A comparison of achieving styles of asian american * And non-asian american psychotherapists

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between cultural difference and individual achieving styles among psychotherapists. Thirty Asian American bilingual/bicultural therapists and 30 non-Asian American therapists in Southern California were given the Achieving Styles Inventory (ASI). Four variables–race, age, gender, and education–were examined. The results indicate limited support for a difference in the achieving styles between the two groups. Male subjects in both groups scored significantly higher in competitive-direct and self-instrumental achieving styles. Age was an important factor only in the bilingual/bicultural group, where older Asian American subjects scored significantly higher in the vicarious and contributory relational achieving styles. Level of education yielded a higher score difference among female than male subjects, and a higher score difference among Asian American than non-Asian American therapists. Asian American females with higher education achieved the highest total score. In sum, the demographic variables of age, gender, and education reflected significant differences in Asian American and non-Asian American therapists’ achieving styles. These differences must be taken into consideration when trying to design equitable cross-cultural menial health services, which are very often delivered to Asian clients by non-Asian therapists.