Asian Family Services continues to advocate for these systemic issues, which extend beyond this study and require deeper reflection. Thank you, Kyle Tan, for your research and Liu Chen for the report.
A recent study in the Asian American Journal of Psychology reveals how Asian psychology students in New Zealand feel pressured to "whitewash" themselves to access training opportunities. Participants described a need to assimilate, avoid racial discussions that might discomfort their Pākehā peers, and take on cultural labour without formal training in Asian psychology.
Kyle Tan, a Malaysian Chinese researcher at the University of Waikato and co-author of the study, stresses the urgent need for systemic change, challenging the dominance of "white psychology" and questioning what it means to be Asian within a system that expects assimilation. Charlene D’Silva, a PhD student at the University of Auckland, advocates for integrating Asian psychology meaningfully into curricula rather than treating it as an afterthought.
Intern clinical psychologist Kahn Tasker highlights how many Western therapeutic models are rooted in Asian philosophies yet repackaged without acknowledgment. He calls for reclaiming this knowledge and applying it in a culturally informed way.
To address these challenges, Tan founded the Asian Psychology Collective Aotearoa, a network aimed at countering institutional racism and advocating for change. The core issue is that models influenced by collective Asian cultures have been adapted to suit an individualistic worldview, distorting their original intent.
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