Immigration, Stress, and Readjustment

by Zeev Ben-Sira

Overview

Migration nowadays is a universal phenomenon often instigating extreme changes in the entire life cycle of the immigrants. Occasionally, immigration is liable to impose a certain degree of change also on the life of the absorbing society at large or of substantial sectors of it. Professor Ben-Sira, a world figure in medical sociology, advances the understanding of the factors that promote or impede readjustment of immigrants and of members of the absorbing society who may feel affected by that immigration. The author surveyed 500 new immigrants to Israel from the former Soviet Union, as well as 900 members of the absorbing society in order to understand the process of immigration and integration. This book not only contributes to the understanding of the factors explaining readjustment in the wake of immigration, but also provides insights with respect to the relationship between life-change and stress.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275956325
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	10/28/1997
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.62(d)
Lexile:	1430L (what's this?)

About the Author

ZEEV BEN-SIRA (1925-1996) was Chair of the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Director of the School of Social Work at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and for many years a Senior Research Associate at the Louis Gutman Israel Institute of Applied Social Research. He also served as a central committee member of the Israeli Sociological Association. In addition, he was Visiting Professor at Rutgers University, at Washington University in Seattle, and at UCLA's School of Public Health. He was the author of many papers and books, including Regression Stress and Readjustment in Aging (Praeger, 1991).

Table of Contents

Introduction—Immigration: A Stress-Precipitating Change
Immigration: A Paradox of a Simultaneously Desirable and Disillusioning Life Change
Immigration and Stress: A General Overview
Immigration and Readjustment
Integration
Demands, Stressors and Catalysts
Coping and Resources
An Empirical Model of Adjustment
Conclusion
Appendix A: Study Design
Appendix B: Composite Variables
Appendix C: The Concept of Stress
Appendix D: Methodology
Appendix E: Intercorrelations Among Components of the Readjustment Process: Veterans
Appendix F: Intercorrelations Among Components of the Readjustment Process: Immigrants
Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

A medical sociology study of Jews who immigrated from the former Soviet Union to Israel between 1990 and 1993, with a control group of Jews native to Israel for at least a generation and immigrants from other parts of the world. Among the topics elucidated are reasons for migrating and the absorbing society's perspectives, integration, demands, stressors, catalysts, and coping and resources. Also proposes an empirical model of readjustment. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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