THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

About the Book

South Asians undergo additional sources of stress due to migration and ‘culture clash’. Some fail to get the appropriate help, as their cultural background is not understood, while others find it hard keeping a balance between the Western and Eastern values. This book shows the study and research carried out looking at the perception of stress re: family and lifestyle amongst South Asian parents living in England (first generation) in comparison with their children (second generation) who are either born or brought up in England. South Asians’ insight on the notions of stress in the context of cultural migration and family dynamics is captured.

About the Author

Have you ever felt that you are living two different lives? South Asians experience the challenges that arise living in two different worlds due to the culture clash. ‘Thousands of Asians after the second world war flocked to Britain. While some succeeded financially, they faced a profound culture shock as they grappled with differences in language, climate, clothing, food, and attitudes. The children of these immigrants are often more at home in the host culture than that of their ethnic background and find it hard keeping a balance between the two different nations’ (Gidoomal, 1993). Sangeeta Bhalla (1985), born in New Delhi, capital of India, and raised in London (Greenford) at the age of six months, is one of the many who found it a struggle, trying to keep a balance upholding her traditional culture in which she was born into while accepting Western values growing up in a multi-ethnic society trying to form her own identity. She spent her childhood watching her family succeed in building a home from scratch with no support and overcoming obstacles of trying to adapt to a new culture and lifestyle. Nevertheless, generation gap, clash of ideas/values, and expectations due to culture clash still remain in most South Asian family dynamics. The issues associated with lack of understanding between the two generations inspired Sangeeta to study this further in her MSc Health Psychology dissertation. South Asian responses to the project encouraged her to transform her dissertation into a book as a learning resource for individuals to gain understanding of the impact of cultural migration on the psychosocial perceptions of stress amongst South Asians in the UK as well as South Asian parents and children to obtain a better understanding of each other to overcome barriers formed by generation gap/culture clash . . . My Achievement: BSc psychology, worked at the national centre for young people with epilepsy (NCYPE), currently pursuing a career as a speech therapist and living independently in Brixton.