The Unwelcome Migrants and Their Impossible Narration

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Social Work

Background:

• Refugees and asylum seekers often experience traumatic breakups impacting their sense of self.
• Integrating past suffering is essential for building a meaningful life in a host country.
• Supportive environments are necessary for processing and narrating traumatic experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define the cornerstones of good hospitality for migrants.
• To explore the role of authenticity in helping relationships with refugees and asylum seekers.
• To understand how hospitality can foster emotional investment in host countries.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis based on experience at a Centre for Refugees and Asylum Seekers.
• Exploration of the psychological impact of trauma on migrants' sense of self.
• Examination of the dynamics within helping relationships in a support setting.

Main Results:

• Good hospitality facilitates emotional investment by enabling the narration of dissociated experiences.
• A supportive environment is key for migrants to elaborate and integrate past traumas.
• Authenticity in helping relationships prevents compliant adaptation and fosters genuine self-expression.

Conclusions:

• Effective hospitality supports migrants in reconstructing their sense of self and integrating traumatic experiences.
• Authentic helping relationships are vital for empowering refugees and asylum seekers.
• Fostering emotional investment is central to successful integration in the host country.