NCJ Number
226932
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 38 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2009 Pages: 672-690
Date Published
May 2009
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study examined important themes and elements of identity exploration among Vietnamese adolescents living within and outside of an ethnic enclave.
Abstract
Results reveal that Vietnamese adolescents face numerous challenges and competing forces from different social systems and in contexts that impact their process of achieving on integrated sense of self. Although the adolescents shared many similarities regardless of their residence such as the steps they took to explore talking to others and joining organizations, the two groups differed in whether there was more or less pressure from family or the larger communities to commit to a particular identity and whether they were feeling more confused about the entire process. The findings show the significant role of context in identity exploration, particularly for Vietnamese adolescents of immigrant background. However, familial, societal, and historical pressures cannot be ignored in research with these adolescents. As immigrant youth continue to comprise larger segments of the youth population in the United States, it will be important to understand the internal and external negotiations demanded by identity development. This will require a focus on identity in a variety of domains, including but not limited to ethnicity, gender, career, and ideologies. Data were collected from 46 Vietnamese adolescents, ranging in age from 15 to 18 who lived both within and outside the Little Saigon enclave in Orange County, CA. Tables and references