Inclusive Family Roles, South Asia

Putting It in Practice 13.4Asian Americans are only the third largest multicultural group represented in mental health services in the United States , yet they hail from the world’s largest continent both in land mass and in population. Asia is diverse in terms of geographic features; it is even more diverse in terms of religion, custom, lifestyle, and ancestry. The major countries comprising South Asia are India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan; those making up Southeast Asia are Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. East Asia’s major countries are China, Japan, North and South Korea, and Taiwan .

The Role of the Family

Again, among Asian peoples, we ?nd stronger, more inclusive family roles than is true in most White cultures. Similar to Hispanic family structure, the father is considered the head of the household and holds the dominant role. In fact, each family member’s role, based on sex, birth order, and marital status, is ?xed and cannot be changed .

Individual acts, therefore, re?ect quite directly on the family. Individualism is not viewed positively. Decisions that affect the family should be decided by the family rather than the individual. The family should be strong enough, wise enough, and have enough resources to handle problems encountered by the individual. Failing this task and seeking outside help in the form of counseling brings a shameful loss of face . Therefore, an interviewer conducting a ?rst session with an Asian American client or family must consider the fact that it took a great deal of stress to cause the client to seek help. Consequently, the situation is probably quite serious and must be approached as such.