Meredith, G.M. (1976, August). Interpersonal needs of japanese-american and caucasian-american college students. Journal Of Social Psychology, 99, 157-61.

OVERVIEW

The growing number of Asian-Americans and their relative educational and financial success heighten interest in all Asian minorities. Comparison of Caucasian and Japanese businesses provides closer study of the Japanese culture.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this research is to compare the interpersonal needs of Sansei (third generation) Japanese-American college students with a Caucasian-American sample, to observe differences in the interpersonal needs among the students of these different cultural backgrounds, and to compare the sex role differences within these ethnic groups.

DESIGN

One hundred and fifty-four third-generation (Sansei) Japanese-American (62 males; 92 females) and 84 Caucasian-American (44 males; 40 females) undergraduates with a mean age of 19.2 years in the introductory speech-communication course at the University of Hawaii were tested. The Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation Behavior Scale (FIRO-B) was administered in small group testing situations. FIRO-B is designed to assess an individual’s behavior toward others and how he or she wants others to behave toward him or her.

FINDINGS

• A higher percentage of Sansei wanted people to control them—and a higher percentage of Sansei females than males wanted such control.
• Differences in wanting to control others were present but less significant between cultures and genders.
• Sansei females expressed the desires of inclusion and control to a much higher degree than Caucasian-American females.

CONCLUSIONS

The author mentions that Okano’s and Spilka’s conceptual linkage between ethnic identity and alienation feelings of negative self-appraisal are attributed to minority status. The suggestion from this perspective is that the interpersonal need for control (and authoritative cues for action) may be viewed as evidence of incomplete acculturation.

IMPLICATIONS

1. This study warns youth leaders not to assume that ethnic youth are completely acculturated just because the ethnic youth have lived their entire lives in America. Youth leaders must be sensitive to the needs of the ethnic youth. Youth leaders must also understand ethnic youth in terms of their identity problems.
2. By using this study, the youth leader can further seek whether the higher numbers of the Sansei who want control is symptomatic of a value norm, a stage in the acculturation process, or both.
3. Youth leaders working with ethnic youth require sensitivity and understanding because the ethnic youth suffer with a greater identity problem than ordinary American youth; they need to find their identity as an Asian American.