My interests in psychology began in my undergraduate years at Stanford, where I was a research assistant in Dr. Jeanne Tsai’s Culture and Emotion lab. I was fascinated by the ways that culture and ethnicity (e.g., our cultural backgrounds and values, experiences of being “different” from the majority) can influence the ways we experience and express emotion, communicate with others, and view ourselves and the world. In my private practice in San Francisco, I have been able to weave this interest into how I work: whether it’s in working with couples with cultural differences, working with individuals who feel different in some way, or working specifically with Asian Americans who want a therapist who is informed about Asian American cultures and issues.
Below I provide a list of some of my favorite books on Asian American identity, as well links to further resources and a number of psychosocial measures for Asian American populations.
Resources
How to support the AAPI community in a time of hate and violence: A Resource List
Compiled by Sarah Belle Lin
Anti-Asian Racism: Educating Yourself and Others by Dan Wang, professor at Columbia
Essay on the contexts of anti-Asian racism: where it comes from, why it persists, and why it is so often silenced (also includes useful links to further resources)
Books on Asian American Identity
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
* “As the daughter of Korean immigrants, Cathy Park Hong grew up steeped in shame, suspicion, and melancholy. She would later understand that these ‘minor feelings’ occur when American optimism contradicts your own reality—when you believe the lies you’re told about your own racial identity.”
No-No Boy by John Okada
* A portrayal of a Japanese American man’s suffering due to his decision not to swear loyalty to a country that had foresaken his rights as a citizen, and his subsequent struggle in not feeling accepted by his family or peers as either Japanese or American.
The Accidental Asian by Eric Liu
* “Beyond black and white, native and alien, lies a vast and fertile field of human experience. It is here that Eric Liu, former speechwriter for President Clinton and noted political commentator, invites us to explore.”
Paper Bullets: A Fictional Autobiography by Kip Fulbeck
* “In Paper Bullets, Fulbeck taps into his Cantonese, English, Irish, and Welsh heritage, weaving a fictional autobiography from 27 closely linked stories, essays, and confessions. By turns sensitive and forceful, passionate and callous, Fulbeck confronts the politics of race, sex, and Asian American masculinity head-on without apology, constantly questioning where Hapas fit in a country that ignores multiracial identity.”
Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah
* “Born in 1937 in a port city a thousand miles north of Shanghai, Adeline Yen Mah was the youngest child of an affluent Chinese family who enjoyed rare privileges during a time of political and cultural upheaval. But wealth and position could not shield Adeline from a childhood of appalling emotional abuse at the hands of a cruel and manipulative Eurasian stepmother. Determined to survive through her enduring faith in family unity, Adeline struggled for independence as she moved from Hong Kong to England and eventually to the United States to become a physician and writer.”
Unraveling the “Model Minority” Stereotype: Listening to Asian American Youth by Stacey J. Lee
* “Lee provides a comprehensive update of social science research to reveal the ways in which the larger structures of race and class play out in the lives of Asian American high school students, especially regarding presumptions that the educational experiences of Koreans, Chinese, and Hmong youth are all largely the same.”
Measures for Asian American Populations
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ssw/projects/pmap/adults.htm
This is an excellent resource of psychosocial measures for Asian American populations. It includes a wide variety of measures normed for Asian Americans, along with measures specific to Asian Americans such as a measure on Asian American self-identity acculturation.
If you’d like to find out more about Dr. Sze’s therapy practice in San Francisco, you can click here to schedule an appointment or free phone consultation.