Psychological Aspects of the Social Isolation of Refugees

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to draw a picture of the social status of a special group of Refugees and to illustrate their individual and group mechanisms of adjustment to the conditions of environmental stress to which they are exposed. This exercise is not purely a descriptive one. I think it is possible to view these people in terms of a wider frame of reference than the exclusive Refugee situation. Their efforts successful and unsuccessful are illustrative of similar mechanisms of reaction to stress of other minority groups in other comparable social situations and if we can extract the essential psycho-dynamic interrelationships that are set up we are in a position to hazard a few generalizations about some aspects of human social behaviour. A few general words should be said about the World Refugee situation of which my study concerns only a relatively small but special aspect. Refugees are persons who have left their country of origin for political racial or religious reasons and cannot or do not wish to avail themselves of the protection of that country. Such refugees are the concern of the international community and fall within the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In addition some countries of first asylum receive a continuous flow of persons whose motives for leaving their country of origin are less clearly defined and frequently appear to be of an economic nature. These are considered to be refugees in the broad sense. (excerpt)