Terror as Usual

The Role of the Model Minority Myth in Asian American Women’s Suicidality

Bibliographic Data

ID8096782
AuthorsEliza Noh (Asian American Studies Program, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, California, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume41
Issue3-4
Pages316-338
Publication date2018-02-16
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueWomen & Therapy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0270-3149 • E-ISSN: 1541-0315
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02703149.2018.1430360
OpenAlexW2791422742
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited21

This article examines the influence of the model minority myth on the formation of suicidal tendencies among Asian American women. These women experience fractured realities under the myth as a form of everyday trauma, or “terror as usual,” which may influence their suicidal thinking or attempts. Using interview data collected from 44 Asian American women suicide survivors, this study employs narrative analyses of the interviews, drawing from the theoretical frameworks of women of color feminism, critical race studies, postmodern psychology, and critical anthropology. The first part of this article deconstructs the model minority thesis as a problematic framework for understanding Asian American achievement. The second part examines how these pressures are experienced by Asian American women as destructive material and psychic constraints. Specifically, the model minority myth contributes to Asian American women’s suicidality in three major ways: (a) the pressure to succeed creates unbearable stress for individuals as they try to live up to the stereotypical image of Asian American success; (b) the dissimulation of the myth as a social fact influences Asian American women to internalize model minority expectations and thus blame themselves if they are unable to succeed; and (c) the image of model success contributes to Asian American women becoming over-looked in the distribution of needed help and resources, further exacerbating their suicidal conditions. The article concludes with a discussion of implications of this study for both clinical and nonclinical practices needed to create social conditions for Asian American women’s mental wellness

Art · Asian americans · Ethnic group · Feminism · Model minority · Mythology · Narrative · Sociology · Anthropology · Gender Studies · History · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Social Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

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