Skip to main content

Immigrant Adaptation

Understanding the Process Through Sense of Community

  • Chapter
Psychological Sense of Community

Part of the book series: The Plenum Series in Social/Clinical Psychology ((SSSC))

Abstract

Immigration and cross-cultural transition are strong features of modern societies. It has been suggested that immigration is one of the main processes that have contributed to the culturally pluralistic nature of many nations (Berry, 1998; Blauner, 1972). Immigration, voluntary or involuntary, is a transition that often entails the severing of community ties, the loss of social networks and familiar bonds — it can mean the loss of taken for granted sources and systems of meaning. Many have discussed the negative social and psychological challenges and outcomes associated with immigration and settlement in unfamiliar environments (e. g., Berry, 1984; Berry, 1986; Berrym, 1997; Birman, 1994; Furnham & Bochner, 1986; Ogbu, 1994; Segall, Dasen, Berry, & Poortinga, 1999).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Altheide, D. L., & Johnson, J. M. (1994). Criteria for assessing interpretive validity in qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & L. Y. S. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 485–499). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Altman, I. (1993). Challenges and opportunities of a transactional world view: Case study of contemporary Mormon polygynous families. American Journal of Community Psychology, 21, 135–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berry, J. W. (1984). Cultural relations in plural societies: Alternatives to segregation and their sociopsychological implications. In N. Miller and M. B. Brewer (Eds.), Groups in contact: The psychology of desegregation (pp. 11–27). Orlando, Fl: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berry, J. W. (1986). Multiculturalism and psychology in plural societies. In L. H. Ekstrand (Ed.), Ethnic minorities and immigrants in a cross-cultural perspective (pp. 35–51). Lisse, The Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berry, J. W. (1997). Immigration, acculturation, and adaptation. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 46, 5–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berry, J. W. (1998). Intercultural relations in plural societies. Canadian Psychology, 40, 12–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhatia, S., & Ram, A. (2001). Rethinking ‘acculturation’ in relation to diasporic cultures and postcolonial identities. Human Development, 44, 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Birman, D. (1994). Acculturation and human diversity in a multicultural society. In E. J. Trickett, R. J. Watts, & D. Birman (Eds.), Human diversity: Perspectives of people in context (pp. 261–284). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blauner, R. (1972). Racial oppression in America. New York: Harper Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bulhan, H. A. (1985). Frantz Fanon and the psychology of oppression. New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brodsky, A. E., O’Campo, P. J., & Aronson, R. E. (1999). PSOC in community context: Multi-level correlates of a measure of psychological sense of community in low-income, urban neighborhoods. Journal of Community Psychology, 27, 681–694.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chavis, D. M. (1983) Sense of community in the urban environment: Benefits for human and neighborhood development. Dissertation Abstracts International (Doctor of Philosophy George Peabody College for Teachers Vanderbilt University), 45, 03B, p.1058.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chavis, D. M., Hogge, J. H., McMillan, D. W., & Wandersman, A. (1986). Sense of community through Brunswik’s lens: A first look. Journal of Community Psychology, 14, 24–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chipuer, H. M., & Pretty, G. M. H. (1999). A review of the sense of community index: Current uses, factor structure, reliability, and further development. Journal of Community Psychology, 27, 643–658.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310–357.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cox, D. R. (1989). Welfare practice in a multicultural society. Sydney, Australia: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Felton, B. J., & Shinn, M. (1992). Social integration and social support: Moving “social support” beyond the individual level. Journal of Community Psychology, 20, 103–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, A. T., & Sonn, C. C. (1999). Aspiration to community: Community responses to rejection. Journal of Community Psychology, 27, 715–725.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furnham, A., & Bochner, S. (1986). Culture shock: Psychological responses to unfamiliar environments. London, UK: Methuen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallimore, R., & Goldenberg, C. (1993). Activity settings of early literacy: Home and school factors in children’s emergent literacy. In E. A. Forman, N. Minick, & C. A. Stone (Eds.), Contexts for learning: Sociocultural dynamics in children’s development (pp. 315–335). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallimore, R., Goldenberg, C. N., & Weisner, T. S. (1993). The social construction and subjective reality of activity settings: Implications for community psychology. American Journal of Community Psychology, 21, 537–559.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ghaffarian, S. (1998). The acculturation of Iranian immigrants in the United States and the implications for mental health. The Journal of Social Psychology, 138, 645–655.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hermans, H. J. M., & Kempen, H. J. G. (1998). Moving cultures: The perilous problem of cultural dichotomies in a globalizing society. American Psychologist, 53, 1111–1120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horenczyk, G. (1997). Immigrants’ perceptions of host attitudes and their reconstruction of cultural groups. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 46, 34–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, A., & Riger, S. (1986). The meaning of community in community mental health. Journal of Community Psychology, 14, 55–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kingston, S., Mitchell, R., Florin, P., & Stevenson, J. (1999). Sense of community in neighborhoods as multi-level construct. Journal of Community Psychology, 27, 681–694.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lafromboise, T., Coleman, H., & Gerton, J. (1993). Psychological impact of biculturalism: Evidence and theory. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 395–412.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leighton, A. (1959). My name is legion: Foundations for a theory of man in relation to culture. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mankowski, E., & Rappaport, J. (1995). Stories, identity, and the psychological sense of community. In J. R. S. Wyer (Ed.), Knowledge and memory: The real story. Advances in social cognition (no. 8) (pp. 211–226). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCubbin, H. I., Futrell, J. A., Thompson, E. A., & Thompson, A. I. (1998). Resilient families in an ethnic and cultural context. In H. I. McCubbin, E. A. Thompson, A. I. Thompson, & J. A. Futrell (Eds.), Resiliency in African-American families (pp.329–351). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, I, & Newell, C. (1987). Measuring Health: A guide to rating scales and questionnaires. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McMillan, D. W. (1996). Sense of community. Journal of Community Psychology, 24, 315–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMillan, D. W., & Chavis, D. M. (1986). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14, 6–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nagel, J. (1994). Constructing ethnicity: Creating and recreating ethnic identity and culture. Social Problems, 41, 152–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newbrough, J. R. (1995). Toward community: A third position. American Journal of Community Psychology, 23, 9–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nobles, W. N. (1990). African philosophy: Foundations for black psychology. In R. Jones (Ed.), Black psychology (3rd ed.) (pp. 41–57). Berkeley, CA: Cobb & Henry.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Donnell, C. R., Tharp, R. G., & Wilson, K. (1993). Activity settings as the unit of analysis: A theoretical basis for community intervention and development. American Journal of Community Psychology, 21, 501–520.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ogbu, J. U. (1994). From cultural differences to differences in cultural frame of reference. In P. M. Greenfield, & R. R. Cocking, (Eds.), Crosscultural roots of minority child development (pp.365–391). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rappaport, J. (1995). Empowerment meets narrative: Listening to stories and creating settings. American Journal of Community Psychology, 23, 795–807.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sam, D. L. (2000). Psychological adaptation of adolescents with immigrant backgrounds. The Journal of Social Psychology, 140, 5–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sarason, S. (1974). Psychological sense of community: Prospects for a community psychology. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Segall, M. H., Dasen, P. R., Berry, J. W., & Poortinga, Y H. (1999). Human behavior in global perspective: An introduction to cross-cultural psychology (2nd ed.). London, UK: Allan & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, E. J. (1991). Ethnic identity development: Toward the development of a theory within the context of majority/minority status. Journal of Counseling and Development, 70, 181–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sonn, C. C. (1996). The role of psychological sense of community among coloured South African immigrants. Unpublished Doctoral Thesis, Victoria University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sonn, C. C., & Fisher, A. T. (1996). Sense of community in a politically constructed group. Journal of Community Psychology, 24, 417–430.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sonn, C. C., & Fisher, A. T. (1998). Sense of community: Community resilient responses to oppression and change. Journal of Community Psychology, 26, 457–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sonn, C., Fisher, A. T., & Bustello, S. (July, 1998). Sense of community: A different way to understand immigrant adaptation. Paper presented at the 6th Australia-Aotearoa/New Zealand Community Psychology Conference, KiriKiriroa/Hamilton, Aotearoa/New Zealand.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sonn, C. C., Bishop, B. J., & Drew, N. M. (1999). Sense of community: Issues and considerations from a cross-cultural perspective. Community, Work, and Family, 2, 205–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sonn, C. C., & Fisher, A. T. (2000). Oppression: Moving beyond the dominant-nondominant dichotomy. The Community Psychologist, 34, 32–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spencer, M. B., & Markstrom-Adams, C. (1990). Identity processes among racial and ethnic minority children in America. Child Development, 61, 290–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H. (1981). Human groups and social categories. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tönnies, F. (1955). Community and association. Norfolk, UK: Lowe & Brydone.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tönnies, F. (1974). Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft. In C. Bell & H. Newby (Eds.), The sociology of community: A selection of readings (pp. 5–12). London, UK: Frank Cass and Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trickett, E. J. (1994). Human diversity and community psychology: Where ecology and empowerment meet. American Journal of Community Psychology, 22, 583–592.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tolan, P., Keys, C. Chertok, F., & Jason, L. (1990). Researching community psychology: Issues of theory and methods. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Weisenfeld, E. (1996). The concept of “We”: A community social psychology myth? Journal of Community Psychology, 24, 337–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Sonn, C.C. (2002). Immigrant Adaptation. In: Fisher, A.T., Sonn, C.C., Bishop, B.J. (eds) Psychological Sense of Community. The Plenum Series in Social/Clinical Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0719-2_11

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0719-2_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5209-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-0719-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics