Motivations and domain specificity in intercultural adaptation : bloggers' experiences in their new host countries

Abstract

The current qualitative study investigates immigrant’s intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external) motivations and how they surface in the intercultural adaption process. Additionally, it aims to answer whether immigrant’s adaptation orientations differ between private and public (life) domains by testing Boski’s (2008) IAFS model [the model of integration as functional(partial) specialization]. It is a fairly recent model of adaptation and only few prior studies have utilized it. The study concentrates on voluntary migrants, individuals, who have made a personal choice to leave their homelands. In the current study naturally occurring data in a form of weblogs were utilized as research data. The data was analyzed with an experience-centered(personal) narrative approach. Short stories were created based on the blogs, thus, it was seen important to give an overview of the bloggers’ lives in their new host countries. The results seem to imply that extrinsic motivations alone, without any intrinsic motivation, are not enough to support immigrant’s adaption. The data showed that intrinsic motivation can be a powerful source of personal strength. Hence, if a stranger has a firm internal motivation, one is motivated to work hard to adapt. On the contrary, if an immigrant is not motivated intrinsically, external pressure or incentives may not be enough to overcome the lack of immigrant’s intrinsic motivation. Nevertheless, extrinsic motivations may enhance existing intrinsic motivation. Concerning the IAFS model, the results show that distinction between the immigrant’s adaptation strategies in private and public domains were not as visible as in previous studies. The current study, yet, partly supported IAFS model since one out of three bloggers adapted according to the model. Nevertheless, the notion of domain specificity is an interesting discovery and deserves more focus in the field.