Return migration and reverse culture shock

The migration it is usually conceived as a process that implies assuming various losses and that requires adaptation to a new context. Among the expectations when leaving for our destination are the challenges that it is assumed will be necessary to overcome.

The return to the place of origin, which is sometimes part of the migratory cycle, tends to catch us more unpreparedSince when considering that you return to a point where you have already been, a significant adaptation process is not considered necessary. This presumption does not take into account that the place of origin, its people and especially the migrant himself, have undergone profound changes during the trip. The changing conditions of return make it possible to consider the return as a second migration.

The return as a second migration

The emotional implications of return migration can sometimes be even more shocking than those of the first migration.

The feeling of strangeness and incompetence with respect to the place that we considered as our own, can be a source of great confusion and uncertainty. The psychological effects of return migration have been conceptualized under the name of

reverse culture shock.

Economic crisis and emigration

Reflection and research on the subject of return has intensified in recent times due to the Migration dynamics that have emerged or increased as a consequence of the global economic crisis of the 2007. The deterioration of the economy and the consequent increase in unemployment in the countries receiving migration has had a much greater impact on the migrant population, which also does not have the resource of family support to which local people have access.

The crisis has also resulted in an increase in social hostility towards this population, which is used as a scapegoat for many of the system's ills. At the same time, there is sometimes a perception that the conditions of the context of origin may have improved, becoming factors that influence so that many more migrants are making the decision to return to the country of their estate.

Return statistics

Statistically, the return occurs in higher proportions in men and in people with low qualifications. Women and skilled professionals tend to be more settled in the duty station. It is also observed that the shorter the distance traveled in the migration, the greater the probability of returning.

Among the motivations for the return, those related to the economic sphere stand out, such as unemployment or job insecurity in the place of destination; consistent family motivations for example in parents who have grown up and need attention or desire to provide children entering adolescence with a more controlled environment or in accordance with the values ​​of the context of source. Difficulties in adapting to the destination environment and discrimination may also be reasons for return.

Research highlights that the longer the stay and the greater the cultural differentiation in the destination, adaptation difficulties increase in return migration. It is highlighted that the circumstances and expectations surrounding our migration, in addition to the particularities of the experience during the stay, substantially influence the way in which the return or returns to the place are experienced originally.

Different ways of leaving and returning

There are different ways to experience return. Here are some of them.

The desired return

For many people, migration is seen as the means to achieve more or less specific objectives, that imply a duration time in certain occasions and in others indefinite. It starts with the expectation and desire that once these objectives are achieved, they will return to the place of origin to enjoy the achievements obtained during the trip.

The objectives can be varied: to carry out an academic specialization, a temporary job of duration determined, save money to provide sufficient capital to carry out an undertaking or buy a living place. Sometimes migration is motivated by negative aspects in the place of origin, such as precariousness employment or insecurity, and then a temporary migration is proposed while these conditions are modified or improve. Migration can also be seen as a respite to accumulate experiences and experiences for a defined time.

In those cases in which the idea of ​​return is very present from the beginning, there is usually a strong appreciation and identification with the customs and traditions of the country of origin. These traditions seek to be recreated in the host place and it is usual that social ties with expatriate compatriots are prioritized. Parallel to the above, there may be resistance to full integration or assimilation with the target culture. It is also common for people who have a strong desire to return to have a high valuation of ties family and social relationships in the country of origin, which they try to continue to maintain and feed despite the distance.

The return in many cases is then the logical consequence of the migratory project: the periods academic or work-related objectives, the economic or experiential objectives are valued to a certain degree proposed. In these cases, the decision to return is usually lived with a high degree of autonomy and not as much as the passive consequence of external circumstances. There is usually a preparation time, which allows you to adjust your expectations to what you can find on your return. The achievements of the trip are also recognized, as well as the benefits they can bring to a new life in the country of origin.

The supports that can be obtained from the social and family networks that have continued to be maintained during the trip are also valued. All these aspects have a positive impact on the adaptation of the return but do not exempt them from being present. difficulties, since although it is possible to return to the physical place it is impossible to return to the imagined place to which it was believed to belong.

The mythical return

Sometimes initial expectations and goals are transformed; it may not be perceived that the proposed objectives have been met or that the hostile conditions that motivated migration have not improved. Perhaps also, with the passage of time, strong roots have been built in the country of destination and those of the country of origin have weakened. The intention to return can then be postponed for years, decades and even generations, sometimes becoming more than a specific intention, a myth of longing.

If it is perceived that the objectives have not been achieved and has to return earlier than planned, the return can be experienced as a failure. Adaptation involves confronting a feeling of discontent, as if something has been left unfinished. The immigrant can go from being a "hero" for the family and the social environment, to becoming an additional burden for family survival.

The unexpected return

There are people who, since their departure, consider migration as the beginning of a new life in a context of greater well-being, so that in principle return is not among their plans. Others arrive with an attitude of openness, waiting to see how the circumstances unfold and decide after a while to put down roots in their destiny. Still others, although they come with the idea of ​​returning, are presented with opportunities or discover aspects that lead them to change their minds over time. There are also migrants who remain indefinitely with open possibilities without radically ruling out any option.

One of the fundamental aspects that leads people to choose to remain indefinitely in their destination, is the perception that their quality of life is higher than what they could have in their country of origin. Quality of life that is described by some migrants as better economic conditions, feeling of security in the streets, better health, education or transportation services, infrastructure, lower levels of corruption and disorganization. Also aspects related to mentality, such as the case of women who find themselves with emancipation and equality quotas that they did not enjoy in their places of origin. For others, the need to live abroad responds to interior aspects, such as the possibility of satisfying their desire for adventure and new experiences. Some migrants report that living abroad allows them to express themselves more genuinely away from an environment that they considered limiting.

In cases where return is no longer seen as a desirable option, there is usually an interest in integrating into the destination culture. This interest does not necessarily imply a distancing or rejection of one's own culture, or the family or social ties of the country of origin. A transnational dynamic is then generated, in which one lives between the two cultures through periodic trips and permanent communication. This transnational dynamic is currently facilitated by the cheaper air travel and the communication possibilities offered by new technologies. On some occasions the transnational dynamics influence the passion for national identity to diminish, acquiring a more obviously hybrid and cosmopolitan character.

Seeing the place of origin with bad eyes

When there is a high appreciation of various aspects that have been experienced in the destination and people are forced to return to their countries of origin, usually due to Family or economic reasons, adaptation on return becomes more complex, requiring habituation to a standard of living that is perceived as lower in some scopes. This can lead to the emergence of hypersensitivity and overvaluation of the aspects that are considered negative in the place of origin. You can then experience everything as more precarious, disorganized and insecure than what other people who are not going through this experience of adaptation perceive.

This hypersensitivity can generate tensions with family and friends who perceive the returnee with attitudes of unjustified contempt. The return sometimes also implies that the person has to confront questions about their lifestyle that it is not according to the prevailing schemes in its place of origin.

It is common then for a feeling of strangeness to emerge and the recognition of the distance that has been established with the original environment. This feeling leads many returnees to experience their stay in the country of origin as a transition while the conditions are met to return to the country of their first migration or a new migration is undertaken to a third country.

The feeling of being neither from here nor from there can be experienced with nostalgia by some migrants for the fact that losing a national referent of identification, but it can also be experienced as a liberation of schemes that corseted. In some then the syndrome of the eternal traveler is generated, who constantly seek to satisfy their need for new experiences and curiosity in different places.

The forced return

The most adverse conditions for return obviously arise when the person wants to remain in the destination and external conditions force him or her with no alternative to return. This is the case of prolonged unemployment, illness of your own or of a relative, expiration of legal residence or even deportation. In cases where economic has been the trigger, it returns when all survival strategies have been exhausted.

For some people, migration has been a way of distancing themselves from family or social situations that are burdensome or conflictive. The return therefore implies leaving a context that seemed more satisfactory and reencounter with situations and conflicts from which they sought to get away.

In cases in which migration has meant leaving behind a past that one wants to overcome, there is usually a high motivation for being fully integrated into the dynamics of the destination context, sometimes even trying to avoid the people of their own country.

In some cases, then, when returning there has been not only a distancing of family ties but also also with friends from the place of origin, in such a way that they cannot function as a support or resource for the adaptation. The return is then experienced almost like an exile that implies confronting many aspects that one hoped to have been able to leave behind. Research highlights that adaptation in these types of return are usually the most difficult also presenting the desire to start a new migration but sometimes with vague plans and little elaborated.

The reverse culture shock

The people who return arrive in the country of their roots with the feeling of having more or less fulfilled their purposes, in other cases with feelings of frustration or sense of defeat, but always with the pressing need to give course to their lives in the existing conditions.

Reverse culture shock refers to this process of readjustment, re-socialization, and re-assimilation within of one's own culture after having lived in a different culture for a period of time significant. This concept has been developed by researchers since the middle of the 20th century, initially based on the difficulties of adapting to the return of exchange students.

Stages of reverse culture shock

Some researchers believe that reverse culture shock starts when homecoming is planned. It is observed that some people perform some rituals with the intention of saying goodbye to their destination and begin to take actions to go to the place of origin.

The second stage is called the honeymoon. It is characterized by the emotion of the meeting with family, friends and spaces that were longed for. The returnee feels the satisfaction of being welcomed and recognized on his return.

The third stage is culture shock itself and emerges when the need to establish a daily life arises once the emotion of reunions has passed. It is the moment when you are aware that your own identity has been transformed and that the place you long for and the people are not as you imagined. The protagonism of the first days or weeks is lost and people are no longer interested in hearing the stories of our trip. This can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation. Doubts, disappointments and regrets then emerge. Returnees may also feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities and choices they have to face. Sometimes the anxieties that this generates can manifest in irritability, insomnia, fears, phobias and psychosomatic disorders.

The final stage is adjustment and integration. In this stage, the returnee mobilizes his adaptation resources to accommodate himself to the new circumstances and the constant longing for the country that welcomed him fades away. The ability to focus on the present and to work towards the achievement of their vital projects is then strengthened.

The ideal is that when the returnee returns to their country they will be aware of the enrichment that the trip has provided them and the experiences they have lived in the host country. Likewise, that they develop the capacity so that these experiences become resources for their new endeavors. It is stated that the stages are not strictly linear, but that one goes through mood swings until little by little a certain stability is achieved.

Bibliographic references:

• Diaz, L. M. (2009). The chimera of return. Migrant Dialogues, (4), 13-20
• Díaz, J. TO. J., & Valverde, J. R. (2014). An approach to the definitions, typologies and theoretical frameworks of return migration. Biblio 3w: bibliographic journal of geography and social sciences.
• Durand, J. (2004). Theoretical essay on return migration. Notebooks
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• Motoa Flórez, J. and Tinel, X. (2009). Back home? Reflections on the return of Colombian and Colombian migrants in Spain. Migrant Dialogues, (4), 59-67
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• Schramm, C. (2011). Return and reintegration of Ecuadorian migrants: the importance of transnational social networks. CIDOB magazine d'afers internacionals, 241-260.
• Valenzuela, U., & Paz, D. (2015). The phenomenon of reverse culture shock an inductive study with Chilean cases.