Journal of Adolescent Research
Volume 25, Issue 3, 2010, Pages 441-464

Redeeming immigrant parents: How Korean American emerging adults reinterpret their childhood (Article)

Kang H.* , Okazaki S. , Abelmann N. , Kim-Prieto C. , Lan S.
  • a Department of Human and Community Development, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
  • b New York University, United States
  • c Department of Human and Community Development, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
  • d The College of New Jersey, United States
  • e Connecticut College, United States

Abstract

Korean American youth experience immigration-related parent-child challenges including language barriers, parent-child conflicts, and generational cultural divides. Using grounded theory methods, this article examines the ways in which 18 Korean American college-enrolled emerging adults retrospectively made sense out of their experiences of immigrant family hardships. Of those who narrated childhood hardship, over half narrated positive change in which they reinterpreted their relationship to their parents and redeemed their immigrant parents either through their own maturation or through spirituality. This narrative strategy is consistent with cognitive change in emerging adults' view of their parents that have been documented in other studies (Arnett, 2004). Only a minority of participants did not narrate positive changes and remained distressed over their relationship to their parents. Findings suggest the possibility that narration of positive change is a culturally salient process by which many Korean American emerging adults come to terms with early family challenges. © The Author(s) 2010.

Author Keywords

Family relationships Identity issues Emerging adulthood Immigration issues Ethnic issues Positive youth development

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-77950306182&doi=10.1177%2f0743558410361371&partnerID=40&md5=a6f5a72dc14a63d314b2977f9c69a59a
DOI: 10.1177/0743558410361371
ISSN: 07435584
Cited by: 23
Original Language: English