Travis Research Institute
The Imperfect Culture
Wang Lab
Office
Psychology Building 327
Fuller Theological Seminary
180 N. Oakland Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101-1714
The Imperfect Culture (TIC) Lab focuses on three main areas of research – perfectionism, cross-cultural adjustment, and scale development. Culture intersects across these three topic areas. And our lab embraces the compassion to accept imperfection.
PROJECTS
Perfectionism
The Imperfect Culture lab’s research team and collaborators have worked on several studies on perfectionism. Projects include examining perfectionism across cultures (e.g., China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the United States, Russia, India, African American, and Latinx) and expanding the construct to family perfectionism, religious perfectionism, and perceived perfectionism from God. For more information on perfectionism measures, please visit Almost Perfect Scales.
Cross Cultural Adjustment
The lab has completed several longitudinal studies on the adjustment of Chinese international students. Dr. Wang’s team has also created measures to examine cross-cultural loss and international friendliness of college campuses. Currently, the team is studying third-culture kids (TCKs) and hopes to examine missionaries in the near future. For more information on the international friendly campus assessment project, please visit the InFA website.
Scale Development & Psychometrics
The lab has been involved in the development and psychometric evaluations of multiple psychological measures. Most notable are the Family Almost Perfect Scale (FAPS), Cross-Cultural Loss Scale (CCLS), International Friendly Campus Scale (IFCS), Religious Perfectionism Scale (RPS), Perceived Perfectionism from God Scale (PPGS), Religious Discrimination Scale (RDS), Attitudes Towards Religion Scale (ATRS), and Communion with God Scale (CGS).
People
Faculty
Kenneth T. Wang
Professor of Psychology
BA, NATIONAL CHIAO-TUNG UNIVERSITY, TAIWAN
MA, WHEATON COLLEGE
PHD, PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Students
Abby Young
Abby is a first year PsyD student. She grew up as a missionary kid in Cameroon, Africa. This is where she saw the need for mental health within the missionary community and was what sparked her interest for psychology and missionary care. Abby’s research and clinical interests include missionary care in overseas countries, and family dynamics and mental health.
Allison Adams
Allison is a PsyD student. Her research and clinical interests include working with college students, specifically college-athletes, in a University Counseling Center and utilizing art therapy in order to promote identity formation. Allison is currently working on her dissertation, which creates a group therapy manual focusing on college-athletes and their identity formation.
Anna Shanazari
Anna is a PhD student. For her research is on experiences of pastors’ kids and family perfectionism within a culturally diverse population of adult pastors’ kids. Anna is completing her internship at the Child and Family Development Center at Providence St. John’s Health Center.
Eltice (Ching Ying) Lin
Eltice is a fourth year PhD student. She received her master’s degree in counseling ministries from Trinity International University in Chicago and worked as a counselor in faith-based settings in Taiwan for many years. Eltice is interested in perfectionism in the church and culturally appropriate approaches to psychotherapy.
Grace Chang
Grace is a first-year PsyD student. In her previous career, she taught and counseled diverse groups of students and international students before developing an interest in studying the integration of theology and psychology. Her research and clinical interests include Asian American mental health, cross-cultural adjustments of missionaries, and immigrant parent-child relations.
Helen Jun
Helen is a fourth-year PhD student. She identifies as a 1.5 gen Korean American immigrant, and her research interests include Asian American and Asian international identity, spirituality, and coping. Her clinical interests include complex trauma and racial identity.
Joanna Huang
Joanna is a fourth-year PsyD student. She identifies as a Third Culture Kid (TCK) as she was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and grew up living between Taiwan and the States. Her dissertation topic is on international student adjustment and her clinical interests include neuropsychology and assessment.
Madison DeBruin
Madison is a first-year PhD student. Her research interests involve exploring the intersection between psychology and cultural experience. She is interested in studying perfectionism, moral injury, and how these subjects relate to religion, spirituality, and culture.
Mabel Lo
Mabel is a PsyD student currently on internship. Her passion is in helping people to live fruitful and meaningful lives, and restore broken relationships with oneself, with other people, and with God (for people with faith traditions). Her dissertation is on perfectionism and religious orientation of Christians in Mainland China.
Melanie Ngan
Melanie is a third-year PsyD student. Born in the US but raised in Hong Kong, she is used to bridging and integrating conflicting cultural narratives. She is passionate about the cross-cultural transitions of missionaries, and TCKs, as well as Asian American psychology.
Selected Publications
Jun, H., Wang, K. T., Suh, H. N., & Yeung, J. G. (in press). Family profiles of maladaptive perfectionists among Asian international students. The Counseling Psychologist.
Tan, E. C, Wang, K. T., & Cottrell, A. C. (2021). A Systematic Review of Third Culture Kids Empirical Research. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 82, 81-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2021.03.002
Wang, K. T., Xie, Z. Y., Parsely, A. C., & Johnson, A. M. (2020). Religious Perfectionism Scale among believers of multiple faiths in China: Development and psychometric analysis. Journal of Religion & Health, 59, 318–333. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00784-z
Wang, K. T., Wei, M., Zhao, R., Chuang, C. C., & Li, F. (2015). The Cross-Cultural Loss Scale: Development and psychometric evaluation. Psychological Assessment, 27, 42-53. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000027
Wang, K. T., Heppner, P. P., Fu, C. C., Zhao, R., Li, F., & Chuang, C. C. (2012). Profiles of acculturative adjustment patterns among Chinese international students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 59, 424-436. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028532
Wang, K. T. (2010). The Family Almost Perfect Scale: Development, psychometric properties, and comparing Asian and European Americans. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 1, 186-199. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020732
Contact Us
t. 626.584.5544
email: tri@fuller.edu
Staff
Jim Cummings, MDiv, MA
Research Administrator
jamescummings2@fuller.edu
Office Hours
Monday–Friday
8 am–5 pm
Address
Room 326
180 N. Oakland Ave
Pasadena, CA 91182