A psychology of immigration

The discipline of psychology has much to contribute to our understanding of immigrants and the process of immigration. A framework is proposed that la ys out two complementary domains of psychological research, both rooted in contextual factors, and both leading to policy and program development. The first (acculturation) stems from research in anthropology and is now a cen tral part of crosscultural psychology; the second (intergroup relations) st ems from sociology and is now a core feature of social psychology. Both dom ains are concerned with two fundamental issues that face immigrants and the society of settlement: maintenance of group characteristics and contact be tween groups. The intersection of these issues creates an intercultural spa ce, within which members of both groups develop their cultural boundaries a nd social relationships. A case is made for the benefits of integration as a strategy for immigrants and for multiculturalism as a policy for the larg er society. The articles in this issue are then discussed in relation to th ese conceptual frameworks and empirical findings.