Clinical Personality Assessment with Asian Americans

The Asian American population is a fast-growing population, with enormous within-group heterogeneity. Although the past decade has seen significant gains in psychological research on this population, there continues to be notable paucity of research in some areas of clinical personality assessment with Asian American clients. This article provides guidelines for practical considerations in conducting clinical personality assessment with Asian Americans. It reviews recent research on the use of clinical assessment measures with Asian Americans and presents general guidelines for clinical assessment, followed by the case example of an Asian American client in a forensic assessment case. Some of the discussion is based on research on ethnic minorities and personality research on Asians overseas. The article also considers the use of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) to assess the personality of Asian Americans. Finally, it looks at measures of Asian American psychological experiences, including acculturation, cultural values, and cultural conflicts.