Aging and Family Among Japanese Americans: The Role of Ethnic Tradition in the Adjustment to Old Age

Abstract

Overcoming rural and lower class origin, the second generation Japanese Americans have largely attained middle class status. This social ascendancy and the simultaneous assimilation have not jeopardized their relationship with their aged parents. Largely because in contrast to the myth that traditional Japanese adhered to the Confucian ideal of respect for the aged, the continuity in filial practice between rural Japanese and contemporary American society attenuates many of the strains in the family interaction. The ethnic group's emphasis on group goal orientation, permissiveness toward dependence, and the premature intergenerational status reversal in the relocation camps also facilitate the ethnic aged's adaptation to upwardly mobile children.