immigration and family

There are a lot of problems happened due to immigration, the one big issue is alienation between the immigrants parents and their children. There are three main factors lead a alienation in the immigrants families. I will use Chinese immigrants as an example.

1.Dissonant Acculturation
After migration children learn English at a faster speed than their parents resulting in an acculturation gap or “dissonant acculturation” at home. Because of “dissonant acculturation” parents and children develop different, parallel dual frames of reference: parents tend to compare their children’s behaviors with children from China, while their children tend to compare their parents with their friends parents or what they see depicted in the U.S. media.

2.Cultural Perspectives
Sharp differences between Chinese and American parenting may increase dissonance at home, producing a parallel dual frame of reference between parents and children. Chinese parents are likely to be more control-oriented and demand more obedience from their children. Their children compare their parent’s views with that of the American parent who tends to emphasizes more communication, freedom, and less control in their relationship with their children.

3.High Academic Pressure
Chinese parents tend to have very high expectations for their children’s education which may contribute to their children’s reluctance to communicate with their parents.