Transcultural Psychiatry
Volume 46, Issue 2, 2009, Pages 257-284

Immigrants' Continuing Bonds with their Native Culture: AssimilatioN Analysis of Three Interviews (Article)

Henry H.M. , Stiles W.B. , Biran M.W. , Mosher J.K. , Brinegar M.G. , Banerjee P.
  • a American University, Cairo, Egypt
  • b Miami University, United States
  • c Miami University, United States
  • d Miami University, United States
  • e University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
  • f American University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Three case studies of immigrants to the US from China, Iraq, and Mexico were used to build a theory of acculturation in immigrants by integrating the continuing bonds model, which describes mourning in bereavement with the assimilation model, which describes psychological change in psychotherapy. Participants were interviewed about the loss of their native culture and their life in the US. One participant had not fully assimilated the loss of her native culture, but used her continuing bonds with her culture as a source of solace. Another participant used his continuing bonds with his culture as a source of solace, but these bonds had become a source of conflict with the host culture. The third participant had largely assimilated the loss of his native culture such that the voices of this culture were linked via meaning bridges with the voices of the host culture, and the continuing bonds were resources that helped him in his land of immigration. © 2009, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.

Author Keywords

Assimilation model Continuing bonds Mourning Acculturation Immigration Loss

Index Keywords

Social Values China immigrant bereavement psychological aspect conflict Social Identification human immigration middle aged Interview, Psychological Object Attachment Iraq Mexico interview United States social status mourning Humans Cross-Cultural Comparison Asian Americans Emigrants and Immigrants male Acculturation female cultural factor Article adult Prejudice grief Mexican Americans
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-67649494487&doi=10.1177%2f1363461509105816&partnerID=40&md5=11b4198c91cdade2da02d9522a5f9e53
DOI: 10.1177/1363461509105816
ISSN: 13634615
Cited by: 6
Original Language: English