The Model Minority

Mental Health Implications of the Model Minority Myth

You may have heard the term model minority more recently in the news or in social media. Model minority refers to an idealized version of Asian Americans, to include both East Asian and South Asian, who are collectively imagined as being polite, obedient, intelligent, and highly successful because of innate talent and qualities they possess and share as a group.

The term is often found side by side with the word myth, which reflects the assumption that all Asian Americans are doing well and thriving especially when it comes to achievement. However, many scholars believe that this is overgeneralized and not true. Even though some Asian American ethnic groups are doing great, there are still many that aren’t doing as well and even living below the poverty line. In fact, research from the Pew Center shows that despite having the highest median income of any racial group, Asian Americans also have the largest income gap of any racial group.

What does this stereotype look like?
If you’re an Asian American student and you’ve heard comments like, “oh you must be really good at math or are you going to med school?” because you’re Asian, then you have experienced this stereotype. If you feel like it’s difficult to live up to the image of academic excellence that your parents and teachers expect you to, then chances are, you’re impacted from the stereotype as well.

Brief history of the origin of model minority
Let’s back up a little. In case you’re wondering where the term model minority comes from, it was first coined in 1966 by a sociologist named William Petersen for an article he wrote for The New York Times about the success of Japanese Americans. In his article, he wrote about reasons why he believes this group is doing well and referred to them as the model minorities. After that, it started popping up in other publications and the media.

Issues with the concept of model minority
Generally speaking, we know that stereotypes can be harmful. I’ve heard quite a few people question what is so bad about being seen as successful or as models for other minorities. The concept is controversial for a lot of reasons, especially because we know that there are vast differences among people of the same group. One major issue is that the image of a model minority is a threat to Asian American students who pursue non-traditional paths when it comes to academics. Additionally, there have been cases where educators pay less attention to the needs of Asian American students who may be struggling because they are assumed to be intelligent or studious. As a result, this has an impact on the students’ emotional development and of course their overall academic experience, especially if higher expectations are also placed on them at home.

Mental health implications of the model minority myth
The high expectations for achievement that a lot of young Asian Americans feel the need to live up to can be emotionally damaging. There is pressure from family members, especially parents and grandparents, for their children to be known as high-achieving (in the traditional sense) and this can really take a mental toll. What makes the situation more challenging is that young people aren’t encouraged to seek mental health support which can lead them to minimize their struggles and even hide academic difficulties because they fear being weak. Feeling this way can lead to negative outcomes, including Imposter Syndrome, which is a psychological condition where you start to doubt your own talents because you’re afraid of being exposed as a “fraud.”
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There’s a general belief that American culture tends to dismiss the racism and discrimination faced by Asian Americans because it’s considered not as “bad” as other minority races. It’s important to note that the point is not to compare which race has it worse as much as it’s to say that Asian Americans face their own set of issues which we can differentiate from other groups in order to break down the concept of a racial hierarchy.

What can we do to break this myth?
We need to have open and honest discourse about ways that we can all work together to break this myth. It’s inspiring to see young Asian Americans coming forward to share ways that they have been discriminated against by the myth of being a model minority. Providing clear examples helps others to become aware of problematic things that we may have previously dismissed.

Who is responsible for addressing this?
The last point to think about is who is responsible for addressing this? We already know that Asian Americans are starting to talk more openly about this, but outside of that, who do we want to see making an impact here? One major impact can come from schools and educators to take the lead in making sure that Asian American students are not ignored when it comes to academic, emotional or social development. It’s also important that this topic gets more light in the media (e.g., TV shows, movies, books, podcasts).

If you have thoughts on this topic, I’d love to hear from you so please feel free to reach out!