Body Image and the Asian Experience

Dr. Hsiu-Lan Cheng's research examines help-seeking attitudes and mental health concerns (particularly depression, body image concerns, disordered eating) from the intersection of racial and ethnic minority psychology, objectification theory, attachment theory, and positive psychology. She is particularly interested in understanding the contextualization of mental health and psychological wellbeing within the sociocultural milieu of racism, sexism, classism, immigration, and acculturation. Dr. Cheng’s most recent research projects involve collaboration with San Francisco Chinatown community agencies to highlight the understudied and underserved mental health concerns within the immigrant population. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of San Francisco, Dr. Cheng worked as an assistant professor of counseling psychology at New Mexico State University and a practicing counseling psychologist at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Dr. Cheng's research has been funded by the American Psychological Association. She is a fellow of the Minority Fellowship Program of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Cheng was named amongst the 99 Top Professors in Counseling, Psychology and Therapy list in the Masters in Counseling Information Guide. Dr. Yuying Tsong, associate professor in the Department of Human Services, is trained as a Counseling Psychologist and researcher with experiences and expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies and has conducted research in the areas of Asian American Psychology (e.g., help-seeking, immigration’s effects on family, acculturative stress, transnational families), ethnic and sexual minority mental health, and women’s issues (e.g., body dissatisfaction, eating disorders).

1. An Introduction: Understanding body image from historical and contemporary perspectives

SECTION 1: Historical and New Theoretical Perspectives
2. Theoretical models of Asian body image
3. Decolonization of the Asian body

SECTION 2: Current State of Body Image Research of Asian and the Diasporas
4. Body Image Assessment
5. Asian female body image research in the U.S., Part I
6. Asian female body image research in the U.S., Part II
7. Asian female body image research Globally - Asia (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore)
8. Asian female body image research Globally - Outside of Asian (the Asian diasporas, such as the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, etc.)
9. Asian male body image
10. Sexual and gender minority Asian body image

SECTION 3: Practice Implication
11. Mental health: disordered eating
12. Mental health: Mood and other disorders
13. Social Implications: Parenting, relationships, family, school
14. Sense of self, identity development, and self-esteem
15. Future directions/Closing chapter