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478 Journal of Career Development 37(1) regard to a specific outcome than if just gender was accounted for in the equation. The integrative model for cross-cultural counseling and psychotherapy was conceived to provide a more complex, integrative, and dynamic conception of human beings. Instead of developing a whole new approach to career assessment just for Asian Americans, there are a few variables that can be incorporated into existing career assessment tools to make the assessment process and outcome more culturally valid. By using Leong’s (1996b) integrative model of examining Universal, Group, and Individual dimensions of human personality, one can increase the cultural validity of our cultural formulations. Cultural validity is concerned with how valid a construct or measure or model is for other cultural groups above and beyond the traditional western European groups on which most constructs have been validated. The cultural formulations approach needs to recognize the importance of using the person environment interaction model rather than just focusing on the person and ignoring the cultural context variables in the lives of racial and ethnic minorities. The value of Leong’s (1996b) integrative model is in providing a guideline for using the proposed cultural formulations approach with Asian Americans. It begins with recognizing the importance of the multidimensional nature of clients and complex interactions of the Universal, Group, and Individual dimensions in the lives of our career clients. It moves on to recommend using an integrated multidimensional approach to examine Universal, Group, or Individual elements that play a significant role in influencing the career choice, adjustment, and outcomes for our Asian American clients. Of course, studies are needed to investigate whether the integration of cultural general and culture-specific variables (e.g., cultural identity) in this integrative process can lead to more relevant and appropriate cultural formulations in career assessment and career counseling with Asian American clients. Case Study Case Description of Anil Patel A 20-year-old, single, homosexually oriented Asian Indian American male is referred to the University Health Center by his academic advisor because he displays somatic symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches, and fatigue. He is a junior student taking classes at a southern university where Christian beliefs are dominant and where members of ethnic minority groups are rare. His advisor knows that he is a bright student but that he has lost interest in his school work, lacks motivation, and is failing in some of his classes. He has told his advisor that his parents want him to go into medicine and he thinks that that would be a good career choice as then he would be able to take care of his family, get married, and have a stable future. Anil has to take the medical entrance examination (MCATs: Medical College Admission Tests) in a few months and fears that he will fail in them and also let his parents down, and in turn bring shame and embarrassment to everyone in his family. In his 478 Downloaded from http://jcd.sagepub.com at MICHIGAN STATE UNIV LIBRARIES on May 19, 2010
Leong et al. 479 free time, he enjoys flying planes and playing musical instruments such as the guitar. He also volunteers at the local theater and has participated in some of the community-sponsored plays and events. He enjoys these activities tremendously but claims that these could not be career options as they are not stable and would not be acceptable by his family and friends. Anil’s father owns a local fast food Indian restaurant and his mother is primarily a housewife who at times helps out at the restaurant. Anil is first-generation American; his parents came to the United States to fulfill their dreams for a better future for themselves and their children. Anil has two younger sisters, one who is just entering college and the other is in high school. Anil’s parents want him to get married and take care of them and his sisters. He has dated men on and off but does not feel like he can tell anyone about his relationships. This has further burdened his sense of well-being. In addition, recent hate crimes toward gay and lesbian persons at the university make him feel shameful and fearful about disclosing his same-sex sexual orientation. He feels out of place at the university and feels that his Asian Indian identity along with his sexual orientation make him a target for multiple oppressions. Working With Anil: Applying the Cultural Formulations Approach To understand Anil’s situation via the career cultural formulations approach using the DSM-IV (Leong et al., 2007), five basic aspects of this model are used to conceptualize this case and intervene accordingly: (a) Anil’s cultural identity, (b) cultural explanations of the career concern, (c) cultural factors related to psychosocial environment and levels of functioning, (d) cultural elements of the therapeutic relationship between Anil and the clinician, and (e) overall cultural assessment for diagnosis and intervention. Anil’s cultural identity. Several key aspects of Anil’s cultural identity are suggested in the vignette, across the various levels of self (Oyserman & Markus, 1993). Oyserman and Markus (1993) describe a model including the various layers of social embeddedness that are involved in the process of forming the self. Layer 1 of the model includes factors such as family, friends, and significant others. Anil is concerned about his family’s expectations, his position in the family as he is the only son and the oldest, and the effect his decision will make on his community. Layer 2, which involves the neighborhood, work, and school are also important factors, as his university setting is impacting his decision to go with a nontraditional career role versus being able to express himself in ways where he will not be ostracized. He may have less motivation to pursue a career in the arts as it could threaten his sense of connectedness and harmony with others in his community. In addition, the need to seek a degree that would be both prestigious and beneficial for his family would be more desirable, as it would emphasize the philosophy of cooperation and community over competition and individuality. The third layer comprises ethnicity, gender, religion, and social class; sexual orientation, although ignored by Oyserman and Downloaded from http://jcd.sagepub.com at MICHIGAN STATE UNIV LIBRARIES on May 19, 2010 479
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