10.

1177/1066480703255387
THE
Kim /FAMILY
STRUCTURAL
JOURNAL:
FAMILY
COUNSELING ARTICLE
THERAPYAND THERAPY FOR COUPLES AND FAMILIES / October 2003

❖ Literature Review—Theory

Structural Family Therapy and

Its Implications for the Asian American Family
Josephine M. Kim
Curry School of Education

Asian American families often consist of the immigrant generation within the same family. The structural approach to family
(parents) and the first generation (children). Because acculturation therapy offers a useful perspective to family therapists work-
experiences vary for the different generations, conflict between fam- ing with Asian American families due to its emphasis on the
ily members may easily occur. Structural family therapy is presented family unit rather than on individual members. In this col-
as an approach that may be effective in helping Asian American umn, Asian American cultural values and majority cultural
families overcome the difficulties caused by differing acculturation
values are briefly reviewed. Then the structural family
experiences.
approach and its application to counseling the Asian Ameri-
Keywords: counseling; Asian American; family; structural fam- can family, whose members are experiencing differing accul-
ily therapy turation rates, are described.

THE ASIAN AMERICAN POPULATION

I live the tension between a Chinese ideal of filial piety and
the American way of self-assertion and independent think- Asian immigrants comprise the second-largest incoming
ing. . . . I am both, and I value both. . . . I extinguish the conflict group to the United States (Dinh, Sarason, & Sarason, 2002),
for today, because I am Chinese American, and I do flow and it is predicted that Asians will grow from approximately
effortlessly between the two worlds, because in my world 4% of the present United States populace to nearly 9% by the
there is only one. (Ying & Lee, 1999, p. 201, as cited in Chae, year 2050 (Yeh & Drost, 2002). This prediction postulates
2002)
that about one in every 11 Americans will be Asian American
by the middle of this century (Yeh & Drost, 2002). The major-
Starting in elementary school, I began to feel the obvious dif-
ference between myself and the other students, who were . . . ity of Asian Americans are first generation (Dinh et al., 2002);
mostly white. It was then I began to feel very lonely; with my they were born in the United States, but their parents are for-
classmates, because I didn’t look like them; with my own eign born. Although both the immigrant generation and the
race, because I was not what I looked like. (Ying & Lee, 1999, first-generation family members experience the intersection
p. 200, as cited in Chae, 2002) of the Asian way of being and the American way of being,
their reactions to these two opposing worldviews may differ.
Structural family therapy (Minuchin, 1974) is presented as
an ideal approach for working with Asian American families CULTURE
whose members consist of the immigrant generation (the par-
Culture is a set of guidelines that is passed on to individu-
ents) and the first generation born in the United States (the
als from generation to generation by ways of symbols, lan-
children). These families present unique challenges because
guage, art, rituals, and social practices (Helman, 1990). These
of the way the intersection of Asian cultural values and the
guidelines are the cultural lens through which individuals see
majority cultural values affect the different generations
the world and learn how to live within it. Not only do these
Author’s Note: I would like to thank Dr. Kathleen May of the Uni- guidelines provide a moral and ethical lens through which
versity of Virginia. Without her support, I would still be nameless. I individuals understand the social world, but they are also
dedicate this article to my parents, who successfully raised three bi- aimed at maintaining social harmony and unification within
lingual and bicultural Korean American children by doing every- societies (Donnelly, 2002). During the acculturation process,
thing “right.” You taught us that kim-chi and Big Macs can, and, in this cultural lens becomes altered, and consequently, the indi-
fact, do go together.

THE FAMILY JOURNAL: COUNSELING AND THERAPY FOR COUPLES AND FAMILIES, Vol. 11 No. 4, October 2003 388-392
DOI: 10.1177/1066480703255387
© 2003 Sage Publications

388
 Kim / STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY 389

vidual’s guidelines and understanding of the social world what to do as they see their children adopting American ways
become modified. and rejecting their traditional values.
As parents try to maintain the cultural values and customs
Traditional Asian Values of their homeland, the children have greater exposure to the
Despite the differences within the Asian culture, there are norms of the new culture through school and peer friendships.
basic values that may be operating among most Asian Ameri- Children may quickly acquire the English language and adopt
cans. A core value, filial piety, is the value of high respect for Western ways of thinking and behaving, whereas their par-
parents as well as obedience to parents, and this is reflected in ents are striving to pass on traditional Asian values and
the rituals and propriety of the Asian people. Asian children language.
are expected to comply with family wishes, even if it means Because clear lines of authority, respect for the status of
sacrificing their own dreams and ambitions. The multigenera- others, and the subordination of self to the good of the family
tional family is the arena of the practice of filial piety. It is (Tang, 1992) are among the core foundational roots of the
considered essential to harmonize relations between one gen- Asian culture, parents may fear losing control over their chil-
eration and another (Sung, 1995). A filial child must be able dren. They experience their children as beginning to commu-
to uphold his or her responsibility to the family; hence, every nicate independence; express individual desires, choices, and
person from an early age learns to think of family first. An thoughts; and convey parity in their relations with older gen-
important attribute to family piety is the ability to carry out erations (Liu, 2002). The children’s growing self-assertions
and self-reliance make parents anxious, as they think this will
the wishes of one’s father and to carry forward his unfinished
result in selfishness and indifference to them. Parents com-
undertakings of carrying on the past of the family (Sung,
monly view such behaviors as a loss of the Asian heritage and
1995). A person’s love and reverence alone for one’s parents
tradition (Yu, 1982). Asian parents may overreact to Ameri-
is not enough. It must be shown through fulfilling responsibil-
can influence and become afraid that their family ties may
ity for continuing the life and culture of the family.
sever or weaken as a result of the children’s “Americaniza-
Cultural emphasis on interdependence, interrelatedness,
tion” (Liu, 2002). Therefore, they often preside with demands
and filial piety fosters a sense of self that is oriented to the
of great authority, which often result in escalated conflicts
group and not the individual (Tang, 1992). Identity occurs in
(Yu, 1982). Children, on the other hand, are often frustrated,
one’s relation with others and is embodied in the family, and
angry, or counterreceptive toward their parents for their
self-interest yields to the family (Yu, 1982). Carrying on the
inability or unwillingness to learn a new lifestyle.
family name and conforming to the expectations of parents
Asian parents make almost superhuman sacrifices to give
are the way of life, and children are faced with the challenge
their children the “American Dream,” yet they never expect
of resolving primary issues related to the existence of two dif-
their children to become Americans in the process. The par-
fering worldviews—those of their own culture and those of
ents encourage their children to learn as much as they can
the dominant culture (Chae, 2002).
about America—without changing who they are. As a result,
Dominant Cultural Values children and parents live in different social worlds, this being
the direct result of the acculturation discrepancy between par-
The dominant or majority cultural values, often referred to ents and children in their expectations about cultural
as WASP values, may be seen as being in opposition to tradi- socialization.
tional Asian values. Sue et al. (1998) described these values
as “rugged individualism, competition, mastery over nature, a STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY
unitary and static conception of time, religion based on Chris-
tianity, [and] a separation of science and religion” (p. 19). Minuchin’s (1974) structural approach to family therapy is
These values encourage autonomy and individual accom- well suited for counseling the Asian American family,
plishment while considering separation and individuation because it focuses on the family unit rather than on the indi-
from the family as necessary and healthy. vidual. The structural approach to family therapy envisions
families with a set of systems and subsystems, roles and rules,
NEED FOR FAMILY THERAPY boundaries, power, and hierarchy (Aponte & VanDeusen,
1981). This approach is congruent with the Asian American
Certain stressors accompany the daily functioning of an family’s experience, paralleling the family’s culture of subor-
Asian American family whose members are from both the dination to rules and power of the parental hierarchy. Accord-
immigrant generation and first American-born generation. ing to structural family therapy, a functional family is one that
These stressors pose a dire need for culturally sensitive family has clear boundaries between individuals and subsystems,
therapy. The stressor emphasized in this column is the accul- facilitates individual growth while preventing intrusion, pro-
turation conflict that occurs between parents and children. motes generational hierarchies, and provides flexible rules
Parents often feel bewildered, overwhelmed, and at a loss for and roles that are adaptable to the internal and external
390 THE FAMILY JOURNAL: COUNSELING AND THERAPY FOR COUPLES AND FAMILIES / October 2003

changes of an evolving family (Figley & Nelson, 1990). This the children may learn of their parents’ fear that the children
definition of functionality is appropriate for the Asian Ameri- will forget their Asian heritage. By focusing initially on the
can family. concern that the parents identified as the presenting prob-
The primary goal of Minuchin’s (1974) structural model is lem, the family therapist is not only initiating the therapeutic
assisting the family to change its structure or its organiza- relationship but is also simultaneously honoring the Asian
tion—specifically establishing a structure in which members tradition of respecting parental authority. This strategy is
and subsystems are clearly differentiated from one another important to establishing trust, especially when the therapist
and hierarchically integrated (Navarre, 1998). Minuchin and is not Asian American.
Fishman (1981) stated that a family has not only an organiza-
Enactment
tional structure but also a set of cognitive schemas that legiti-
matize and validate the family’s organization. Both the fam- The family members are encouraged to interact with one
ily’s organizational structure and the family’s belief structure another in the therapy session, which allows the family coun-
support and justify each other (Navarre, 1998). Consequently, selor to observe sequences of behaviors that furnish valuable
any change in the family’s structure will change the family’s information about the family’s structure (Carpenter &
worldview, and any change in the family’s worldview will Treacher, 1982). Again, when the counselor is of another eth-
ultimately be followed by a change in the family’s structure. nic background, it is especially important to track the content
This approach reiterates the Asian American family’s empha- of these interactions far enough to understand the underlying
sis on the interrelationship of the whole family and the prem- structure to determine the consequences of symptomatic
ise that individuals cannot be separated from the whole. behavior (Weiselberg, 1992). Enactment is used to redirect
communication so that it occurs among family members
INTERVENTIONS instead of between the family and the therapist. Enactment
allows the counselor to lend support and power to the Asian
Structural family approaches rely on joining, enactment, American child in confronting the authority of his or her par-
restructuring, and reframing to bring about change in the ents. Enactments are intense and emotional occurrences that
structure of the family system, thereby resolving the present- allow the family therapist to begin restructuring the family
ing problem and symptomatic behavior of the family mem- (Navarre, 1998).
bers. The way this process might unfold when working with In our example, talking about perceived disobedience, the
an Asian American family whose members are experiencing adolescent family member would be encouraged to explain,
acculturation differences is demonstrated. The presenting in the most respectful way possible, the struggles he or she is
problem, from the perspective of the parents, is the disobedi- experiencing in trying to balance “two cultures.” Adolescents
ence of their child or adolescent. could share how they are trying to find connection with peers,
Joining stay connected with the family, and be comfortable with their
identity as Asian American adolescents.
Through joining, the counselor establishes a leadership
Restructuring
position, which is essential for introducing change within the
family system. Jung (1984) noted that joining is a fundamen- Restructuring of the family occurs when the family thera-
tal and essential part of structural family therapy, because it is pist suggests and uses directives to reframe and modify the
an ongoing process in which the therapist demonstrates family’s perceptions. The therapist confronts and challenges
understanding and support for each individual. Because the the family’s perceptions of reality by leading them to develop
family therapist is in the expert role, it is crucial that he or she alternative interactional patterns in the family. Through exag-
does not impose his or her own values but rather is flexible, gerating and deemphasizing, this change in the effects of the
perceptive, and sensitive to the cultural values of the family symptom allows family members to band together in han-
(Jung, 1984). Joining is experiencing reality as the family dling a new problem. This symptom focusing encourages the
members would experience it (Napoliello & Sweet, 1992). Asian American family to loosen its rigid rules. Asian Ameri-
A structural family counselor attempting to join with the can family members frequently identify one member as the
Asian American family who is experiencing acculturation problem; the counselor believes, however, that the problem is
conflicts between the parents and children will honor the fam- interactional and results from a structural problem within the
ily hierarchy and cultural values. For example, the father family system (Yaccarino, 1993). Therefore, instead of blam-
would be spoken to first, followed by other adults, and finally ing, an effective therapeutic strategy is to reframe the family
the children. The therapist would ask the family to explain the dilemma positively, which may promote change through
cultural context in which these problems were occurring. The alternative methods of behavior (Wieselberg, 1992). Through
therapist may ask the family to articulate how families in their restructuring, the family may begin to recognize many factors
native country would deal with the problem of a child who that have been affecting all of them in varying ways and to
disobeys his or her family. Through this type of questioning, varying degrees. Each family member is struggling with the
 Kim / STRUCTURAL FAMILY THERAPY 391

acquired status of an ethnic minority and the differing rates hierarchy with differentiation and assertiveness, while
and meanings of acculturation. Feelings of anger, guilt, and allowing me to practice respect and mutuality in my Amer-
confusion are now seen as imposed by immigrant status and ican existence. I am now a part of a bicultural sphere, and
acculturation difficulties rather than as negative feelings it is now a part of me. It arms me with an advantageous
about the family. edge, for many are colored by one, whilst I am colored by
two.
Reframing
—Josephine M. Kim
Through the use of reframing, perceptions are altered,
allowing for new frames to develop, thus permitting more
functional alternatives to emerge (Szapocznik et al., 1986).
Because the Asian American family is highly structured with
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