American Social Culture and the Quest for Social Integration of Newcomers – – New Perspective

American Social Culture and the Quest for Social Integration of Newcomers – – New Perspective Dr Margot Gotzmann Margot@sicda.org The Social Integration of Immigrants in Maryland: A New Comprehensive Approach September 22nd, 2009

Political / State / • Leisure / Entertainment / • MONOSOCIALIZATION • POLISOCIALIZATION • SUBCULTURES OF • AMERICAN SOCIAL CULTURE • personality • crisises • community

Theory of Positive Disintegration K. Dabrowski, philosopher, psychologist and psychiatrist reports, that the personality crisises are not necessarily symptoms of mental disease. On the contrary: personal development is marked with serious psychological crisises. If human being does not experience personality crisises, they must be internally and externally ‘negatively integrated’ on the very primitive level of animal-like existence. Their behavior is characterized by a visible dominance of instinctive reactions, limited mental activity dominated by unrestrained emotions, lack of sensitivity and empathy. His theory of ‘positive disintegration’ classifies the following 4 types of personalities: (1) negatively integrated (internally and externally); (2) negatively disintegrated;

Theory of Positive Disintegration (3) positively disintegrated (people seeking their identities, trying to find, to create their better self, transforming their lives, interested in genuine contacts with others, trying to be responsible for their own activities; (4) positively integrated. The last category covers those who transformed themselves, have already overcame their crisises – by managing them using chosen patterns and integrating themselves around higher values and ideas, being capable of establishing strong positive ties with others, being good, helpful, reliable friends and collaborators. From this perspective, the personality crisises caused by the socializational gap or poli-socialization chaotic pressure, may perfectly serve those seeking their genuine identity, like, for example,

Theory of Positive Disintegration some migrants. But if this externally forced crisis is not being used as a tool to personal transformation, the situation can get worse. In any case the professional assistance is very helpful.

Revolution of Subjects The author of ‘Revolution of Subjects’, K. Obuchowski explains, that every civilizational era or wave, has created separate and adequate to its characteristics – type of personality. Ancient agrarian times produced a role-model personality, fully dependent and conditioned by societal-tribal forces. Role-player was like an object, unable to create its own Views / habits / priorities or to decide independently on anything. The industrial wave has created a learning personality – no longer an object, but still not fully a subject, either. The learner acquired the status of a ‘forced subject’ – going beyond social ascription but still not capable of being fully self-aware. Nowadays we witness an informative era, together with the revolution of subjects – that has

Revolution of Subjects emerged as a mass phenomenon in the 2nd part of the 20th Century, and continued until today, undergoing further modifications. According to Obuchowski, this revolution has been triggered by an appearance of the self-author. This new type of personality is focused on his/her own quality of life, creativity in every aspect of personal and social existence and on contributing to the welfare of all people. These are people whose minds cannot be pigeonholed or treated like an informational trashcan – argues Obuchowski. These three types of personalities do overlap paralelly imposing misunderstandings and conflicts. We can imagine them as migrants.

Hybrids and Cosmopolitans J. Rosenau in his recent book ‘People Count! Networked Individuals in Global Politics’ enlists those called hybrids and those called cosmopolitans, who are in real trouble when asked about their identity. ‘In a world of increasing globalization, many people realize they are not comfortable either as citizens, nor as immigrants – their discomfort is linked to their decreasing sense of territoriality. Citizens and immigrants, who view the world as organized along territorial lines are quite willing, even pleased, to be see as citizens of their country of birth or country of naturalization. Others are confused about their affiliations so they are left to search endlessly for an appropriate identity.’, he says.

Hybrids and Cosmopolitans HYBRIDS _ people who do not have meaningful ties to any country | have been in many countries throughout their lives | have multi-ethnic heritages. COSMOPOLITANS _ see the world as a territory of which they are citizens | mobile people whose allegiance has shifted from countries to corporations and who pause when asked where are they from | care about the well-being of the world, trying to participate in global problem solving | family and friends are important to them | live lives of their minds, travelling to many distant places to discuss with friends | feel ‘at home’ in many countries and cultures | mostly had many educational and professional experiences along with their long-term presence in many countries | commercial

Hybrids and Cosmopolitans pilots, computer programmers, film directors, int’l bankers, media specialist, oil diggers, entertainment celebrities, ecologists, professors, etc. According to Rosenau, we can observe a growing number of hybrids and cosmopolitans in our diverse multi-ethnic, multi-racial societies. They have definitely been migrants, they still are on the move. We can call them, travestying the Dabrowski typology, disintegrated personalities – people who are seeking themselves, going through crisises and tending to finally become positively integrated.

Market Personality Gordon Matthews argues ‘not ethnic identity, but identity as proffered through the market that is finally the greatest force eroding national identity in the world today. Ethnic identity may be opposed to the existing state, but is fundamentally of the same conceptual order as the state-like identity as proffered by the state – ethnic identity is often based on idea of a particular people belonging to a particular place. Market identity, on the other hand is based on belonging to no particular place, but rather to the market, in both its material and cultural forms – in market-based identity, one’s home is the whole world. Matthews believes peoples throughout the affluent, most-mediated world are molded by the material and cultural supermarkets and by the state.

Homesick Personality / Homerich Personality Kath Woodward identifies two different meanings of the notion ‘home’ (from Greek) (1) ‘nostos’ that means ‘return journey’ – to inner world of our heart – home of inner positive feelings like LOVE, FRIENDSHIP, HARMONY, PEACE, BRIGHTNESS, WARMTH, TRUST, CARE, UNDERSTANDING, MUTUAL HELP. Return journey to the better self and better relationships with the others. (2) ‘oikos’ – that means house, household – physical place. Usually people do not recognize these two different layers of meaning. They mix them up in conviction that only this physical house can create this unique, inner home climate. Thus, those human beings suffer tremendously not being able

Homesick Personality / Homerich Personality to come back to their physical place. ‘Even if migration has taken place because of the ‘push factors’ that force people to leave their homes, the place that they have left retains symbolic importance In the constructing of their identity’, writes K. Woodward. We can say we are all migrants – everybody is (in reality) looking for ‘nostos’ – to built on it their own oikos. We became nostalgic – because of that drive. One can conclude – only this psychological home can easily transform people’s endless longing into be-longing.

Models of Integration Philippe Legrain says: ‘Whatever approach countries take to integration, is a two-way street. If immigrants are willing to assimilate to local ways, natives must also be willing to treat them like locals. If society is racist, or even simply indifferent, then with the best will in the world, immigrant will not be able to fit in. Conversely, even if immigrants are accepted into society without being forced to conform, they must also be willing to participate in it. If immigrants want to remain apart, then even the most liberal society will not succeed in integrating them. It takes two to tango.’ If we expect immigrants to abide by the rules of society, we must also make them feel welcome’.

II Universal Concept – Human Development Paradigm Main architect _ Mahbub ul Haq | Other fathers _ Paul Streeten, Armatya Sen, Oxford & Cambridge University researchers | Political affiliation _ UNDP (first global human development (HD) report, 1990 New York) | Short definition _ HD is a process of enlarging people’s choices | How can we use it _ HD indexes can measure HD progress or regress. Human Development report for America says, the U.S. is not doing well, taking the 12th position overall (in 1980 – we ranked 2nd). It is also important to know that each of the 11 countries ahead in the HD ranking, has lower than us income per capita and irrespectively of that they do better transforming their economic growth into good health and educational achievements of their societies. We rank 42nd in the global life expectancy, 34th in

II Universal Concept – Human Development Paradigm survival of infants to age one. African American babies are 2.5 times more likely to die before age one than white babies. Latinos are twice as likely to drop out of high schools than the African Americans and almost 4 times more likely than white students.

HD Report for America Sarah Burd-Sharps, Kristen Lewis, Eduardo Borges Martins (2008) ‘The Measure of America. American Human Development Report 2008-2009’, New York; Social Science Research Council & Columbia University Press, p. 29

for your kind attention Thank you very much

American Social Culture and the Quest for Social Integration of Newcomers – – New Perspective