loyola university chicago - CSU, Chico

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO
HELPING KOREAN IMMIGRANT FAMILIES
TO CHANGE CHILD ABUSE PROBLEM:
A POSTMODERN MULTICULTURAL LANGUAGE SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO
THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
IN CANDIDACY FOR
THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF SOCIAL WORK
IN GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK BY
KUI-HEE SONG
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
MAY 1999
Copyright by Kui-Hee Song, [1999]
All rights reserved.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This dissertation would not have been possible without considerable
assistance from a great many people. With deepest respect and warmest
regard, Dr. Daniel B. Lee, DSW has been an outstanding committee
chairperson. Over the years, I benefited appreciably from Dr. Lee whose
exclusive scholastic knowledge background with multicultural and bilingual
guidance shed light on all this dissertation research process. I am
extremely thankful to Dr. Catherine Tyson for a great deal of encouragement
and scholastic insight about cross-cultural qualitative research
methodology. I would like to give heartfelt thanks to Dr. Robert Noone,
Executive Director of Family Service Center for valuable insight and
support throughout coding process.
I am truly in debt to my client, the Kim's four family members
(father, mother and two daughters), especially the mother, Mrs. Kim for
joining my dissertation research process and teaching me about the
significance of genuine lovelessness or "han" and love or "chung" than
anyone else in my life.
I am indebted to Jude Gonzales, Director of Graduate Program of School
of Social Work, Loyola University Chicago for his critically important
friendship, sustaining support , and ongoing creative conversation rendered
for this dissertation. I owe a special debt to Dr. Tong He Koh for her
warm support to bring the translation of dissertation research to
meaningful fruition. I would also like to thank both Niegel Cohen,
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Dr. Dora E. Saavedra, Professor
of Communication at University of Texas-Pan American for brilliant editing.
I greatly acknowledge generous support to my friends, Bong-Ki Yim and
Young-Mee Baek who brightened my outlook during the most demanding times.
Lastly, I acknowledge my parents whose sincere sacrifice and gratitude
for journeying with me in love, faith, and trust to celebrate high moment
during this doctoral program completion process. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...............................................................
.................. iii
TABLE OF
CONTENTS.....................................................................
............ vi
LISTS OF
TABLES.......................................................................
...................ix
ABSTRACT.....................................................................
...............................x CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION..................................................................
...................1
Purpose of the
Study.......................................................................
..............1 Significance of the
Study.......................................................................
.........4
Research
Question......................................................................
..................5
Tentative
Hypothesis....................................................................
................5
Definition of
Terms.........................................................................
............7
II. REVIEW OF
LITERATURE..................................................................
...11
Korean American Families Involving Child Abuse
Problems..................................11
Sociodemographic Characteristics in Metropolitan
Chicago...............................11
General Family Characteristics of Child Abuse Korean
Population in Chicago.....12
Psychosocial
Characteristics..............................................................
......16
Intergenerational
Dilemmas................................................................16
Dissociation from Family Members &
Community....................................17
Social Structure
Change.....................................................................1
8
Cultural-Linguistic
Characteristics.............................................................
19
Confucianism..................................................................
................19
Implications of
Confucianism...............................................................1
9
Child Rearing & Discipline
Practice...................................................20
The Best Interest of Family
.............................................................21
Communication
Practice..................................................................23 Absence of Linguistic Elaboration of Child Abuse
Event...............................25 Theoretical Perspectives of Child Abuse Treatment &
Prevention............................28
Modern
Perspective..................................................................
.............29
Postmodern
Perspective..................................................................
.......30 The Emerging Multicultural Perspective within
Social Work Profession.................35
Ideological
Premises.....................................................................
.....36
Theoretical
Bases.........................................................................
.....38
Multicultural Perspective on Child
Abuse....................................................40 Conceptual Framework Guiding the
Study........................................................42
Social Construction Theory...
.................................................................43 Supplementation.............................................................
...................43
Joint
Action.......................................................................
..............43
Social
Constructionism/Constructivism................................................
.....44
Hermeneutic
Theory........................................................................
......46
Narrative
Theory.......................................................................
...........58