"Being an Asian American Male is Really Hard Actually": Cultural Psychology of Asian American Masculinities and Psychological Well-Being.

Abstract

This dissertation study examined beliefs about idealized masculine cultural identity and psychological well-being among Asian American male college students using social marginality and intersectionality perspectives. An online survey (N = 381) and semi-structured interviews (n = 20) were conducted to examine an idealized cultural identity research model. Structural Equation Modeling revealed that Perceived Asian Discrimination (b = 0.29, p < .001) and Perceived Parental Perfectionism (b = 0.13, p < .01) positively related to Model Minority Male Ideal. Model Minority Male Ideal positively related to Model Minority Pride and Pressure (b = 0.46, p < .001; b = 0.12, p < .05). Model Minority Pride positively related to John Henryism (b = 0.37, p < .001) and direct coping (b = 0.29, p < .001). Model Minority Pressure negatively related to John Henryism (b = -0.14, p < .05) and direct coping (b = -0.22, p < .001). John Henryism and direct coping negatively related to perceived stress (b = -0.20, p < .001; b = -0.27, p < .001), depressive symptoms (b = -0.19, p < .001; b = -0.40, p < .001), and anxiety symptoms (b = -0.15, p < .01; b = -0.24, p < .001), and positively related to life satisfaction (b = 0.28, p < .001; b = 0.27, p < .001). John Henryism positively related to GPA (b = .15, p < .01). Seven major themes emerged from the interviews: (a) transmission of parental messages were largely tacit; (b) parental perfectionism was both resented and valued; (c) responses to perceived Asian discrimination and stereotypes were heterogeneous; (d) masculinity was characterized as strength of character; (e) multiple referents were used to implicitly describe masculinity; (f) attitudes toward out-group dating reflected complex ideas about race relations; (g) active coping was recognized and often utilized. Overall findings indicate that social marginality contributes to the endorsement of idealized beliefs about masculine cultural identity and model minority pride and pressure, which may influence active coping, psychological well-being, and academic outcomes. The results of this study have potential implications for clinical psychology, gender psychology, and developing cultural competent student services.