Marriage in the context of immigration.
Two very important life events, marriage and immigration, often take place in close relation to one another. It is common, for example, for a couple to marry and emigrate together or for a recent immigrant to marry a native of the new country. In addition to addressing the effect of culture on marriage, the article discusses how these two life events parallel each other and how they interact with each other. In both marriage and immigration, the individual must mourn the loss of old objects and make a commitment to new objects. The personal choices made and reactions to those choices are attempts to meet intrapsychic needs, sometimes normal and sometimes pathological. In addition, both marriage and immigration create intrapsychic needs that the other may be used to fill. A clinical example illustrates these points.
Youakim
James M
JM
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, 833 Chestnut East, Suite 210, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
D003469:Culture; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged