Gabrielle Abrazaldo

Major: Psychology and International Studies

Biography: Gabrielle Abrazldo (they/them) is a queer, trans-nonbinary Filipino creative and academic. They were raised by their parents and grandparents in Chicago, who immigrated from the Philippines and taught them all that they know. Gabrielle will be graduating in May 2023 with a B.A. in Psychology and International Studies and a minor in Anthropology. After graduation, they will be pursuing a PhD in Psychology.

Title of Research: An exploration of the manifestations of colonial mentality in the dating attitudes, behaviors, and experiences of college-aged Filipino American women

Faculty Mentor: Daniela Pila, Department of Sociology

Project Abstract:

The Filipino American experience is unique from that of other Asian American ethnic groups in that Filipinos are the only group to have been subjected to direct U.S. colonization, in addition to over 300 years of Spanish conquest. As a consequence of this, Filipinos developed what psychologists refer to as ‘colonial mentality,’ a sense of cultural and ethnic inferiority, which continues to persist in their psyches even in the present day. This study examined the effects of colonial mentality on the modern Filipino women. Filipino women historically entered into romantic relationships with their colonizers, where they were often delegated to subservient positions and were demeaned or discriminated against. Thus, this study sought to examine the effects of colonial mentality on the intimate relationships of Filipino American women, asking the following question: In what ways might colonial mentality manifest in the dating behaviors, attitudes, and experiences of Filipino American women, if at all? Using qualitative methods, I conducted hour-long interviews with Filipino American women (n=5) across the country, between the ages of 18 to 25, and analyzed their responses using the theoretical framework of colonial mentality as developed by renowned psychologists E.J.R. David & Sumie Okazaki.