans ◽  
Model Minority ◽  
Hard Work ◽  
Asian Immigrants ◽  
Immigrant Communities ◽  
Model Minority Stereotype ◽  
Theoretical Examination ◽  
Diverse Community ◽  
Identity Crises ◽  
High Standards

The model minority stereotype of Asian Americans creates a multitude of identity crises for Asian minorities. Asians who cannot meet the incredibly high standards set before them by such classifications face crises and end up either rebelling against their culture and the dominant White culture or wallowing in shame for their failure to meet said expectations. On a larger scale, the stereotype does not consider class or habitus and forms of capital that this heterogeneous and diverse community possesses. This chapter provides a theoretical examination of the effects of the model minority stereotype on Asian immigrants, with a focus on West Asians. The chapter reveals economic and cultural inequities the model minority stereotype causes within immigrant communities and the larger U.S. society, demonstrating how the stereotyping operates as a subsystem of Whiteness used to promote the inequitable ideology of achieving the American Dream through hard work while bringing racism to the forefront.

Health Disparities Among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

2004 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. CHRISTINA ESPERAT ◽  
JILLIAN INOUYE ◽  
EIZABETH W. GONZALEZ ◽  
DONNA C. OWEN ◽  
DU FENG
Keyword(s):  
Health Disparities ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Model Minority ◽  
The United States ◽  
Help Seeking Behaviors ◽  
Cultural Variables ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Cultural Brokering

The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) group is the fastest-growing minority group in the United States. AAPIs have been touted in the literature as the “model minority” because of their achievements in the socioeconomic and educational spheres, which in certain categories are beyond the average levels of the dominant majority. However, generalizations such as these are very misleading, because they mask the glaring health disparities that are experienced by subgroups within the AAPI population. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the literature dealing with health disparities among AAPIs. Twenty-eight usable research reports were reviewed after a thorough review of the literature that spanned the years between 1990 and 2003. The review has revealed that the predominant psychosocial and cultural variables studied in research dealing with AAPI are acculturation, family and social networks, help-seeking behaviors, and cultural brokering. In general, research conducted on this group tended to be at the descriptive and comparative-correlational levels; more studies that investigate the effects of interventions to reduce or eliminate health disparities on this group are needed. The challenge is to build a body of knowledge on which to base future action.

Model Minority Stereotype: Influence on Perceived Mental Health Needs of Asian Americans

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 572-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice W. Cheng ◽  
Janet Chang ◽  
Janine O’Brien ◽  
Marc S. Budgazad ◽  
Jack Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Asian Americans ◽  
Model Minority ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
Model Minority Stereotype

The Portrayal of Asian Americans in Mainstream Magazine Ads: An Update

2005 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 654-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ki-Young Lee ◽  
Sung-Hee Joo
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Asian Americans ◽  
Model Minority ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Expectancy Violation ◽  
Model Minority Stereotype ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Mass Circulation ◽  
Stereotypical Roles

Mass-circulation magazines were analyzed for the frequency and nature of advertising portrayals of Asian Americans, along several dimensions related to the “model minority” stereotype. Findings were compared with those for African Americans and Hispanics. Despite some improvement in the frequency and scope of representation, the presence of Asian Americans is still limited to narrowly defined stereotypical roles. Logistic regression analyses provided further support for the findings. Drawing on both cultivation and expectancy-violation theory frameworks, the authors suggest that, to the extent that the stereotype is reflected and reinforced through advertising, biased and undue expectations may be formed, resulting in negative consequences for the group members.

The Model Minority Thesis and Workplace Discrimination of Asian Americans

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Lai
Keyword(s):  
Asian Americans ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Model Minority ◽  
Racial Stereotypes ◽  
Workplace Discrimination ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Traditional Paradigm ◽  
Missed Opportunity

In the focal article, Ruggs et al. (2013) observed that there is a dearth of racial discrimination research beyond the traditional White–Black or White–nonWhite comparisons in the industrial–organizational (I–O) literature and urged researchers to treat each minority race separately because individuals may have unique experiences with discrimination based on different racial stereotypes associated with their race/ethnicity. I agree with the above assessments. Moreover, I argue that the overlook of negative consequences of positive stereotypes of some marginalized groups, such as Asian Americans, is another “missed opportunity” that has not been addressed in the focal article. Specifically, the traditional paradigm, which tends to exclusively focus on how negative stereotypes of a marginalized group (e.g., Blacks, individuals with disabilities) lead to workplace discriminations against them, may be too narrowly focused. In this commentary, I use Asian Americans as an example to illustrate how seemingly positive stereotypes, the model minority thesis, may also lead to workplace discrimination of Asian Americans, an often overlooked minority group in the discrimination literature.

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