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Chapter 1 - Understanding the Immigration Challenge

A Psychological Examination toward Solutions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2026

Fathali M. Moghaddam
Affiliation:
Georgetown University, Washington DC
Margaret J. Hendricks
Affiliation:
US Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency
Raimundo Salas-Schweikart
Affiliation:
Georgetown University, Washington DC
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Summary

The introductory chapter introduces the contemporary challenge of immigration from a psychological perspective. The focus is on how host society members and immigrants feel about and perceive the situation. In the twenty-first century, at least some host society members in Western and non-Western countries perceive immigration as a threat. This perceived threat can be economic (e.g., they are coming here and taking our jobs) and/or cultural (e.g., they are not adapting to our way of life and language, but continuing to live in their own ways). Central to the controversy of immigration is national identity, and the threat of immigrants against “who we are.” The plan of the book and the major psychological themes underlying immigration are described.

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