Autonomous-related self and competence: the potential of immigrant youth

Abstract

As a global phenomenon of great human significance, migration has been studied extensively from several disciplinary perspectives, including sociological, economic, demographic, and historical ones. Psychologists have been latecomers to this endeavor which is rather curious given that it is people, individuals, who migrate. Clearly, significant psychological processes are at work in the process of acculturation arising from migration, and they need to be understood in order to grasp the whole phenomenon (Kağitçibaşi, 2006, 2007, ch. 10). This chapter endeavors to show the key importance and relevance of psychological conceptualizations, particularly that of the self and of competence, for theory and applications regarding migration. The focus is on youth, given the general theme of the volume, and the approach used here will necessarily be selective. Especially in the last two decades, the study of acculturation has benefited from psychological analysis. Though there are notable exceptions (e.g., Bourhis et al., 1997; Bourhis & Dayan, 2004), a great deal of research on acculturation has focused on “acculturating ethnic minorities” without a balanced look at the host societies. This problem has been noted and acknowledged by some researchers (see Liebkind, 2001; Sam & Berry, 2006; Schalk-Soekar & van de Vijver, 2004), nevertheless psychologists’ involvement in research and thinking on the subject has led to an emphasis on psychological acculturation (e.g., Berry, 1997; Ward, 2001) without equal attention given to other forms of acculturation, such as economic or political. Yet acculturation of the migrant is also necessarily and profoundly influenced by the dominant culture and the lifestyle of the host society in which it takes place. This inherent bilateral dynamic is the key to understanding migration, especially its sociopsychological aspects, but it also renders the topic of study highly complex. In approaching the phenomena involved, different perspectives can be used considering the migrant family, migrant youth, generational dynamics, host society norms and conventions, objective conditions of living (schooling, work, housing, etc.), and a myriad of other issues. Any call for intervention or applications could stress any of these themes.