Constructing a Social Problem Suicide, Acculturation and the Hmong.docVIP

Constructing a Social Problem: Suicide, Acculturation and the Hmong by Machiline Xiong and Paul Jesilow, PhD, Hmong Studies Journal, 8: 1-43. Constructing a Social Problem: Suicide, Acculturation, and the Hmong By Machiline Xiong and Paul Jesilow, PhD University of California, Irvine Hmong Studies Journal Volume 8, 43 pages Abstract Between September 1998 and May 2001, eight Hmong teenagers took their own lives in one urban community. Newspaper accounts attempted to establish the suicides as an outgrowth of problems brought about by the Hmong immigration to the United States. In particular, the clash between the Hmong and American cultures was fingered as the cause of the suicides. Other explanations were ignored. The teenage Hmong suicides were depicted as a problem that needed addressing and identified the school district and mental health facilities as the appropriate institutions to deal with the problem. In-depth interviews were conducted with individuals either directly familiar with the events or positioned to provide the best information and overview on the issue. We conclude that the emphasis for the suicides was strongly associated with the Hmong’s status as immigrants in order to convince the Hmong that they needed to acculturate, in particular to accept and utilize mental health facilities. We illustrate that suicide can be a point of opportunity for those seeking to increase a group’s level of attachment to society. Tragic times may be moments that present opportunities for social change. Norms and values may be questioned by effected individuals. They may experience a sense of normlessness or anomie and be open to change. During such moments of opportunity, individuals and social groups will attempt to shape the social change to suit their perceived interests. Whether they are successful depends on the ability of the architects to convince the impacted groups that the proposed measures will be effective in alleviating the situation.