Abstract
This book confines itself to the topic of international migration, or the migration between countries, as opposed to internal migration (within countries), for which separate explanations are needed. Americans, in particular, who move abroad are interesting as they move from a country that has historically experienced an enormous influx of migrants. Our study examines three factors in international migration: (1) the motivations for migration, (2) the degree to which such motives are resolved by the subsequent adjustment and absorption, and (3) the factors in return migration to the United States. Moreover, our approach will emphasize social psychological (as opposed to sociological explanations), focusing on the socialization and social interaction experiences of the migrants. In sum, the questions to be answered in this study are:
-
1.
What accounts for the motivations of migrants to move?
-
2.
What are the sources of the adjustment problems the migrants experience?
-
3.
What explains whether the migrants remain or return?
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
With respect to internal migration, the decennial proportion of the native population who resided in one state but were born elsewhere has increased from 23% in 1870 to 32% in 1970. This means that in 1970, 62,157,632 of all native-born Americans were born outside the state in which they were residing compared to 7,669,802 Americans in 1870. While the native-born population had increased about sixfold between 1870 and 1970, the level of interstate migration had increased eightfold in the same period. Furthermore, between 1960 and 1970, California and Florida had the greatest amount of net intercensal migration of the 50 states (U.S. Bureau of the Census 1975, pp. 87–93). In order to give some perspective, we sought to assess the relative amounts of international migration (immigration and emigration) and internal migration on an intercensal basis during the twentieth century in the United States. Based on Warren and Kraly (1985), the average amount of immigration between censuses from 1900 to 1980 was 3.75 million compared to 1.25 million for emigration. During approximately the same period, the average amount of internal migration between censuses from 1900 to 1970 was 31.75 million (U.S. Bureau of the Census 1975, p. 89). In other words, on average the number of native-born persons in a census year in the twentieth century who were born in a different state than the one in which they were residing was 8.5 times greater than the number of immigrants and 25 times greater than the number of emigrants.
- 2.
This interpretation was suggested by Professor Eddy Zemach at a lecture at the University of Connecticut, February 27, 1989.
- 3.
This literature represents a microfunctionalist (or configurationist) approach (associated with gestalt psychology, field theory, dissonance theory, balance theory, and so on). This “viewpoint argues that the human being is constantly driven to achieve an orderly and balanced grasp of the world derived from a ‘gestalt’—a sudden insight or configuration of phenomena” that permits the individual “to function in social groups on the basis of the consistency achieved” (Dashefsky 1976, p. 112).
- 4.
Implicit in this model is the functionalist assumption that society and the individual strive for equilibrium. Migrants who enter the new system have their equilibrium upset, and they upset the equilibrium of the society. Ultimately, in most cases, they are absorbed and their equilibrium as well as that of society is restored. Such an approach, based on the assumption that society is characterized by a good deal of consensus as to the appropriate norms and values governing people’s behaviors, tends to emphasize the need for individuals to change their behavior and assimilate to the new culture and social structure. Eisenstadt (1954), for example, reported on the absorption of low-status Afro-Asian Jews in postindependence Israel at a time when economic, political, and social stability were perceived as essential for survival in an emerging heterogeneous society. An alternative approach to intergroup relations, focusing on pluralism and the extent to which there is conflict and disagreement over the appropriate norms and values governing people’s behavior, emerged in the 1960s (see Dashefsky 1976). Because this perspective has been developed relatively recently, it might explain why Matras found such scant research conducted on the relative “success” of the migrant in the new society (1973, p. 380). There is a need to go beyond the emphasis on the perspective of the social system and the assumption that migrants of necessity must assimilate and adjust to the new society. We cannot assume that migrants have little alternative to such adjustment. We need to examine the ways they define themselves in their new societies. Applying the pluralism perspective permits one to consider the case of migrants who do not assimilate in the system as the functional model expects them to do (see Dashefsky and Lazerwitz 1986). This point will be developed subsequently when we discuss American influences on Israeli society, especially on religious life.
- 5.
Parts of the preceding section are derived from Dashefsky et al. (1984).
- 6.
References
Ajzen, L., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.
Alba, R., & Chamlin, M. B. (1983). A preliminary examination of ethnic identification among whites. American Sociological Review, 48, 240–247.
Beijer, G. (1969). Modern patterns of international migratory movements. In J. A. Jackson (Ed.), Migration (pp. 11–59). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Bogue, D. (1961). Techniques and hypotheses for the study of differential migration. International Population Conference 1961: Paper 114.
Bogue, D. (1969). Principles of demography. New York: Wiley and Sons.
Dashefsky, A. (Ed.). (1976). Ethnic identity in society. Chicago: Rand McNally.
Dashefsky, A., & Lazerwitz, B. (1986). North American migration to Israel: Stayers and leavers. Contemporary Jewry, 7, 44–63.
Dashefsky, A., DeAmicis, J., & Lazerwitz, B. (1984). American emigration: Similarities and differences among migrants to Australia and Israel. Comparative Social Research, 7, 337–347.
Eisenstadt, S. N. (1954). The absorption of immigrants. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Goldscheider, C. (1971). Population, modernization, and social structure. Boston: Little Brown.
Herman, S. W. (1970). American students in Israel. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Homans, G. C. (1964). Bringing men back in. American Sociological Review, 29, 809–818.
Jackson, J. A. (Ed.). (1969). Migration. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Jansen, C. (1969). Some sociological aspects of migration. In J. A. Jackson (Ed.), Migration (pp. 60–73). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Lee, E. (1966). A theory of migration. Demography, 3, 47–57.
Lewin, K. (1936). Principles of topological psychology. New York: McGraw Hill.
Lewin, K. (1951). In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Field theory in social science. New York: Harper & Row.
Matras, J. (1973). Population and societies. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
Newman, W. M. (1973). American pluralism. New York: Harper & Row.
Petersen, W. (1970). A general typology of migration. In C. J. Jansen (Ed.), Readings in the sociology of migration (pp. 49–68). Oxford: Pergamon.
Petersen, W. (1975). Population (3rd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Rossi, P. H. (1955). Why families move: A study in the social psychology of residential mobility. Glencoe: Free Press.
Stouffer, S. A. (1940). Intervening opportunities: A theory relating mobility and distance. American Sociological Review, 5, 845–867.
Thomas, W. I., & Znaniecki, F. (1920). The Polish peasant in Europe and America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. (1975). Historical statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
United Nations Demographic Yearbook, 1977. (1978). New York: United Nations.
Warren, R., & Kraly, E. P. (1985). The elusive exodus: Emigration from the United States. Population Trends and Public Policy, 8, 1–17.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dashefsky, A., Woodrow-Lafield, K.A. (2020). International Migration: Sociological or Social Psychological Phenomenon?. In: Americans Abroad. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1795-1_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1795-1_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-024-1793-7
Online ISBN: 978-94-024-1795-1
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)