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Psychological Stress and Immigration

This paper is an examination of the psychological stresses caused by immigration and the resulting discrimination suffered by newcomers at the hands of the resident population. In the United States, a nation built by immigration, historical tradition has been to welcome outsiders and the diversity they bring. However, in practice, this tradition has turned into a suspicion of strangers, a dislike of alien cultures, and an open opposition to new arrivals. Current residents tend to view immigration that has already occurred as beneficial and healthy, while new additions to the population are seen as bringing economic and cultural destruction to the status quo. This is attributable in part to the human tendency to fear and oppose change and the unknown, as well as a natural preference for homogeneity. For the immigrant, arrival in a new culture demands that he or she either cling to practices from the old culture or attempt complete assimilation into the new. Both choices make huge psychological demands on the individual, subjecting him or her to what may be nearly intolerable stresses. For an individual arriving from a more "Westernized" Middle Eastern country, such as Palestine, the stresses may be subtler but are no less painful. Immigrant groups have formed to offer some solutions; nevertheless, the problems are real and persistent. America needs to find more effective ways to continue to welcome newcomers into its population.

America's image as a haven for immigrants is a potent vision. James W. Tollefson observes, "The civic myth of immigrants building America by contributing the best of their many cultures offers a powerful vision of a country learning from diversity . . . [Yet] most immigrant education programs . . . suppress differences by teaching newcomers that they must adopt 'American' attitudes, values, and behaviors if they wish to fully enter the national life" (39).

Programs that emphasize the need ...

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Psychological Stress and Immigration. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 02:07, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1708066.html