The Colonial Mentality Scale (CMS) for Filipino Americans: Scale construction and psychological implications.

Abstract

Colonial mentality, or internalized colonialism, has been discussed by scholars and by Filipino American community members as a significant factor in the experiences of contemporary Filipino Americans, yet this construct has not received empirical attention in psychology. The authors of the current study addressed this gap in the Asian American psychological literature by developing the Colonial Mentality Scale for Filipino Americans, a theoretically derived and psychometrically tested multidimensional measure of colonial mentality. Exploratory (n ϭ 292) and confirmatory (n ϭ 311) factor analyses on Internet-obtained data suggest that colonial mentality among Filipino Americans is best conceptualized and measured as composed of 5 related factors, each of which represents unique manifestations of the construct. Results also suggest that colonial mentality is associated with the psychological well-being and mental health of modern day Filipino Americans. Research and clinical implications are discussed.

Phenomenological Look at the Experiences of Filipina Correspondence or Internet Brides

“…Another description of Filipino values found in the literature was the prevalence of the neo-colonized mentality that many Filipinos came to adopt (Bergano & Bergano-Kinney, 1997;David & Okazaki, 2006;David, 2008;Julag-ay, 1997). This was best depicted by one of the women who expressed her wish to have a "Caucasian boyfriend" since she was a young girl.…”

Colonial Debt, Resistance to U.S. Military Presence, Trustworthiness of Pro-U.S. Military Information Sources, and Support for the Military Buildup on Guam

“…The ideas of these scholars served as the foundation for David's (2011) conceptualisation of colonial mentality (David & Okazaki, 2006). David's research indicated that colonial mentality is experienced by Filipino Americans, and is characterised by a perception of cultural inferiority.…”

“…David's research indicated that colonial mentality is experienced by Filipino Americans, and is characterised by a perception of cultural inferiority. One subcomponent of colonial mentality is colonial debt (David, 2011;David & Okazaki, 2006). Colonial debt refers to an internalised acceptance and tolerance of oppression that colonised individuals hold toward their colonisers.…”

“…Data collection ended on July 3, 2009. David and Okazaki's (2006) colonial debt subscale was used to measure colonial debt. Six items of the subscale shown in Table 1 were adapted to be relevant to Guam's local residents.…”

“…From a practical standpoint, this study is important because internalised colonialism is likely a salient component of the identities of colonised groups in the Pacific at an everyday level (David & Okazaki, 2006). Also, recent plans to increase the presence of the U.S. military in the Pacific region (e.g., Fuentes, 2012) make it timely to understand the cultural factors that could be linked with Pacific Island residents' support for, or resistance to military presence.…”