Abstract
Acculturation processes are a key part of settling down in the new country although there are huge variations in responses and the pace at which people acculturate. In this chapter we use the example of Kosovan women after migration to the UK to explore the experiences of acculturation and its perceived impact on their psychological well-being was conducted. Six participants were interviewed, and transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Four major themes emerged: decisions influencing migration, early phase of UK life, the process of acculturating and implications of the acculturation experience for oneself. The psychological impact of acculturation and migration process was ascertained through their understanding of acculturation and their relationships with Kosovo and the UK. Acculturation was experienced as both an accomplishment and as an emotional challenge in response to conflicts and tensions related to their sense of ethnic identity and belonging. Not surprisingly these participants employed a number of strategies to cope with their migration difficulties and positioned themselves positively towards new cultures, revealing an appreciation of the UK’s multiculturalism. Theoretical implications and relevance of the findings to the field of counselling psychology are described with suggestions for further exploration.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aroian KJ, Norris AE (2002) Assessing risk For depression among immigrants at two-year follow-up. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 16(6):245–253
Berry JW (1992) Acculturation and adaptation in a new society. Int Migr 30:69–83
Berry JW (1994) Acculturation and psychological adaptation: an overview. In: Bouvy A-M, van de Vijver FJR, Boski P, Schmitz P (eds) Journeys into cross-cultural psychology. Swets & Zeitlinger, Lisses, pp 129–141
Berry JW (1997) Immigration, acculturation and adaptation. Appl Psychol 46:5–68
Berry JW (1980) Acculturation as varieties of adaptation. In A. M. Padilla (Ed.), Acculturation: Theory, models, and some new findings (pp. 9–25). Westview, Boulder, CO
Berry JW (2003) Conceptual approaches to acculturation. In: Chung K, Balls-Organista P, Marin G (eds) Acculturation: advances in theory, measurement, and applied research. American Psychological Association Press, Washington
Berry JW (2005) Acculturation: living successfully in two cultures. Int J Intercult Relat 29(6):697–712
Berry JW (2006) Attitudes towards immigrants and ethnocultural groups in Canada. Int J Intercult Relat 30:719–734
Berry JW, Kim U, Minde T, Mok D (1987) Comparative studies of acculturative stress. Int Migr Rev 21:490–511
Berry JW, Phinney JS, Sam DL, Vedder P (eds) (2006) Immigrant youth in cultural transition: acculturation, identity and adaptation across national contexts. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ
Bhatia S, Ram A (2001) Rethinking ‘acculturation’ in relation to diasporic cultures and postcolonial identities. Hum Dev 44(1):1–18
Bhugra D (2004) Migration and mental health. Acta Psychiatr Scand 109:243–258
Bhugra D, Ayonrinde O (2004) Depression in migrants and ethnic minorities. Adv Psychiatr Treat 10:13–17
Bohn H (2008) Acculturation and identity in adolescents in Norway. J Intercult Commun, 18. Retrieved from http://www.immi.se/intercultural/nr18/bohn.htm. Last accessed 16 Dec 2016
Breakwell GM (1986) Coping with threatened identities. Methuen, London
Breakwell GM (2010) Resisting representations and identity processes. Papers on social representation [e-journal] 19:6.1–6.11. Retrieved from https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=breakwell+2010&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gfe_rd=cr&ei=lQumWbbtJaHA8geXlLbwBA. Last accessed 7 Aug 2017
British Psychological Society (2009) Division of Counseling Psychology-professional practice guidelines. BPS, Leicester
Brown R, Zagefka H (2011) The dynamics of acculturation: an intergroup perspective. In: Olson JM, Zanna MP (eds) Advances in experimental social psychology, vol 44. Academic, Burlington, pp 129–184
Cardozo B, Vergara A, Agani F, Gotway C (2011) Mental health, social functioning, and attitudes of Kosovar Albanians following the war in Kosovo. J Am Med Assoc 284:569–577
Chen L, Isa M (2003) Intercultural communication and cultural learning: the experience of Japanese visiting students in the US. Howard J Commun 14(2):75–96
Chun K, Balls-Organista P, Marin G (eds) (2003) Acculturation: advances in theory, measurement and applied research. APA Books, Washington
Geeraert N, Demoulin S (2013) Acculturative stress or resilience? A longitudinal multi-level analysis of sojourner’s stress and self-esteem. J Cross-Cult Psychol 44:1241–1262
Haxhikadrija, A. (2009). Diaspora as a driving force for development in Kosovo: Myth or reality?. Retrieved from http://www.swiss-cooperation.admin.ch/kosovo/res-sources/resource_en_180368.pdf. Last accessed 02 Aug 2017
Judah T (2008) Kosovo: what everyone needs to know. Oxford University Press, New York
Kashdan TB, Morina N, Priebe S (2009) Post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, and depression in survivors of the Kosovo war: experiential avoidance as a contributor to distress and quality of life. J Anxiety Disord 23(2):185–196
Kosovo Remittance Report (2013) Retrieved from: KAS publication http://deed-ks.org/wa_files/Remitencat_eng-PRESS.pdf. Last accessed 27 July 2017
Lee RM (2005) Resilience against discrimination: ethnic identity and other-group orientation as protective factors for Korean Americans. J Couns Psychol 52:36–44
Maslow AH (1943) A theory of human motivation. Psychol Rev 50:370–396
Miller AM, Chandler PJ (2002) Acculturation, resilience, and depression in midlife women from the former Soviet Union. Nurs Res 51:26–32
O’Neill W (2002) Kosovo: an unfinished peace. Lynne Rienner, London
Owens TJ, Stryker S, Goodman N (2006) Extending self-esteem theory and research: sociological and psychological currents. Cambridge University Press, New York
Ozer S (2013) Theories and methodologies in acculturation psychology: the emergence of a scientific revolution? Psychol Stud 58(8):339–348
Papadopoulos RK (2002) Therapeutic care for refugees: no place like home. Karnac, London
Parker B, McEvoy GM (1993) Initial examination of a model of intercultural adjustment. Int J Intercult Relat 17:355–379
Pernice RA, Henderson TA, North N (2000) Employment and mental health of three groups of immigrants to New Zealand. N Z J Psychol 29(1):24–29
Phinney JS, Devich-Navarro M (1997) Variations in bicultural identification among African American and Mexican American adolescents. J Res Adolesc 7(1):3–32
Redfield R, Linton R, Herskovits MJ (1936) Memorandum for the study of acculturation. Am Anthropol 38(1):149–152
Sam DL (2006) Acculturation: conceptual background and core components. In: DL Sam & JW Berry (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of acculturation psychology, pp 11–26. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK
Sam DL, Berry JW (2010) Acculturation: when individuals and groups of different cultural backgrounds meet. Perspect Psychol Sci 5(4):472–481
Schwartz SJ, Montgomery MJ, Briones E (2006) The Role of Identity in Acculturation among Immigrant People: Theoretical Propositions, Empirical Questions, and Applied Recommendations. Human Development 49:1–30
Schwartz SJ, Unger JB, Zamboanga BL, Szapocznik J (2010) Rethinking the concept of acculturation: implications for theory and research. Am Psychol 65(4):237–251
Smith JA (ed) (2008) Qualitative psychology: a practical guide to research methods. Sage, London
Smith JA, Osborn M (2003) Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In: Smith J (ed) Qualitative psychology: a practical guide to research methods. Sage, London, pp 51–80
Smith JA, Flowers O, Larkin M (2009) Interpretative phenomenological analysis: theory, method and research. Sage, London
Stopford A (2008) Leaving “home”. The challenge of living with radical cultural difference. Contemp Psychother 45(4):444–466
Tajfel H, Turner JC (1986) The social identity theory of intergroup behaviour. In: Worchel S, Austin W (eds) The social psychology of intergroup behaviour. Nelson-Hall, Chicago
Tribe R, Lane P (2014) Refugees, grief and loss: critical debates. Grief Matters Aust J Grief Bereavement 17(3):74–79
Tseng W-T (2001) Handbook of cultural psychiatry. Academic, San Diego
Vega WA, Alegria M (2001) Latino mental health and treatment in the United States. In: Aguirre-Molina M, Molina CM, Zambrana RE (eds) Health issues in the Latino community. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, pp 179–208
Vera EM, Speight SL (2003) Multicultural competence, social justice and counselling psychology: expanding out roles. Couns Psychol 31(3):253–272
Waldram JB (2004) Revenge of the Windigo: the construction of the mind and mental health of North American aboriginal peoples. University of Toronto Press, Toronto
Ward C, Kennedy A (1994) Acculturation strategies, psychological adjustment and sociocultural competence during cross-cultural transitions. Int J Intercult Relat 18:329–343
Ward C, Bochner S, Furnham A (2001) The psychology of culture shock. Routledge, London
Willig C (2013) Introducing qualitative research in psychology, 3rd edn. Open University Press, New York
World Bank (2015). Migration and remittances: recent developments and outlook. Special topic: financing for development, migration and development brief no. 24
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Morina, Y.K., Tribe, R. (2021). The Acculturation Experiences of First-Wave Kosovan Women Migrants Living in the United Kingdom. In: Bhugra, D., Moussaoui, D., Ventriglio, A., Tribe, R. (eds) Mental Health, Mental Illness and Migration. Mental Health and Illness Worldwide. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0750-7_23-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0750-7_23-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-0750-7
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-0750-7
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences