Abstract
A conceptual model was developed and tested to identify personal and situational factors which differentiate successful from unsuccessful planners of voluntary long-distance moves among the elderly. Potential migrants to Israel were identified at their point of origin and followed-up to ascertain whether they actually moved. This group generally shared a desire for a more challenging lifestyle and for opportunities to help others. A comparison group of movers (N = 97) revealed that ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors in the environment of destination were far more important in differentiating these two groups than were factors in the environment of origin. Attachments, personal ties and familiarity with the new environment also emerged as significant predictors of moving. Selective evaluations of advantages of the new environment and obstacles to the move also differentiated movers from non-movers. Being married and in good health served as useful resources to facilitate the move. ka]Key Words kb]cross-national migration kb]voluntary relocation kb]elderly migration kb]migrant characteristics kb]environments kb]migration
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References cited
Averill, J. 1973 Personal Control Over Adversive Stimuli and Its Relationship to Stress. Psychological Bulletin 80: 286–303.
Barsby, S. L., and D. R. Cox 1975 Interstate Migration of the Elderly. Lexington Mass: D. C. Heath.
Biggar, J. C. 1980 Reassessing Elderly Sunbelt Migration. Research on Aging 2: 177–190.
Budner, S. 1962 Intolerance of Ambiguity as a Personality Variable. Journal of Personality 30: 29–50.
Finley, G. E. 1983 Fear of Crime in the Elderly. In the Abuse and Maltreatment of the Elderly. J.I. Kosberg, ed. Littleton, Mass.: John Wright-PSE.
Flynn, C. B. 1979 A Comparison of Interstate Migration Patterns for the Elderly and the General United States Population. In Aged Migration in the United States, 1976–1970: Final Report. C. B. Flynn, J. C. Biggar, C. F. Longino, Jr., and R. F. Wiseman. Washington, D. C.: National Institute on Aging.
Golant, S. 1977 Spatial Context of Residential Moves by Elderly Persons. International Journal of Aging and Human Development 8: 279–289.
Heintzelman, M. E. and L. A. Fehr 1976 Relationship between Religious Orthodoxy and Three Personality Variables. Psychological Reports 38: 756–758.
Hendrick, C., K. S. Wells, and M. V. Faletti 1982 Social and Emotional Effects of Geographical Relocation on Elderly Retirees. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 42: 951–962.
Hollingshead, A. B., and F. Redlich 1958 Social Class and Mental Illness: A Community Study. New York: John Wiley.
Hull, D. 1979 Migration, Adaptation, and Illness: A Review. Social Science and Medicine 13A: 25–36.
Hunter, A. 1974 Community Change: A Stochastic Analysis of Chicago's Local Communities. American Journal of Sociology 79: 923–947.
Isaacs, H. R. 1967 American Jews in Israel. New York: John Day Company.
Jackson, D. 1970 JPI — A Multi-Factor Approach to Vocational Interest Selection. P.O. Box 984, Port Huron, Mich. Research Psychologists Press Inc.
Kahana, E. 1975 Matching Environments to Needs of the Aged: A Conceptual Scheme. In Late Life: Recent Developments in the Sociology of Aging. J. Gudrium and Charles C. Thomas, eds.
Kahana, E. and B. Kahana 1983 Environmental Continuity, Discontinuity, Futurity and Adaptation of the Aged. In Aging and Milieu: Evironmental Perspectives on Growing Old. G. Rowles and R. Onta, eds. New York, N. Y.: Academic Press, Inc., pp, 205–228.
Langford, M. 1962 Community Aspects of Housing for the Aged (Research Papers No. 5). Ithaca, N. Y.: Center for Housing and Environmental Studies, Cornell University.
Langner, T. S. 1962 A Twenty-two Item Screening Score of Psychiatric Symptoms Indicating Impairment. Journal of Health and Human Behavior 3: 269–276.
Lansing, J. B. and E. Mueller 1967 The Geographic Mobility of Labor. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, Institute for Survey Research.
Lawton, M. A. 1980 Environment and Aging. Monterey, Calif.: Brooks/Cole.
Lawton, M. A. 1975 The Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale: A Revision. Journal of Gerontology, 30: 85–89.
Lawton, M. A., M. H. Kleban, and D. A. Carlson 1973 The Inner City Resident: To Move or Not to Move. Gerontologist 12: 443–448.
Lazarus, R. S., and J. B. Cohen 1977 Environmental Stress. In Human Behavior and the Environment: Current Theory and Research. I. Altman and J. F. Wohlwill, eds. New York, N. Y.: Plenum.
Lee, E. 1969 A Theory of Migration. J. A. Jackson, ed. Cambridge, England: University Press, pp. 282–297.
Lerner, P. R. 1978 Social Security Beneficiaries Residing Abroad, 1976. Washington, D. C.: Social Security Administration, Office of Research and Statistics, HEW Publication No. (SSA) 78–11946.
Longino, C. F. 1979 Going Home-Aged Return Migration in the United States 1965–1970. Journal of Gerontology 34: 736–745.
Magnum, W. P. 1973 Retirement Villagers. In Foundations of Practical Gerontology. R. Boyd, Ramsey, and C. G. Oakes, eds. Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press.
Rogers, T. 1973 Migration of the Aged Population. International Migration 11: 61–71.
Rosow, I. 1967 Social Integration of the Aged. Glencoe, Ill.: Free Press.
Rotter, J. B. 1966 Generalized Expectancies for Internal versus External Control of Reinforcement. Psychology Monographs 80: 609.
Schulz, R. and G. Brenner 1977 Relocation of the Aged: A Review and Theoretical Analysis. Journal of Gerontology 32: 323–333.
Shanas, E. 1962 The Health of Older People. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Shuval, J. T. 1982 Migration and Stress. In Handbook of Stress. L. Goldberger and S. B. Rezmitz eds. New York, N. Y.: Free Press, pp. 667–689.
Thomas, W. I. 1923 The Unadjusted Girl. Boston: Little and Brown.
Valecha, G. K. and T. M. Ostrom 1974 An Abbreviated Measure of Internal-External Locus of Control. Journal of Personality Assessment 38: 369–376.
Wilkinson, L. 1979 Tests of Significance in Stepwise Regression. Psychological Bulletin 86: 168–174.
Wiseman, R. 1980 Why Older People Move: Theoretical Issues. Research on Aging 2: 141–154.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported by Research Grant # MM29687 from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kahana, E., Segall, M., Vosmik, J.L. et al. Motivators, resources and barriers in voluntary international migration of the elderly: The case of Israel-bound aged. J Cross-Cultural Gerontol 1, 191–208 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00116044
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00116044