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The role of personality in cross-cultural adjustment: qualitative exploration of introversion and extraversion

University of British Columbia

Supplementing the traditional descriptive emic (intra-cultural) studies, and comparative etic (inter-cultural) analyses, with an idiographic approach (individual personality factors) seems to be an effective strategy for researching the process of cross-cultural adjustment, as experienced by immigrants or refugees. In a phenomenological research format, this double-case study, preceded by a pilot study, has tried to identify patterns of introversion and extraversion in the experience of recent immigrants to Canada during their cross-cultural adjustment process. The analytical perspective of C. G. Jung has been used in viewing the cross-cultural adjustment experience as part of the individuation process, as well as in defining and operationalizing the constructs of introversion and extraversion. The content analyses in the two case studies (one introvert participant and one extravert participant) and the pilot study (one introvert participant) have drawn from multiple sources of evidence: a two-hour in-depth semi-structured interview with each participant, their scores on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, and the participants' responses on a sentence completion blank. In these three case studies (including the pilot study), typical introversion and extraversion themes have been identified and have been found to play an essential role in the immigrants' experience of adjustment to a different culture. The effectiveness of certain assessment techniques and intervention strategies has also been discussed. Implications of the Jungian type theory for the research and practice of cross-cultural counselling have been examined. This study may serve as a basis for the development of a three-dimensional model in cross-cultural counselling.

Thesis/Dissertation

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2009-01-20

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/3814

Counselling Psychology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

DSpace