Immigrants' Continuing Bonds with their Native Culture: Assimilation Analysis of Three Interviews

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.

Assimilation in bereavement: charting the process of grief recovery in the case of Sophie

“…The goal of a theory-building case study, however, is not to generalize from the case. The theory specifies its own range of application, and it can be assessed for consistency and elaborated based on any case to which it applies (Stiles, 2007(Stiles, , 2009. The assimilation model and the AGES can learn from the case of any bereaved client.…”

Suicidal Ideation Among International Students: The Role of Cultural, Academic, and Interpersonal Factors

“…Another key factor that might relate to suicide risk and ideation for international students is cross-cultural loss , a type of grief associated with crossing national boundaries (Wang et al, 2015). Some scholars have argued that cross-cultural loss involves a loss of social structures, values, and personal identity (Bhugra & Becker, 2005; Casado et al, 2010; Casado & Leung, 2001; Henry et al, 2009). This may be especially true for students whose home cultures and languages differ greatly from those of their host communities, although virtually no research has explored the moderating effects of such factors in the experience of cross-cultural loss.…”

“…It therefore seems plausible that international students who experience cross-cultural loss may experience thwarted belongingness, so we hypothesized a positive correlation between these variables (H5). International students may also struggle with perceived burdensomeness if they experience cross-cultural loss, with its associated disruptions to cultural and personal identity, loss of self-efficacy, and feelings of being a “second class citizen” with fewer benefits and privileges in the host society (e.g., Casado et al, 2010; Henry et al, 2009; Wang et al, 2015). In this way, experiencing cross-cultural loss could add to international students feeling unimportant or socially ineffective which has been implicated in feelings of burdensomeness.…”

Narrative therapy and continuing bonds enquiry with refugees and asylum seekers: Bridging the past and the future

“…When the loss of the mother country is not assimilated, a continuous connection with it can sometimes result in a source of conflict with the host culture (Henry et al, 2009). On the other hand, the maintained bond can also be seen to facilitate connection with the host culture (Henry et al, 2009).…”

“…When the loss of the mother country is not assimilated, a continuous connection with it can sometimes result in a source of conflict with the host culture (Henry et al, 2009). On the other hand, the maintained bond can also be seen to facilitate connection with the host culture (Henry et al, 2009). A study has shown that it is fundamental that elements of the native culture be integrated into the new life structure instead of renouncing emotional attachments to these elements from which identity is shaped (Henry et al, 2005).…”