Struggling with two identities: the case of Eileen

Career Development Quarterly, June, 2002 by M. Meghan Davidson, Nancy Huenefeld

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.