Between Generations: Understanding the Emotional Landscape
You may have heard people describe themselves as first generation, 1.5 generation, or second generation. These words can be useful in placing ourselves in the migration story. But what do they actually mean in real life? What does it feel like to live them?
For many Asian Americans, these labels are more than just identity categories. They hold emotions, responsibilities, and the weight of family history.
First Generation: Carriers of Survival
The first generation is usually the ones who moved. They left home, started over, and built a life in a new country. Alongside that strength comes grief and loneliness.
Mental health is a topic that’s often hard to bring up. People prioritize survival, and emotions can seem like a distraction. This silence around mental health is passed down from generation to generation.
1.5 Generation: Between Worlds
Those who came here as children or teens often live in-between. Many had to translate not only language but also culture and emotions for their parents.
It can feel like carrying adult responsibilities too early. At the same time, there is pressure to fit in with peers. The result is a feeling of never fully belonging anywhere.
Second Generation: Inheriting the Weight
Second generation often grows up more fluent in the new culture, but they carry the weight of sacrifice. There can be pressure to succeed, to make the struggle worth it, and to not waste opportunities.
This can bring pride, but it can also lead to guilt and frustration. Sometimes, it feels like you’re living someone else’s dream instead of your own.
Hwang and Ting (2008) studied the effects of acculturation, and its impact on mental health. In a this study, Hwang and Ting discovered that beyond the pressure to conform, cultural and generational differences between parents and children can lead to increased stress and conflicts. This study underscores the importance of addressing and acknowledging these gaps, which can become more significant during the acculturation process.
Navigating Generational Weight
Name the context
Take a moment to reflect on what generation you come from, and how your story is shaped by cultural gaps and family history. Knowing your context can create space for compassion and remind you that your struggles are not individual flaws.
Seek collective care
This weight can feel like you are alone in navigating them, when in fact they can be experienced by so many folks in our community. It’s important to connect to the voices that do understand, the ones that can relate to the struggles.
Therapy as a space to explore
Working with a therapist who gets your background can help you slow down, reflect, and examine your world with more clarity.
Closing
Generational language can be a tool for connection and understanding, but each term carries more weight than what shows on the surface. By slowing down and noticing how these labels impact us, we can begin to see beyond them and find solidarity with others.
Reference:
Hwang, W. C., & Ting, J. Y. (2008). Disaggregating the effects of acculturation and acculturative stress on the mental health of Asian Americans. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 14(2), 147–154.
