Splitting and Nostalgia in Recent Immigrants: Psychodynamic Considerations

Abstract

The times that we are living in are marked by increasing immigration. Migrating to another land is a complex psychosocial situation involving profound losses, with long-standing effects in the individual. It is a dynamic, open-ended process in which the individual's ego capacities and overall personality integration are severely tested (Marlin, 1994). These movements between cultures can engender major aspects of conflicts, at times, although those conflicts may remain dormant. Occasionally the psychic depletion depend upon, among other factors, if the person arrives in a new country as an immigrant or an exile. Whatever the circumstances, these changes involve times of inadequacy, sorrow, and disappointment, and produce a terrible sense of loss. The enormous task of immigration is a perpetual, conflicting mourning. As Grinberg and Grinberg (1989) point out, "Migration constitutes a catastrophic change insofar as certain structures are exchanged for others and the changes entail periods of disorganization, pain and frustration. These vicissitudes if worked through and overcome, provide the possibility of true growth and development of the personality" (p. 70).As a result of continuous contact with a new culture the migration experience unchains a process that leads to the transformation of internal structures and internalized object relations. The intense emotional impact of changing cultures is based on the symbolic association between the present cultural experience and the early relationship of the child with the primary caretaker. It is no coincidence that people talk about the "mother country."Significant psychological processes occur during this traumatic experience. As a consequence of cultural relocation and the loss of the primary object, the "mother country," the individual is deprived of the "holding functions" (Winnicott, 1953) of the native country that provided a feeling of safety and connectedness to others. The immigrants

The influence of personality and coping style on the affective outcomes of nostalgia: Is nostalgia a healthy coping mechanism or rumination?

“…In complicated grief, obsession with loss of the idealized past worsens depression (Nolen-Hoeksema, Parker, & Larson, 1994). An over-obsession with the past may also result in negative outcomes for migrants, leading to a failure to adjust to new surroundings, increased feelings of isolation, and other threats to psychological well-being (Lijtmaer, 2001;Zinchenko, 2011).…”

The Immigrant's Neverland

“…At any point in time, and depending on his circumstances, the old country is idealized or denigrated-he recalls it as a perfect paradise, sheer hell, or anywhere in between. He molds the memory of his previous life and relationships as if to satisfy or protect himself from the pain of "no second chances" (Lijtmaer, 2001). The immigrant finds himself oscillating in his feelings for the homeland.…”

“…My concern is with an internal space where the immigrant feels as if he! is attending a never-ending funeral of land, culture, language, relationships, and life (Lijtmaer, 2001). How does it feel to "go back home" and not find the one you left?…”

Reflections: Can the Analyst Share a Traumatizing Experience with a Traumatized Patient?

“…For me the trauma of the loss of my home represented the helplessness of facing uncontrollable events similar to my initial feelings living in this country. As with the process of immigration which contains elements of traumatic separation, mourning and nostalgia, the loss of my home brought those old emotions to the surface (Lijtmaer, 2001).…”