Struggling with two identities: the case of Eileen.

In this article, the authors present a case example of a Chinese American lesbian woman who seeks counseling for career decision making. The client's career issues stem from cultural issues that have created a dichotomy in her life. Using an ecological model, the authors dissect the case, propose interventions, and identify potential problems that may arise.

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Career counseling is a complicated process of exploring a client's identity on many levels. Eileen, as presented in the case example, is a Chinese American client who is in the process of coming out as a lesbian. Growing up in a close traditional family, Eileen is faced with choosing a career either in or outside of the two cultures with which she identifies.

In this article, we use an ecological model to explore the macrosystem, microsystem, and individual microsystem levels of Eileen's issues. We also discuss counseling issues, interventions, and potential problems in the cultural context.

Case Example

My name is Eileen, and I am 23 years old. I was born in the United States 2 years after my parents moved here from mainland China. I have an older sister who was born before my parents came here and also a younger brother. Even though I wasn't born in China, I do have a Chinese name--AiLing. My parents wanted that. Eileen, of course, is my Anglicized name from AiLing. They moved to America for the opportunity to have a new life away from communism, and they have worked very hard to make a better life for their children. My father owns a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown. We are a very close family; my parents live in an outer part of Chinatown, and my grandparents live on the top floor of my parents' house. Growing up, I saw my grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins everyday. The school I attended was mixed--Chinese and White. My mother wanted me to be able to be American--to some extent--and learn English so that I would have more opportunities. My father and mother always speak Chinese, but my mother knows a little English. My brother, sister, and I translate for my parents and grandparents for things like legal documents. Now, I live about a mile away from Chinatown with a roommate to save costs.

Well, I guess that's not the full story. I'm lesbian and my roommate is really my partner. It is strange to call her my partner--Nicole is the first woman I've ever actually dated. I came out about 1 1/2 years ago and met Nic 2 months later. We just clicked. I guess ... let me go back. I knew when I was 7 that I was different from the other kids. It's difficult to explain, but I just liked different things. I was interested in my father's business--not the cooking, but the business part--and used to follow him around at work. I played with the boys whenever I could and just bided time when the girls and women would sit and talk. When I was in eighth grade, I realized I had a crush on a female friend in school. She liked a boy in our class, and I was devastated. Later, I did have a crush on a boy but it just didn't seem to fit for me.

Nicole is so wonderful. She is from Irish and German descent, is 30 years old, and owns the house we live in. She's been out for 10 years, but she's not out at work. She keeps her work life and private life very separate--like me. No one in my family knows I am lesbian or that Nicole is my partner. They only know that she is my friend and roommate, and they accept her that way. My parents cannot know that I am lesbian--it is un-Chinese and not right in their eyes. Being out in one place but not another gets complicated and is draining. It can be a strain on our relationship.

I'm not sure how being lesbian affects my career, but I think it does affect my interests and so I thought you should know. I went to Stanford nursing school for 2 1/2 years but moved back home my junior year to help take care of my grandmother who was ill. I had my licensed practical nurse certificate and worked in a Chinatown clinic while helping with her. Now, I'm finishing my registered nurse degree at the university here, but ...I don't think I want to be a nurse. I can do it, I just don't like it. I was always good at math and science, and my family thought it was an honorable job for a woman. I feel like I need to find something else besides nursing. It feels like such a waste of time to have gone to nursing school if I really do change my mind. I think I want to do something in business. My family will be so upset. If they knew I am lesbian, then they would think that is why I am changing careers. It is, sort of, but I don't know. Maybe I should stay with nursing. There do seem to be a lot of lesbian nurses. I am out to a few coworkers, but I am scared that I could not be out at all in the business world. Especially if I work in Chinatown or near where I grew up. I don't know how long I can be closeted in some areas of my life and out in others. Do you think I should change careers?

Application of the Ecological Model

By using the race/gender ecological model (Cook, Heppner, & O'Brien, 2002), the counselor can begin to understand Eileen and her concerns in the context of the macrosystem and microsystem in which she lives, as well as at the individual level. At a macrosystem level, Eileen is affected by society's values, customs, and norms that provide messages about appropriate and inappropriate career paths, based on the cultural and gender context of which Eileen is a part. It is clear from the case presentation that Eileen is part of a tightly connected Asian American family and is surrounded by a society and community that encourages women to have "appropriate" careers, such as nursing or staying in the family business. Given her cultural and gender context, being immersed in the family is extremely important for Eileen, even though Eileen's parents support greater opportunities for her.

The microsystem, too, can have a profound influence on how the woman views herself and her choices. Eileen is enveloped in two worlds--one where she is the Asian American daughter and one where she is a member of the lesbian community. She cannot be true to her whole self in either of her environments. Indeed, the two conflict. Messages from her family may include urgings for her to stay close to the family and to see them daily, to live in Chinatown, to work in a female-stereotyped occupation, to marry, and to have children. Conversely, the lesbian community and her partner, Nicole, may urge her to become more independent, to live in a lesbian-friendly environment, to pursue a career in business where she feels a better fit, and to separate from her family that will not tolerate a lesbian daughter. It is, perhaps, at this microsystem level that Eileen will be most influenced in terms of career choices and overall life choices.

At the individual level, Eileen is still in the throes of developing her identity. She has strong ties and loyalties to her family and has, thus, begun aspects of her racial identity development, yet she is also exploring her sexual orientation and the lesbian community. These two aspects seem central to Eileen, and they will continue to have an impact on her self-perception and life decisions. Thus far in her life, connection to significant others--family, Nicole, and friends--has been of utmost importance.

Proposed Intervention With Eileen

It seems appropriate and important to work first with Eileen in terms of her identity as an Asian American woman and as a lesbian. The counselor would serve Eileen well to assist her in exploring who she is and who she wants to be regarding these two separate aspects. Working through the dichotomy that Eileen currently experiences in her life is paramount, and counseling will probably be most effective if this topic is worked on prior to focusing on specific career issues. The counselor may then consider individual career exploration. Possibilities for this career exploration are investigating alternatives to a career in nursing. Self-assessments, such as the Self-Directed Search (Holland, 1985) or the Strong Interest Inventory (Harmon, Hansen, Borgen, & Hammer, 1994), may help her understand the unique aspects of her personality and which occupational areas might be the most congruent with her interest patterns. However, the counselor must be wary of ethnic and acculturation issues that arise from using form al tests such as the Strong Interest Inventory. Eileen may also benefit from research focused on discovering disciplines and fields as well as organizations, businesses, employment settings that are open and affirmative toward lesbians. She may want to use the career resource library or the Internet to search for more specialized information in this area. In addition, career-specific or more general workshops and groups for lesbian women as well as for Chinese American or other Asian American women in Chinatown could help further Eileen's exploration. These educational programs would align with the model's recommendation to make the environment more helpful and affirming for the individual; the people in Eileen's environment would have information that would enable them to have a different perspective on their own life roles and, subsequently, Eileen's life role.

Another aspect that a counselor who is working with Eileen should consider is to help her gain skills to cope with her environment. The two cultures with which Eileen interacts are ones that may provide her with conflicting career options and may pull her in two directions. Eileen must learn how to counter attacks she may receive from individuals in her Asian American community in response to both her lesbian lifestyle and her interest in business. She may decide that she does not want to go against Chinese beliefs regarding female roles. At the same time, she may encounter subtle or overt negative feelings from Nicole and other lesbian friends in response to her exploring options within her Asian American, traditional upbringing or her choices of self-expression. If Eileen does not have skills to use when these experiences occur, she may remain caught in her dichotomous worlds. If, however, Eileen is taught the skills and she still chooses to live in dichotomous worlds, she will have made the choice after thoroughly assessing what that choice means.

Addressing Problems and Issues

A number of potential problems that would prevent an ideal counseling process between Eileen and her counselor may occur. One major possible obstacle is Eileen's motivation to work toward connecting her dual identities. Given that her family is likely to be resistant to Eileen's sexual orientation, she may be hesitant to come out to them. This will, in turn, have implications for the way Eileen chooses to live her life, as well as for her career exploration and choice. For example, she may decide not to explore career options outside of nursing in order to avoid disrupting the dynamic with her family. Eileen may begin counseling but terminate early because of the difficulties she may experience in working on reconciling her dual identities. Another potential problem may exist in the dynamic between Eileen and the counselor. Eileen comes from what seems a traditional Asian American family and has perhaps received messages all her life not to focus on herself as an individual but rather to emphasize a collectivistic orientation. This may run counter to the experiences of her counselor. Likewise, the counselor may herself or himself identify as heterosexual, may exhibit some internalized homophobia, and in addition may have little experience working with members of the gay male, lesbian, transgendered, and bisexual male and female community. Thus, the counselor may have a variety of reactions toward Eileen and may need to explore her or his own attitudes toward sexual orientation issues.

Potential Barriers to Effective Counseling and Positive Outcomes

A number of internal and external barriers that may interfere with the process of counseling and change exist in this case. One internal barrier is Eileen's belief that she would be wasting her time if she did not pursue nursing, given her schooling in that area. If Eileen has a firm belief that she will be throwing away time and money and if she believes that she would disappoint her family, then this will severely limit her options and hinder her career exploration. A potential external barrier is, again, the fact that most Asian American families do not accept alternative sexual orientations. This may hinder counseling and change in many ways. In addition, the women with whom Eileen associates, both in the Asian American community and the lesbian community, may not support her desire to change. For example, some women may not encourage her to engage in counseling to discover herself and her career needs and may dissuade her from seeking the counselor.

Final Comments

Using the ecological model enables the counselor to better perceive Eileen in the context of individual factors as well as her macrosystem and microsystem environment. In addition to Eileen's engaging in individual career counseling, the counselor would serve her well to recommend an Asian American women's group or a lesbian group that is focused on career transitions and exploration. Group counseling often serves to help the client see that there are other individuals going through the same difficult process. In addition, the members of the group would serve as additional support for Eileen to continue her career exploration and discovery of self.

References

Cook, E. P., Heppner, M. J., & O'Brien, K. M. (2002). Career development of women of color and White women: Assumptions, conceptualization, and interventions from an ecological perspective. The Career Development Quarterly, 50, 291-305.

Harmon, L. W., Hansen, J. C., Borgen, F. H., & Hammer, A. L. (1994). Strong Interest Inventory applications and technical guide. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Holland, J. L. (1985). Self-Directed Search. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.

M. Meghan Davidson, Department of Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri--Columbia; Nancy Huenefeld; University of Phoenix--Washington Campus and Seattle Central Community College. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Nancy Huenefeld, 2500 118th Avenue SE, #101, Bellevue, WA 98005 (e-mail: [e-mail]).