Giving Back to Society What Society Gave Us”

Altruism, Coping, and Meaning Making by Two Refugee Communities in South Australia

Bibliographic Data

ID11510634
AuthorsTeresa Puvimanasinghe (0000-0003-2212-4381, The University of Adelaide, corresponding author), Linley A Denson (0000-0002-9669-8970, The University of Adelaide), Martha Augoustinos (0000-0002-7212-1499, The University of Adelaide), Daya Somasundaram (0000-0003-3305-3320, The University of Adelaide)
Year2014
Volume49
Issue5
Pages313-321
Publication date2014-08-27
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAustralian Psychologist (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0005-0067 • E-ISSN: 1742-9544
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/ap.12065
OpenAlexW1540804724
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited28

We aimed to explore how refugee people utilised their coping resources and strategies to find meaning in their past and present experiences. Using an experience‐centred narrative approach, we analysed the stories of 24 former refugees from two African countries resettled in South Australia. Data analysis revealed altruism and helping behaviour as a prominent and recurring theme of participants' narrated lives. This meta‐theme encompassed four subthemes: (a) surviving war and exile, (b) adapting to Australian society, (c) reaching back home, and (d) meaning making through religious beliefs. Helping, cooperating, and sharing were entwined with participants' coping strategies and meaning making of experience. Participants' socio‐historical, cultural, and religious context influenced the interpretations of their experiences. Taken together, our findings identified a counter narrative in refugee mental health research beyond trauma and psychopathology. Specifically, we have shown that when the refugee experience is also accompanied by situational contingencies such as receiving help and being called upon to help, together with evaluations such as empathy, identification with suffering, and gratitude, people can be motivated to help others. Future research is needed to explore how altruism and helping behaviour can promote healing from trauma, alleviate distress of separation, and ameliorate acculturation stress among diverse refugee populations

Altruism (biology · Coping (psychology · Distress · Empathy · Gratitude · Mental health · Narrative · Political science · Psychotherapist · Refugee · Situational ethics · Sociology · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Homelessness and Social Issues · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Social Psychology

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