Uncanny Phenomenon: Existential Experiences among Iranian International Students
Date
2020-09-15
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Abstract
As the number of Iranian international students in Canada continues to increase in the light of the recent socio-political unrests in Iran, studying the acculturation experiences of this population has become increasingly important for providing effective counselling. The existing literature on adjustment of international students has been critiqued for pathologizing the acculturation challenges of this population, while neglecting their underlying existential importance. Existential concerns, which reflect individuals’ conflicts with death anxiety, meaninglessness, isolation, and freedom, have been universally identified as a fundamental concern of humanity (Yalom, 1980). Cross-cultural transitions can provoke existential concerns since the challenges of acculturation can often touch on underlying existential meanings. In this study, I conducted semi-structured interviews with six Iranian international students to explore the existential inquiries that arose during acculturation. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith et al., 2009) of participants’ experiences resulted in three overarching themes: (a) Migration as a Boundary Situation, (b) Facing Existential Concerns, and (c) Coping with Existential Concerns. I discuss these findings within the context of acculturation literature and present implications for counsellors and researchers in the field of counselling psychology.
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Iranian international students, cross-cultural transition, migration, acculturation, existential concerns
Citation
Didehvar, M. (2020). Uncanny Phenomenon: Existential Experiences among Iranian International Students (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.