Stress and Migration

Stress occurs when an individual confronts a salient situation in which her/his usual modes of behavior are inadequate and the consequences of not adapting are sufficiently disturbing to result in a disruption in homeostasis. Situations are not objectively stressful but are constructed as such by individuals in terms of social and cultural norms. Stress may be viewed as both a cause and a consequence of migration. On the causative level, stress in any given location may act as a motivator of migration – when people believe that they can reduce stress and improve their overall situation by migrating to a different setting. In order for stress to serve as an effective motivator, two conditions are required: (a) a level of stress which is perceived as sufficiently powerful and salient to justify uprooting oneself and one's family from a familiar setting; (b) knowledge about the destination and a belief that conditions there will provide less stress and a more satisfactory setting.