Immigrants

1. Immigrants Distinguished by their motivation for relocation and their level of commitment to the country of resettlement

2. ‘Pulled’ towards a new country Most significant ‘pull’ is economic opportunity Migrants more likely to be dissatisfied with their employment and come from a lower socioeconomic environment than non-migrants Generally relocate with long-term resettlement intentions

3. Becoming members of established ethnocultural groups in plural societies Overseas born, first-generation settlers should be described as migrants Second or later generation descendants are referred to as members of ethnocultural groups In Canada, no single ethnic group constitutes a majority 4 out of 5 Australians are immigrants of children of immigrants

4. Social and Political Influences Pluralism Ideology Civic Ideology Assimilation ideology Ethnist Ideology

5. Pluralism The expectation that immigrants will adopt v alues of country of settlement, but private values are not regulated by the state (Ideological Pluralism permits the government to offer financial and social support to indigenous groups) Canada’s Multiculturalism Act of 1988

6. Civic Ideology Similar to pluralism in its distinction of public and private values, demanding respect for the former and regarding the latter as a matter of private choice State policies are non-interventionist, but the rights of groups to organize activities promoting cultural maintenance are recognized (Great Britain’s policies)

7. Assimilation Ideology Similar to Pluralism and Civic with respect to public and private values Entitles the intervention of the state in some areas of private values Assumes immigrants should abandon their cultural and linguistic distinctiveness and adopt core values of host community (U.S. has moved from assimilationist to civic)

8. Republican Ideology Variation of Assimilationist ideology, is found in France where ‘the notion of the equality of the universal man as a legitimizing tool for the suppression of ethno cultural differences deemed backward or divisive for the unity of the sate’ justifies national policy ( Bourhis et al., 1997)

9. Ethnist Ideology Immigrants must adopt the public values of their hosts State has the right to regulate certain aspects of private values Sometimes assimilation is impossible because members of receiving society have no intention of accepting immigrants as equal partners in national development (define citizenships in Germany, Israel, Japan)

10. Bourhis et al. Support for the integration of immigrants is associated with cultural pluralism, and advocacy for exclusionism is associated with ethnist ideologies Immigrants prefer integration but success varies across social and cultural conditions Acculturation strategies of immigrants are influenced by orientations of host culture

11. Outcomes More likely positive when immigrants and members of the receiving society share similar attitudes toward acculturation More likely problematic when no substantial overlap of acculturation preferences State policies have influence with pluralism diminishing antagonism and ethnist increasing tensions

12. Attitudes towards immigration in Australia ( Goot , 1993) Members of host society are likely to endorse official state policies to varying degrees Though may host members may support immigrants in terms of access and equity, little endorsement of cultural pluralism more generally with the idea that ‘migrants get too much assistance from the government.’ In Australia, more support for multiculturalism but many are caught between two positions

13. Canada’s multicultural policy 1998 poll revealed that 49% of Canadians believe immigration increases unemployment among people already in the country Majority of Americans are more likely to agree that immigrants take jobs than to believe immigrants strengthen the country due to hard work and talent Realistic Threat theory accounts for negative attitudes

14. Migrants’ attitudes toward cultural ethnicity Likely to be influenced by premigration beliefs and postmigration experiences Out-group perceptions held by immigrants are shaped by prevailing attitudes in the receiving culture—Russian immigrants to the U.S. reported more negative opinions toward blacks after migration, and British migrants to South Africa (see studies on pg 201, Ward)

15. Contact Hypothesis Intergroup relations strengthened based on equal status contact and mutual cooperation for achieving common goals. Research shows that members of non-dominant groups are more willing to engage in such contact

16. Migrant Adaption, links to physical and mental health problems Psychological: Jews from the former Soviet Union report more problems/demoralization than Israeli-born settlers of European descent Chronic illness is greater in foreign-born settlers than the native-born population in Sweden Irish immigrants in the U.K. have a higher rate of suicide

17. Some studies suggest less psychopathology among immigrants Southeast Asian immigrants in the U.K. have lower levels of depression compared to the white majority ( Berthound & Nazroo , 1997) Adolescent migrants from Third World countries in Norway have fewer behavioral problems than native-born peers (San, 1998) Methodological and conceptual difficulties such as assessment instruments and bias, access to resources among participants etc.

18. Longitudinal Research Longitudinal, comparative research has revealed that patterns and predictors of psychological adaptation are similar between natives and immigrants Psychological satisfaction related to length of settlement, personality factors, loneliness in new migrants major problem, social and spousal support important

19. Mixed outcomes of co-ethnic support Kinship dynamics of Samoan migrants to the U.S. suggest that migrants ‘build a cocoon of Samoan-ness’ that is unsustainable over a period of time and the initial stress-buffering kin allegiance eventually becomes burdensome and stressful (Barker, 1991), with the conflicts between the communal nature of the aiga and the competitive individualism of the new culture leading to physical/psychological disorders

20. Intergroup Interactions Related to migrant adaptation with perceived discrimination leading to more psychological distress Acculturation orientations affect adjustment, with biculturalism related to psychological well-being and satisfaction Stress & Coping model used widely to account for psychological adaptation of migrants

21. Sociocultural Adaptation Limited research but evidence that social skills of immigrants are poorer than native- borns Related to various measures of psychological well-being, including positive self concept and decreased feelings of alienation

22. Economic Adaptation Majority of migrants settle for economic reasons but often encounter more obstacles to economic success than natives