Personal Narrative: The Asian Indian Family

1. My parents tell me what to do with my life, but I want to make my own decisions.
The Asian Indian family creates an interdependent group of people whose concerns are not for themselves as individuals, but for the family as a whole. For example, parents are seen as having more experience with marriage, so they are the ones who choose a marriage partner for their children. (Das, Ajit and Kemp, S.(1997) Between two worlds: counseling South Asian Americans. Journal of multicultural counseling and development.vol.25, no.1, pp 23-33.

5. I feel guilty when my personal actions and decisions go against my family’s expectations. Harmony among parents and children is an important value among many Asian groups in America.
Sodowsky, G. R., & Carey,
However, after living in the United States for a period of time, they were influenced by the independence of American mainstream adolescents and relied more on their peers as models for identity than on their families.
Matsuoka, J. K. (1990). Differential acculturation among Vietnamese refugees. Social Work, 35, 341–345.

10. My ideas of when to start dating are different from my parents First generation Indian American parents’ often forbid their daughters from dating. Young Indian females’ exposure to Anglo American dating patterns is likely to create high cultural value conflict for single Indian women in America.
Varghese, Anita and Jenkins, Sharon Rae. (2009) Parental overprotection cultural value conflict and psychological adaptation among Asian Indian women in America. Sex Roles. Vol.6,nos.3-4,pp.235-51.

Scale 2 Items: Academic decision making
2. My parents and I had conflict abut which college to
My parents and I have conflict about my time spent on recreation. Asian Indian parents tend to isolate their children from opportunities to socialize separately with children’s peers.
Hicky, Gail (2006) Asian Indian family socialization patterns and implications for American schooling, in Clara C. Park, Russell Endo and A. Lin Goodwin (eds), Asian and Pacific American Education: Learning, Socialization, and Identity, Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing, pp. 193-219. 8. My parents often compare me to others. Hmong American students believe that their future as well as the future of other family members hinge on their success. Parents expect that older siblings serve as role models for younger siblings. Ngo, B. (2000). Obstacles, miracles, and the pursuit of higher education: the experiences of Hmong American college students, University of Wisconsin—Madison. Unpublished master’s thesis.

Vietnamese American children who did not meet certain scholastic expectations often feel that they have let their families down. Kibria, N. (1993). Family tightrope: the changing lives of Vietnamese Americans, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p.