Views on the Model Minority Stereotype in a South Asian Canadian Context

Abstract

Safa’s study focused on the Model Minority Stereotype (MMS), which depicts Asians as scoring high in certain seemingly positive attributes (e.g., competence and achievement), whilst also scoring high in seemingly negative traits (e.g., unsociability and emotional reservation). Previous research on this topic has largely focused on East Asian American samples, finding that internalization of the MMS can have psychologically harmful effects on these individuals. Safa employed qualitative and quantitative methods to explore whether or not the MMS exists in South Asian Canadian populations. This essay was written for an independent study course in Psychology and received the 2019 Undergraduate Asian Disapora Essay Award.