Asian American Psychology

Abstract

Asian American psychology is a burgeoning subfield of psychology that owes its intellectual roots to Asian American Studies as well as to multiple and overlapping subfields of psychology that are concerned with culture, such as cultural psychology, cross-cultural psychology, and multicultural psychology. The author first reviews the historical contexts in which Asian American psychology emerged and the ways in which the methods and theories of Asian American psychology have been shaped by dialogues with allied fields in and out of psychology. The author then reviews programs of research in Asian American psychology that are organized into three main themes: (1) cultural and ethnic influences on individual distress, (2) influences of race and racism on individuals, and (3) influences of immigration and transnational ties in individuals and families. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the progress made thus far and the future directions in Asian American psychology.