subject: Psychological barriers affecting the adaptation of immigrants in Estonia [print this page] Psychological barriers affecting the adaptation of immigrants in Estonia
At the end of 2006, according to official national statistics Eurostat estimates that the total number of non-nationals living in the EU Member States was 29 million, representing 5.8% of the total EU population. More than half of these were citizens of non-EU countries. According to the integration laws of many European countries, all refugees and immigrants, as well as their family members have to participate in some kind of adaptation program, one of the components being language training. The development and application of adaptation programs and supporting services are provided in many European countries including Estonia. However, research reveals that in spite of the availability of the adaptation programs, new immigrants often fail to adapt to the new society and prefer to live in segregation.
The study conducted in the Berlin Institute for Population and Development (2009) found that Turks in particular, the second largest group of immigrants after ethnic Germans from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, are faring badly, even after decades of living in Germany. It shows that foreigners who come to live in Germany tend to remain strangers, even after 50 years and three generations in some cases. Research claims that many Turks who came to Germany as guest workers decades ago didn't want to become part of German society, they formed ghettos and didn't establish much contact with Germans, and all that made it harder for their children to find a place within German society (Elger, Kneip and Theile, 2009). Immigrants claim that strong ties with the local ethnic community provide support and assistance during the first days in a variety of ways and ease adaptation, however, in a long run these strong ties become an obstacle for social adaptation and mobility (Rannut 2005, 2009; Menjivar 1997).
Social class is of course a significant factor in adaptation as it typically determines the nature of social network and life chances (Portes and Rumbaut, 1990; Portes and Walton, 1981). Lower-class people are less able to control their life events and tend to experience greater distress. It is claimed that educated middle-class immigrants and those coming from urban areas cope more easily than those of the lower social classes. However, we must admit that it is not always the case because sometimes their moblility is restricted by travelling out of their country and becoming a lower non-mobile social class in the new society. Ward, Bochner and Furnham (2001) emphasize the significance of culturally relevant social skills and social interaction required from immigrants to survive. By observing and interviewing new immigrants in Estonia we discovered that besides social and cultural factors there are lot of individual psychological factors (e.g. feeling of isolation, low self-esteem, negative attitudes, anxiety, frustration, distress, low motivation) affecting their adjustment and success. These factors influence their choices when establishing contacts with locals and being active in job seeking, in business and in communication.
Studies of sojourners adaptation reveal that confidence in their ability to speak local language has an important influence on their actual command of the language and of the development of social relations (Sewell and Davidsen 1961). As pointed out by Lazarus (1966) individuals who are insecure are likely to seek social support from the less threatening ethnic individuals. According to the Krashen's affective filter hypothesis a number of affective variables play a facilitative role in second language acquisition. These variables include: motivation, self-confidence and anxiety. Krashen claims that learners with high motivation, self-confidence, a good self-image, and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for success in second language acquisition and intergation. Low motivation, low self-esteem, and debilitating anxiety can combine to raise the affective filter and form a mental block that prevents comprehensible input from being used for acquisition. This is confirmed also by my own research results among immigrant children (2005) and my observations among adult immigrants during the piloting of the adaptation course in Estonia (2009). Immigrants with low anxiety level didn't afraid to make mistakes, communicated more often and developed more quickly social skills needed for effective communication. New immigrants with low self-confidence and higher anxiety level were less successful in language acquisition and in making new contacts, thus, they preferred to surround themselves with people from their own nationality or language group. Our self-esteem consists of positive and negative feelings we have about ourselves. An increase in our self-esteem will produce a decrease in our anxiety which leads to more effective communication and social mobility which yealding in more social contacts, better job opportunities and higher social mobility.
