The Immigrant Narrative
The chapter on the immigrant narrative explains the role of human narratives in identity development and explains the origins, meanings, and importance of the quintessential American narrative, which is known as the narrative of the redemptive self. It explains how understanding the dynamics of this particular narrative facilitates the understanding of the American cultural experience and how many aspects of this narrative parallel the immigrant experience. It discusses the concepts of historical truth and narrative truth. It explains how the use of narratives can serve as a useful therapeutic tool to help the immigrant work through the traumas and losses associated with migration and to negotiate the different stages of transformation of the immigrant’s identity. This chapter also explains the neurobiology of memory formation and the distortions of memory and narrative that may result from psychological trauma. It discusses how psychotherapy involves the creation of new, more adaptive narratives that can provide healing and personal growth and its relevance in the immigrant experience. It also discusses immigrant narratives in contemporary literature and how these can be used as a therapeutic tool with the younger generations of immigrants. The chapter is illustrated with various clinical cases.