aas psych midterm

race

a sociohistorical construct—used to categorize people based on perceived physical or social characteristics— given meaning by social, economic, and political forces; its inherently unstable and not fixed, as it is constantly being transformed by political and social change.

stereotypes

cognitions about people based on their categorization into an identifiable group; cognitions can be based upon fact, fiction, or a grain of fact that is exaggerated

racism

institutionalized mistreatment of people based on their classification in a racial/ethnic group on the downside of power

discrimination

behavior towards people based upon their categorization; negative behavior can occur without intentional malice of the one performing negative behavior

prejudice

bias against or in favor of a group of people based upon that group’s categorization; typically involves a negative evaluation of members in the target group

triple minority status

discrimination on the basis of race, gender, and sexuality

acculturation

process by which an individual's behaviors and a group's cultural knowledge, identity, and behavior styles change in the directions of those of the dominant group

assimilation

process of taking on the dominant group’s cultural knowledge, identity, and behavior

inscrutable

someone who never laughs, smiles, or grimaces—a total lack of emotion

berry’s bidirectional model on acculturation

posits person can identify with and become competent with, two different cultures and that the degree of such acculturation to each culture can be independent of one another

ethnic identity

individuals' attachment to, sense of belonging to, and identification with members from their ethnic group & ethnic culture; not always grounded in oppression and racism

racial identity

how individuals deal with the effects of racism, give up dominant cultural views on their own racial group in exchange for self-denition, and develop positive attitudes toward their own racial group

model minority

term was first coined by sociologist William Patterson in NYTimes Magazine article in January 1966, and posits the success of Asian Americans proved equal opportunity existed for all races. Held up as model for for racial minorities to emulate

success frame parenting

associated with immigrant families; intense discipline + scant consideration for the niceties of child’s well-being; includes getting straight As, graduating as the valedictorian, earning a degree from an elite university (focus on Ivies), attaining advanced degree, working in medicine, law, engineering, or science

Passing for Perfect Passers

Model minority identity whose primary audience is loved ones, and performance powered by widely held expectations, even if don’t match reality

trauma

one’s inner experience that includes symptoms such as anger, fear, panic, and disassociation

historical trauma

collective complex trauma inflicted on a group of people who share a specic group identity or aliation. It is the legacy of numerous traumatic events a community experiences over generations and encompasses the psychological and social responses to such events

intergenerational trauma

when historical trauma is passed on to subsequent generations

racial microaggressions

form of racism whose appearance is much less dramatic than the overt violent acts often seen but are ubiquitous in lives of BIPOC

ethnopsychology

psychology of races and people

pretext

a reason given as justification for a course of action that’s not the real reason

traditional power structure in America

white male heterosexual CISgender Christian

Orient

a concept that doesn't exist; styles/factors/traits considered by white people to characterize Asia

fundamental attribution error

tendency for people to explain human behavior in terms of traits of individual actors, not larger situational forces

white racial frame

everything: name, style of dress, white networks, psychological realm (thinking, understanding, acting)

English standard

White, middle-class, unaccented English

issues with model minority stereotype

masks diversity, hides differences in educational attainment and achievements, pits Asian Americans against other POC, self-silencing

Asian American views on mixed marriages

1. whites are ideal partners for Asian Americans

2. Asian Americans in inter-racial relationships worry that their mixed kids will be discriminated against by whites

3. Out-marriages might disconnect Asian Americans from Asian American traditions

Omatsu’s 4 prisons

1. History and geography

2. History

3. Social/class structure

4. Self

grassroots organizing

movement using the people to affect change

neoconservatives

denounce 60-70s movements as destructive, want to end affirmative action, acknowledge continuing discrimination but don’t believe in institutionalized racism and structural barriers

counterframe

frame opposing racist ideologies, e.g. “black is beautiful”

racism is a source of stress because it’s a source of ___

oppression

sources of stress for Asian Americans

1. minority status/racism

2. cultural conflicts

3. immigrant status

attachment

secure sense of connection with caretaker; foundation for personality development

areas of conceptual development

acculturation, identity development, academic and career achievement, biracial/multicultural, psychopathology, cultural competence in psychotherapy

cross-cultural psychology

how certain cultural factors influence immigrant behaviors

Asian cultural constructs used as explanations

Confucianism and face

core Asian cultural values

collectivism, conformity to norms, emotional self control, family recognition through achievement, humility

critical points of entry expanding boundaries of Asian American experience

1. migration histories

2. population trends

3. internal processes

codewords for race

high-risk, multicultural, alien, urban, at risk, thug, posse, unskilled, illiterate, illegal, welfare queen, undeserving, sharia law

5 ways Asian Americans have been portrayed by the media

1. perpetual foreigner

2. mysterious

3. exotic

4. property of white men

5. invisible

stressors of immigrant status

1. rapid changes in short amount of time 

2. downward occupational mobility

3. lack of social support system

Why is being treated as a token stressful?

It brings high visibility and lack of anonymity, accentuating differences with dominant group

enculturation

change in culture-specific behaviors, values, knowledge along direction of own culture