An intergenerational study of the Iranian Immigrant

Since the Iranian revolution of 1978 many Iranians have immigrated to other countries including the United States. The main purpose of this study was to identify possible differences between older Iranian immigrants (45 years and older) and younger Iranian immigrants' (20 years and younger) perceptions of how they have been affected by their immigration. Three main topics of study were: Family relationships, self-concept, and security. Seven older and six younger subjects were interviewed by the researcher interviewer. The interview method was based on Colaizzi's (1978) approach. An Interview Question Outline was used to guide the interview process, while the interviewer researcher asked probing and clarification questions as needed. Focus was on the subject's perception of his or her experiences. The major findings were that: (a) Older and younger subjects share a sense of closeness in their family relationships since their immigration; (b) Older subjects feel less secure about their future than they did in Iran, whereas the younger subjects feel more secure about the future than they did in Iran; (c) Older subjects perceive themselves more negatively than before, but the younger subjects perceive themselves more positively since their immigration. Implications were discussed for the Iranian immigrant's life in the United States and some suggestions were made for future research and the cross cultural counselor.