The Role of Ego Strengths and Object Relations in Migration Decision-Making

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD Candidate in Clinical Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University.

2 Associate Professor in Health psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

3 Associate Professor in Applied Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

4 Associate Professor in Psychology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

5 Professor in Applied Social Psychology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Abstract

Introduction: Considering the role that ego plays in decision-making and taking action, as well as based on psychoanalytic formulations of the role of object relations and ego adaptive capacity in migration, this study aimed to investigate the role of ego strengths and object relations in immigration decision-making. For this purpose, a comparison was made between people who have decided to stay in Iran (stayers), people who have decided to emigrate (leavers), and people who have not decided yet. Additionally, a comparison was made among leavers between individuals who had begun their migration actions and those who had not yet taken any action.
Method: The sample consisted of 376 Iranian individuals residing in Iran, aged between 20 and 45 years. Data were collected using the Bell Object Relations Inventory (BORI) and the Psychosocial Inventory of Ego Strengths (PIES). Additionally, two researcher-developed questions regarding migration intention and action were included in the questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS.
Results: The results showed that after controlling for sociodemographic features (income, gender, and education), individuals who stayed compared to those who left had higher scores in the strengths of fidelity, love, hope, wisdom, and will, and lower scores in alienation and ego-centricity. The results also indicated that among the group intending to migrate, those who had initiated their actions to immigrate obtained higher scores in wisdom, purpose, and competency, and lower scores in alienation and social incompetency.
Discussion and Conclusion: This study's findings underline the significance of psychological factors and personality in influencing migration decision-making. The results suggest that ego strengths and object-relations play a role in the decision to emigrate. A deeper comprehension of migrant personality could assist in the creation of psychological interventions before and after migration.

Keywords

References

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