Running head: IDENTITY OF KOREAN AMERICAN WOMEN Acculturation and Identity of Korean American Women

Current models of acculturation and cultural identity are primarily devoted to identifying the course or the levels at which it takes place, but they are severely limited in describing how a sense of self is fashioned out of multiple social and cultural contexts. The acculturative process is impacted, for example, by the reasons for immigration, the historical period during which the immigration occurred, education and socioeconomic levels, family functioning, and social support. All these factors make direct comparisons between ethnic groups of limited value, but many of the psychological processes underlying acculturation are assumed to be similar across various ethnic minority groups. Current understanding of how different individuals go through the process of change in their behavior, attitude, and identity as they come in contact with different cultural context has not been studied adequately. An alternative research paradigm is needed to investigate the changing sense of self in the lives in Korean American women, The narrative approach using a collective or multiple case study method is suggested as a way to understand how individuals interpret various occurrence in their lives and how they form meaning and personal identity from these experiences. (Contains 50 references.) (GCP) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Korean American Women 1 Running head: IDENTITY OF KOREAN AMERICAN WOMEN Acculturation and Identity of Korean American Women Jenny H. Pak University of Southern California Rossier School of Education, Counseling Psychology U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 Paper presented at the 109th APA convention, San Francisco, CA. August, 2001 Ca)" N 2:3 0 BEST COPY AVAILABLE 0 Korean American Women 2