A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Latino Immigrant’s Ambiguous Loss of Homeland

Abstract

Understanding the complex psychological processes that underlie postmigration experiences can assist those settling into a new land. We propose a conceptual framework that examines two distinct emotional experiencesambiguous loss of homeland (ALH) and relative satisfaction (RS) between the country of origin (CO) and the host country. This framework emerges from interviews with 55 Spanish-speaking immigrants to the United States and results in four quadrants: (1) "pulled there" (feels loss of homeland strongly and prefers CO to the United States); (2) "neither here nor there" (does not feel loss of homeland strongly, however, prefers CO to the United States); (3) "mostly here" (does not feel loss of homeland strongly and prefers the United States); and (4) "here but pulled there" (feels loss of homeland strongly, however, prefers the United States). The conceptual framework of ALH and RS contributes to the immigration literature and is not exclusive to Latinos, but to the growing global immigrant and refugee population.

Perez Ambiguous Loss of Homeland Scale: Measuring Immigrants’ Connection to Their Country of Origin

“…The PALH scale was developed and validated to measure and increase understanding of the immigrant experience. Based on the conceptual framework (Perez & Arnold-Berkovits, 2018), this scale is intended to capture three factors: ALH, satisfaction with the homeland, and satisfaction with the United States, where the difference between the latter two factors provides a measure of RS (the difference between an immigrant's recalled satisfaction with their CO and their current satisfaction with the United States). The axes in Figure 1 represent the ALH and RS dimensions of the conceptual framework.…”

“…The conceptual framework developed by Perez and Arnold-Berkovits (2018) for developing the PALH measurement tool introduced in this article outlines two dimensions: ALH and relative satisfaction (RS) between the country of origin (CO) and the host country (the United States). The two dimensions of the conceptual framework, and how they informed the scale development process, are discussed in the sections that follow.…”

“…Figure 1 illustrates graphically the conceptual framework (Perez & Arnold-Berkovits, 2018). The first dimension captures the immigrants' level of ALH (low to high).…”

“…Validation of the PALH. Construct validation of the PALH was performed in two ways: First by comparing factor analysis results to the conceptual framework by Perez and Arnold-Berkovits (2018). Construct validity was evidenced by the instrument's ability to measure the two predicted dimensions: ambiguous loss and RS.…”

“…Individuals with ambiguous loss of homeland (ALH) may struggle with such questions as “Will I ever be able to return to my homeland?” or “Where is home now?” ALH is experienced as a loss lacking closure and may include keeping the homeland psychologically present (Perez, 2013; Perez & Arnold-Berkovits, 2018; Tourangeau et al, 2001). ALH may be related to constructs such as acculturation, homesickness, loss, and mourning, but the lack of closure can make ALH persist.…”