The Psychology of Puerto Rican Migration

The psychology of the Puerto Rican migrant to the United States mainland is explored. Puerto Ricans have been migrating to the U.S. mainland and returning to Puerto Rico for more than 125 years, and, in fact, approximately 57% of all Puerto Ricans have migrated at one time or another. The migrant experience, including the circular migration experienced by many Puerto Ricans, has been recorded in popular Puerto Rican literature. "Impressionistic" data from informal interviews has confirmed the patterns of migration depicted in literature. Five stages of migration are identified as: (1) the anticipation before migration; (2) the act of migration; (3) overcompensation in the early period following migration; (4) decompensation after the initial period of euphoria; and (5) eventual adaptation. The transgenerational impacts of migration are traced. Few, if any, Puerto Rican migrants have migrated alone; all exist in the context of Puerto Rican culture. An understanding of the psychology of migration and Puerto Rican culture is essential for the professional working with the Puerto Rican child. (Contains 33 references.) (SLD)