Psychology Archipelago
The Asian "Personality"
Harvard. The oldest university in the United States and no doubt, one of the most prestigious. It was, however, not so long ago, rocked by heavy allegations of bias against people of asian descent based traits like “positive personality.” Setting aside the validity of these allegations, it put the question in the back of my mind as an Asian American; what are the personality traits of Asians, and Asian Americans and particular?
The Five Factor Model of personality also known as OCEAN is the most scientifically rigorous measure of personality currently available, OCEAN standing for openness to experience, consciousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism respectively. Although originating in the United States, the test seems to work well across cultures, suggesting that “personality trait structure is universal.”
Although countries have stereotypes about them, research has shown that these are rarely accurate. People estimating the average personality scores of their own cultures did not match the actual measured average personality. In a large study from 2007 with over 17,000 participants from 56 countries, Japan scored highly on neuroticism, but surprisingly very lowly on agreeableness despite the stereotype of politeness. In addition, Japan, South Korea, and other East Asian countries scored lowly on conscientiousness, a measurement the tendency to use self-control and be organized. This is in stark contrast to the idea of “hard workers” and the “model minority.” One thing to remember that differences in personality are advantageous in different circumstances. Although it might seem that higher conscientiousness should always be beneficial, the study actually found that higher conscientiousness had a marginal significant negative relationship with GDP.
Although an extreme example of saving face, seppuku was a way for Japanese people during Shōwa period to restore honor for themselves and their family.
In a study comparing European Americans and Asian American, Asian Americans reported higher concerns of loss of face, a concept similar to respectability and honor. “Saving face” is something that is important in Asian Culture, particularly in China. This attitude contributes to a culture of collectivism, which seems to be values more in Asian culture than in America where individualism is more valued. Cultural groups that score higher in collectivism seem to score lower on Extraversion and Agreeableness when compared to Americans.
Another difference seems to be a degree of reactivity to stress. A study measured the cardiovascular reactivity to stressful stimuli and found that Asian Americans had a smaller reaction when compared to European Americans.
The study also found that while “Asian Americans and European Americans adhered to individualistic values equally,” the Asian Americans scored higher in collectivism. These differences in personality seem to lead to differing degrees of acculturation. Being bicultural leads to balancing both values, often values that can be in direct conflict. In this case, it seemed to increase the value on individualism, while maintaining some of the emphasis on collectivism. This might be a reflection of values of family and self-reliance while in the context of an individualistic society.
Acculturation ultimately leads to smaller differences between Asian Americans and Americans who have been here for many generations. As such, third, fourth and later generations show more similar personalities to the average American.
This, however, has other effects. It is well known that second-generation Americans do better than first-generation Americans (immigrants). In many cases, they even edge out the average American, particularly in education. However, this edge disappears such that “by the third generation, Asian Americans no longer differ from whites in terms of their educational profiles.” It seems that over time, acculturation leads to Asian Americans becoming less distinct from European Americans.
So, what are the traits of Asian Americans? We are often raised in culture of collectivism, which initially seems to balance out with the American ideals of individualism. However, over time, we become assimilated and traces of the old culture seem to wane. We are often less conscientious (despite popular belief), but we still work hard and value a good education. We can worry too much.
But at the end of the day, despite all our differences, we are all more alike than unalike. We are human beings, connected by the air we breathe and the blood in our veins. Most Asian Americans reading this blog won’t relate to everything. Some might. Either way, we must remember that stereotypes are just that, stereotypes. Whether based on delusion or even on data, they do not have any bearing on the individual.