The effects of expatriation on identity: case study

Abstract

The text focuses effects of expatriation experiences on individuals. After a review of literature on the subject, the paper introduces testimonies of individuals who are currently living, or lived in the past, expatriation experiences, obtained through semi-structured interviews. The main objective of the work is to recognize in those reports the occurrence of identity transformations on individuals due to the expatriation experience, taking Zaharna’s concept of self-shock (1989) as theoretical framework. The paper also aims to identify in expatriates’ experiences patterns of adjustment to host culture proponed by classic expatriation literature. The analysis of results indicates the existence of empirical support for the self-shock hypothesis, while most of expatriates did not report experiences befitting central assumptions of classic theory on expatriates’ adjustment process.