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General Comments on ImmigrationLosses arising from migration are particularly difficult to work through because not only is the trauma of the losses of family, support structures, roots, identity, cultural affiliation and so on itself a major hurdle to have to overcome, but immigrants in their new country are often faced with enormous cultural differences which may test them in ways completely unimaginable. Understanding and working through culture shock forms a large segment of the adjustment process and it is this which forms the major initial stages of the coping process. Outwardly, moving from one culture to another, very different culture, would present the greatest challenge for the migrant, on the basis that the change is so dramatic. In contrast, moving from one culture to a seemingly similar culture, would appear to be much easier, but the sting in the tail here is that the very similarities may often present the greatest challenges because of the subtleties of difference. And there are further factors which impinge on the whole process. Coming into play is the concept of disenfranchised grief - grief which a person experiences after incurring a loss which cannot be openly acknowledged, publicly mourned or socially properly supported. Thus, for example, wealthy immigrants who arrive with substantial financial resources which insulate them from the more immediate aspects of having to make a go of things, find themselves somewhat alone in struggling with their adjustment process. They have money - what's the big deal? Their grief is truly disenfranchised - and they often have an extremely difficult adjustment process. Added to this is the lack of the immediate need to earn enough to live - the crucial imperative which can provide a purpose and drive which gives existential meaning during the early period. Finally, in terms of an existential understanding of the grieving process as it applies here in Australia, there have been numerous articles which talk of the pain and suffering of grief and the logotherapeutic or ‘meaning’ aspect to this process. Australia is a country blessed with a profusion of wonderful qualities of life – wonderful weather, a wonderful infrastructure in so many areas, spaciousness, reliable financial and social institutions – the list is almost endless. But the very fact of its ‘success’ as a smoothly functioning society belies the fact that it might share, as with other similar societies, the ‘meaning’ imperative. Life is good in Australia, and its very goodness lays emphasis on the good life - a focus on hedonism and the pleasure principle as opposed to grappling with the mystery of suffering and the meaning and purpose of life. In trying to understand problems of immigration, it is worthwhile to have a brief look at how one's identity is formed, and how one's value systems are established. This has been of particular interest to me personally since I have had personal experience of it, owing to having lived in 3 different countries and having encountered dramatic shifts in value systems afresh, each time. Understanding something about peoples' perceptions, apperceptions, constructs, biases and attitudes - their sense of right and wrong - forms the basis of any work involving immigration adjustment. People's views of the world are subjective and despite any semblance of a purely intellectual approach, people - all people - are caught up in their own heuristics - biases which entrap them and keep them locked into tight cubicles of right/wrong, good/bad. The following is a brief précis of one aspect of people’s cognitions. It is crude – by no means comprehensive – but it does illustrate the notion I am trying to convey.
How people acquire their world-view
Once one is enmeshed in a particular value system, there are seeming self-evident issues resulting from the common values of that value system and some of these seeming self-evident issues may be as follows.
Yet, even looking at some trite examples of right/wrong, there are fringe areas where things are not so clear and we will look at some of these later. Much of this depends on one's views of reality and for the sake of completion, it is worth going one level deeper and actually looking at the fact that despite having examined the actuality or reality of one precepts, one level lower there is further scope to introspect - to see where we are at and how we got there. Two major views of reality
Whatever stance we take, unknown to us, it is extremely difficult for people to get in touch with their biases and assumptions, however innocuous, because by one definition of bias, a bias is an unconscious prejudice. It is a heuristic. Here lies the trap because the immigration experience is beset by contrasting value judgements and the immigrant is constantly comparing the old and the new, and is constantly making value judgments about the differences. Despite the conscious understanding of the subjective nature of value systems, people are trapped by right/wrong and my own clinical experience suggests that the only value-free, emotionally neutral difference which is generally accepted without a value judgment, is driving-on-the-left versus driving-on-the-right. People are able to viscerally understand that there is no material difference in choosing left or right as the 'correct' side to drive on and they do not get trapped into good/bad judgements in this area. Apart from this, everything else is often judged and often found wanting and it is this area which is addressed next. For those who are interested in exploring this area further, there are numerous books on the subject. Here are some of them - the books listed hereunder are grouped into rough topics but the main feature of this part of the bibliography is to give the reader some overview of the fact that the acquisition of value systems is arbitrary, and that deeply held views are often held as true and correct despite logical proof of their arbitrariness or even incorrectness. The major pioneers in this area were Tversky and Kahneman, who have written numerous papers resulting from their extensive research, on how people make decisions. They have showed conclusively how people labour under heuristics and biases and make illogical choices, economically and otherwise, whatever their backgrounds. BIBLIOGRAPHYImmigration and Culture ShockAciman, A., (1999) Letters of Transit: Reflections on Exile, Identity, Language and Loss. New York: The New Press Armstrong, D., (2001) The Voyage of Their Life: The Story of the SS Derna and its Passengers. Australia: HarperCollins Cas, J., (1979) Another Beginning: Through the Israeli Looking Glass. Tel Aviv: Dvir Katzman Publishers Fredriksson, M., (2001) Inga & Mira. London: Orion Havenhand, B., (1997) Working Overseas. Newcastle: Global Exchange Hempshell, M., (1997) Working Holidays Abroad. London: Kuperard Hoffman, E., (1989) Lost in Translation. Harmondsworth: Penguin Orbaum, S., (1998) But Seriously. Jerusalem: Ayalon Press Pollock, D.C. and Van Reken, R.E., (2001) Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up among Worlds. Maine: Nicholas Brealey Publishing Said, E., (1999) The Paradox of Identity. New York: Routledge Said, E., (1999) Out of Place: A Memoir. London: Granta Books Shahar, L. and Kurz, D., (1995) Border Crossings: American Interactions with Israelis. Maine: Intercultural Press Treborlang, R., (1996) How to be Normal in Australia. Potts Point: Mitchell Press
Making Judgements and Coming to Decisions.
De Bono, E. (1991) I am Right You are Wrong. London: Penguin
Some specific books on contentious/charming issues.
Campbell, J., (2001) The Liar’s Tale: A History of Falsehood. New York London: W.W. Norton and Company
This last book deals with contentious issues where value systems run deep and absolute – where ideas from one society are diametrically opposed to, and anathema to the ideas of another society. 
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