Model Minority Myth and Mental Health Problems Essay

Model Minority Myth and Mental Health Problems in the AA community

From the beginning, Asian Americans have defied the stereotypes that white society placed upon them. In defiance, their extraordinarily high marks of success within higher education would contribute to their fiscal and professional success that puts them ahead of their counterparts. Such defiance would eventually lead to the “Model Minority Myth.” The “Model Minority Myth” is defined as “the cultural expectation placed on Asian Americans as a group that each individual will be smart (i.e., “naturally good at math, science, and technology”), wealthy, hard-working, self-reliant, living “the American dream,” docile and submissive, obedient and uncomplaining, and spiritually enlightened and never in need of assistance,”(UTA). Along with the lack of national focus towards mental health, this myth has grown to take on a significant role influencing a mental health issue that continues to plague the Asian American community today. Model Minority Myth and Mental Health Problems Essay