The subjective experience of the expatriate: A systematic review of literature

Context. - Expatriation is a form of migration and temporary exile, characterized by a voluntary departure abroad and frequent back and forth with the country of origin. Globalization and international mobility over the past 50 years have resulted in an increase in the number of expatriates worldwide. Even when choosing to move abroad, some expatriates encounter difficulties that lead to illness and recourse to psychotherapy. This article offers a synthesis of the results of a review of the literature on the subjective experiences of expatriates. Objectives. - Our review of the literature aims to better understand the experience of expatriation, and the crises some expatriates go through during their stay abroad. Clinical practice treating expatriates is a complex situation, occurring in a specific context. However, expatriation has only recently become the subject of clinical psychological research. Economics and the sciences of sociology, demography, and work psychology, appear to have been the first to study this phenomenon. The objective was then to understand why some expatriates ended their expatriation prematurely. In the clinical psychology field, the paradigms of cultural adaptation and acculturation have been widely invoked as reasons for determining expatriate suitability and for establishing recommendations of preparation programs. If we recognize the adaptive dimension, we move away from these concepts to promote the subjective experience of the expatriate. To date, we have only found one publication on expatriation which specifically examines the consequences of expatriation for the family. It highlights a need for research that takes into account the variability of expatriation contexts and individual pathways. We therefore conducted a literature review on the subjective experience of the expatriate. Method. - A broad search on EBSCO and Google Scholar was conducted in English and French, successively using the key words EXPATRITION, EXPATRIATE, EXPATRIE. This first search phase led us to limit the scope of our research to the subjective experience of the expatriate. In order to gather existing data, we used the PRISMA method. Of the 423 publications extracted from different search engines, we selected and analyzed 25 papers published between 1992 and 2022. Results. - Expatriation appears to be a complex subjective experience, which can reveal a state of crisis in its dimension of upheaval, but also with the potential of creating new order. The literature highlights the articulation of latent reasons for departure and the accompanying crises that some expatriates may experience because of a wish to escape from an original environment, the desire to break with the family, and a search for oneself. Separation from the original environment and exposure to a foreign environment can cause archaic anxieties to resurface and summon the ability to be alone. The narcissistic and identity crisis generated is manifested by schizophrenic phenomena (rejection of the foreigner or the country of origin), relational disorders, and depressive disorders. At the same time, the experience can open up a transitional space conducive to the emergence of the Self, to the re- appropriation of poorly introjected objects, and open up an evolution of the bonds of filiation and affiliation. Conclusion. - If the stay abroad can lead to narcissistic and identity disorders, it appears in the literature as a rite of passage allowing for maturation phenomena. As part of this doctoral research, we further explore the nature of the crisis, and how psychotherapy can provide support during the transformation process involved.