Migration Essay

Migration is an arduous process and can be a stress-inducing experience (Aroian & Norris, 2003) that can lead to numerous social and mental health issues varying from social isolation, depression and anxiety (Blair, 2000). Alongside migration comes the complex and lifelong endeavor of acculturation, defined as the process by which individuals or groups transition from one or more cultures into another (Cainkar, 2000). Although Arab immigrants have been migrating to the United States since 1854 (Miller, 1976) and may currently number more than two million today (Nydell, 2012), discussion of the Arab American populations was, until recently, conspicuously absent from the literature. This article will first explore the reasons for immigration as it impacts the way this population assimilates to their host country. It will then provide a description of the challenges and difficulties this population faces, with a focus on the source of the post immigration stressors they undergo and the impact it has on their acculturation process. Finally, it will explore the use of an existential approach in treatment with an Arab-American client resisting assimilation to the new host country due to an inability to cope with post-immigration stressors.

Reasons For Immigration

Reason for immigration represents a critical aspect of individuals’ acculturation experience. Whether the immigration was voluntary or involuntary may influence future adaptation (Kraut, 1997). Historically, Arab Americans arrived in the U.S. in four different major waves, each under special circumstances that affected the acculturative process (Barazangi, 1989). This section reviews all four waves while identifying the motivators for each group’s immigration process. In doing...

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... from the Arab world struggle with assimilating into the new host culture for various reasons. Essentially, their collectivistic background and their need for a strong family system contributes to the maintaining of a wide separation between them and their host culture. That, coupled with the feelings of isolation and rejection that result from the discrimination and stereotyping they face, diminish the degree of acculturation and increases the likelihood of the developing of stressors. As evidenced in this section, post-migration stressors uniquely impact the process of acculturation for Arab Americans as those stressors target the core foundations of the Arab individual. As a result of those stressors, the mental health needs of this population and the implications for counselors working with them requires a customization that inherently targets their struggles.