Filipino American Psychology: A Handbook of Theory, Research, and Clinical Practice

324 Pages·2011·2.68 MB·English

by  Kevin L. Nadal(auth.)

Filipino American Psychology:A Handbook of Theory,
Research, and Clinical Practice
by Kevin L. Nadal
Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
FILIPINO
AMERICAN
PSYCHOLOGY
FILIPINO
AMERICAN
PSYCHOLOGY
A Handbook of Theory, Research,
and Clinical Practice
KEVIN L. NADAL
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Nadal, Kevin L.
Filipino American psychology: a handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice / Kevin L. Nadal.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBNs 978-0-470-95136-1; 978-1-118-01975-7; 978-1-118-01976-4;
978-1-118-01977-1; 978-1-118-09474-7
1. Filipino Americans—Ethnic identity. 2. Filipino Americans—Psychology.
3. Filipino Americans—Social conditions. I. Title.
E184.F4N33 2011
155.8'49921073—dc22
2010049506
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my parents and elders, who pursued their dreams and sacrifi ced
so much to make a better life for me and other Filipino Americans in
the United States.
To the new generation of Filipino Americans in my life, especially
Noah Cruz, Jamielyn, Jessiemae, Julianna, Faith, Emmaline,
Danielle, Jordan, Gavin, Noah Zachary, Delaney, Bubby, Cammy,
Jarad, Malcolm, Umahon, Ryley, Lani, Elijah, Tristan, Tyler,
Riley, Regan, Kaylen, Madison, Ella, and Alexander. I hope
they remember where they come from and continually fi ght for
their voices to be heard.
Contents
Foreword Derald Wing Sue ix
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction to Filipino American Psychology 1
CHAPTER TWO
Filipino and Filipino American Cultural Values 35
CHAPTER THREE
Racial and Ethnic Identity Development for Filipino Americans 63
CHAPTER FOUR
Colonial Mentality of Filipino Americans 89
CHAPTER FIVE
Filipino American Groups and Communities 109
CHAPTER SIX
Filipino Americans and the Model Minority Myth:
Contemporary Experiences in Education, Health, and Society 137
vii
CONTENTS
CHAPTER SEVEN
Filipino American Experiences With Gender and Sexual
Orientation 161
CHAPTER EIGHT
Multiracial, Multiethnic, and Adopted Filipino Americans 193
CHAPTER NINE
Mental Health Experiences and Psychotherapy With
Filipino Americans 225
References 265
Appendix A: Historical References in the Poem “Ikaw” 289
Appendix B: Further Readings and Resources 293
Glossary 297
About the Author 305
Author Index 307
Subject Index 311
viii
Foreword
Filipino American Psychology: A Handbook of Theory, Research, and Clinical
Practice is destined to make a major contribution to the fi eld of Asian
American psychology and to the larger fi eld of multicultural psycho logy.
No other, more comprehensive text exists that discusses the totality of the
Filipino American experience in such an analytical, scholarly, and humane
manner. Professor Kevin Nadal should be commended for doing such
an outstanding job of providing readers with a unique and refreshingly
integrative analysis of Filipino Americans that goes beyond simply
describing differences and similarities in cultural values, lifestyles, and
racial/ethnic experiences in the United States. He takes us beyond
the Black-White and Asian American–Filipino American binaries by
reminding us that racial/ethnic diversity in the United States is more
than just the experiences of European immigrants, White Americans,
Black Americans, and even specifi c Asian American groups.
Some 40 years ago, when I began work on Asian American personality,
identity, and mental health, I believed, along with other ethnic
researchers, that it was important to elucidate the experiences of Asian
Americans, to raise awareness that the fi eld of psychology was eth-
nocentric, and to suggest that the “model minority” descriptor given
to us was a myth. At that time, no one could have convinced Asian
American researchers that they themselves might be ethnocentric and
that their good intentions were somehow oppressing and stereotyping
of other Asian American groups. But that is precisely the conclusion
I have come to after reading Professor Nadal’s text. As he reminds
ix
FOREWORD
us, the Asian American population includes many Asian groups, from
Chinese and Japanese to Cambodians as well as Vietnamese, Koreans,
Pacifi c Islanders, Asian Indians, Pakistanis, and many others. Filipino
Americans are now the second largest Asian American group in the
United States and may become the majority in 2010. When one looks,
however, at the research and professional literature on Asian Americans,
it is focused predominantly on two groups: Chinese Americans and
Japanese Americans. Going further, one would have to conclude that
the current knowledge base of Asian American psychology is derived
primarily from only two Asian ethnic groups. Certainly, as multicultural
psychologists, we must entertain the notion that many of the concepts
and principles derived from this body of literature might not be com-
pletely applicable to groups like Filipino Americans.
Not only do Professor Nadal’s own research and scholarly contribu-
tions challenge the universality of the laws and principles of psychology
itself, but he asks us to consider the universality of the Asian American
experience as well. Step by step he takes readers into the life experi-
ences of Filipino Americans, describes their unique history of coloniza-
tion, analyzes the impact of religion and Catholicism, phenotype and
skin color, and provides us with a new framework of Filipino American
identity. His proposed model is captivating and informative because it
integrates many sociodemographic and sociopolitical forces into identity
development, entertains the notion of diversity within such identities,
and discusses the interplay of gender and sexual orientation in the
model.
This book is a valuable reference for Filipino Americans themselves
who wish to explore their identities as racial/cultural/ethnic beings.
Filipino American Psychology, however, is defi nitely an essential refer-
ence for scholars, educators, mental health practitioners and students.
As Professor Nadal states, he is interested in providing researchers,
educators, and mental health providers with awareness, knowledge,
and skills when working with Filipino Americans. Becoming cultur-
ally competent in working with this population is the primary goal of
the text. Each chapter is fi lled with valuable information. Readers will
fi nd particularly helpful the numerous case vignettes that illustrate cul-
tural, social, political, economic, and mental health issues confronting
Filipino Americans. The cases not only deal with culture-specifi c issues
x
Foreword
and practices but offer suggestions regarding the integration of Western
practices with indigenous forms of healing.
Professor Nadal is a master at relating sociodemographic and socio-
political topics to the everyday lives of Filipino Americans, speaking
directly to educators and helping professionals about what they need
to do to become culturally competent with this population, grounding
his research and theory to actual practical implications, and pointing to
new directions for Asian American psychology and the broader society.
This book is must reading for everyone.
Derald Wing Sue, PhD
Teachers College, Columbia University
New York
xi
Preface
Growing up in a large Filipino American community in the San
Francisco Bay Area, I was taught from an early age to be proud of my
culture. My parents and extended family exposed me to an array of
Filipino customs and traditions, ranging from learning to dance through
tinikling bamboo sticks to eating chicken adobo, lumpia, and pancit. I also
learned about Filipino values, such as respecting one’s elders, always
offering to help (especially when you are not asked), and putting family
fi rst before everything else.
I always knew I came from a fairly typical Filipino American family.
Both of my parents worked full-time (with my mother, of course, being
a nurse). My parents had accents and interchanged their p’s and their
f ’s. My siblings and I took piano lessons. We sang karaoke at every
family party. I had 18 fi rst cousins and hundreds of second and third
cousins, and somehow I felt close with all of them. We had a Santo
Niño (Baby Jesus statue) shrine in the hallway near my bedroom. I
referred to every Filipino adult as “Uncle,” “Auntie,” “Tito,” or “Tita,”
regardless of our actual blood relationship. And there was always a rice
cooker steaming in the kitchen. I loved being Filipino and told everyone
about my ethnicity whenever I had the chance.
Despite all of these positive aspects, I also noticed many second-
generation Filipino Americans were not attaining levels of higher educa-
tion or achieving the American dream our parents had hoped for us,
and I often wondered why. For as long as I can remember, I noticed a
lot of my friends not attending or fi nishing college, becoming teenage
xiii