{PSOCIAL}

Most of us have experienced feeling foreign in another country when going on vacation or traveling. When we were not born and raised in a specific country, its culture, customs, and language are foreign to us. When choosing to visit another country, we are forced to quickly compare the customs and traditions we observe with those of our native culture. Based on this experience of foreignness and alienation, we might find simple conversations, meeting locals, or ordering our favorite dish more difficult. The profound decision to migrate and settle down permanently in another country obviously goes beyond a short vacation and experiencing a foreign country through the eyes of a tourist. In order to become a part of a new society and culture, a maximum personal effort is required. The acculturation process in which we will find ourselves immersed will have a permanent effect on our life. The results of this integration process cannot be clearly and binary defined between having integrated or being marginalized by the recipient country. Quite the contrary, migration is a complex phenomenon that integrates a multiplicity of economic, social, psychological, and security aspects, among other elements that can affect daily life (Martínez & Martínez, 2018) It is a very nuanced experience and acculturation in itself has many facets, which is being analyzed in this paper.

Throughout its history, Argentina suffered successive economic and social crises (Sznajder, 2005). Even though most Argentines managed to adapt to an unstable economy and rapid political changes, there are specific periods of time in which many citizens choose to immigrate to another country (Babis, 2016). Pull factors were also not trivial the greater prosperity that marked Israel in the 1960s, the positive reports sent back by tourists and immigrants. It shows that chain migration is a relative analytical category in this context – the immigrant’s contacts, media, were of paramount importance for the process (Klor, 2017). In short, many Argentines decided to immigrate to Israel in order to find better opportunities, and given a desire for access to higher quality education and professional interests are also crucial determinants. That is why immigration to Israel has been composed of families and singles, academics, businessmen, professionals, and students, mostly of medium socioeconomic levels (Babis, 2016). Clearly, the economic situation of the desired country is not the only factor weighing in. Also religious affinities as well as an ethnic component, immigrant’s sense of belonging to the Jewish community, were decisive (Klor, 2017). Identifying as a Judeo-Argentine has a huge influence on one’s acculturation. The 2001 crisis led 1,500 people (Steinberg, 2002) to make this decision -an increase of 30% over the previous year. Nonetheless, for most Argentines, it is of importance to preserve their cultural heritage (Babis, 2016).

As researchers, we are interested in learning more about the results and various factors that play into an individual’s migration and their acculturation. This process defines four categories within the integration process (Berry, 2006). David Sam and John Berry (2010) state that “variations in ways of acculturating have become known by the terms integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization. Two variations in adaptation have been identified, involving psychological well-being and sociocultural competence. It is not surprising that the acculturation process varies from person to person. In general, it is important to examine the compatibility (or incompatibility) in cultural norms, customs, values, attitudes, and personality of the two countries, in our study the possible cultural differences of a Jewish Argentine migrating to Israel.

This is needed as the base for understanding the acculturation process that is set in motion (Berry & Sam, 2010). Whereas many state that they see themselves as becoming fully absorbed in the new culture, and consider themselves more Israeli than Argentinean (assimilation), many point out the opposite and still feel foreign in the country they live in for years- some might even consciously reject any involvement with the host country (separation). This might stem from many interacting with Israelis, learning Hebrew, and adapting to the new culture, whereas others surround themselves with South American peers and stick to speaking Spanish. The third instance would be the optimal state of integration in which the migrant identifies with both countries relatively equally (integration), celebrating one’s roots and native culture whilst adapting to new customs. The last level of acculturation shows the marginalized individual with no real sense of belonging to either of the two cultures (marginalization). Nina-Estrella (2018) argues that “marginalization and separation are associated with patterns of conflict, resulting in acculturative stress. As also, migrants employing the integration strategy tend to experience the least amount of stress when adjusting to the culture”. In order to fully adapt to the foreign country and its culture, the individual actively has to decide to become a part of it and work hard in order to succeed in his or her process of acculturation. Also, emotional factors are significant as many reports to end up feeling alone and as if they belong to neither of the two countries. It is also important to note that some Jewish Argentines decide to move back to Argentina after a period of time in which they tried to adapt and build themselves a new life in Israel. In short, acculturation is defined as the process by which cultural and psychological changes occur following the contact of two or more cultures (Berry, 2006). Given these circumstances, we intend to investigate the relationship between being emotionally well and the acculturation process of Jewish Argentines in Israel.

Our assumption, at the onset of this project, is that a person’s tendency for neuroticism and introversion correlates negatively with their well-being and integration in the context of migration. Acculturation does not occur naturally but requires an active involvement trying to adapt and participate in this foreign society. Migration to Israel to be a central event in the identities of Jewish Latin American immigrants (Simkin, 2020) Therefore, we hypothesize that an individual with a low level of subjective well-being will experience more difficulties when trying to interact with Israelis and become part of their culture. Not being able to interact with strangers, refusing to learn about the new culture, Israeli politics and the inability to meet new people will probably have a negative effect on the individual’s acculturation. It is important to note that the four strategies are neither static nor are they end outcomes in themselves (Berry & Sam, 2010).

But what is the relationship between personality factors, subjective well-being, and acculturation? The Five-Factor model created by Costa and McCrae (1980) claims that the core of personality consists of a combination of five traits: openness to experience (curiosity), extraversion (positivity, energy, sociability), neuroticism (emotional instability, distress), agreeableness (cooperativeness, trustfulness), and conscientiousness (self-awareness) (Puente, 2020).

We hypothesize that neuroticism is negatively associated with well-being and integration and positively associated with isolation. If a migrant shows signs of neuroticism, he or she is more likely to experience isolation and to suffer from depression and anxiety (McCrae & Costa, 2003). Linking positive personality traits, such as openness, extraversion, and conscientiousness to acculturation, we assume that they are positively associated with well-being, and integration and negatively associated with isolation. Those who are very open and extraverted tend to be more welcoming of new experiences and more outgoing (McCrae & Costa, 2003). A study by Roeschet. al. (2007) that suggests that “the dimensions of personality and coping styles are important when profiling migrant’s acculturation”

Puente (2020) argues that an individual’s personality does not only point to how they possibly acculturate, but also helps understand how they experience this process. Acculturation in relation to the psychological adaptation of the individual, refers to their state of satisfaction and emotional well-being. Studies interested in psychological adaptation have often focused on mental health outcomes, with states of anxiety and depression being the most common (Berry & Sam 2010). Acculturation should also relate to subjective well-being, as perhaps with good mental health and openness a migrant is more likely to adapt to his or her new environment (Tartakovsky& Schwartz, 2001).

Also, subjective well-being might be linked to acculturation which is why it is important to emphasize the emotional aspects of acculturation (Berry & Sam, 2010). Their correlation might be based on a number of moderating and mediating factors such as personal characteristics which we already elaborated on. This might also include the immigrant’s age, gender, and also the social support network in the foreign country (Israel). Overall, personal well-being determines certain behaviors and can become an important integration tool (Puente, 2020).

Thus, in asking Jewish Argentine immigrants, who live in Israel, about their personality traits and their subsequent sense of belonging in Israel, we seek to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between an immigrant’s personality and his or her experience of immigration. Specifically, we are interested in exploring how these two variables interact in the particular context of Jewish Argentine migrants in Israel. In sum, we are seeking to analyze if the personality of a Jewish Argentine immigrant can foretell something about the likelihood that their encounter with Israeli society will result in feelings of either integration or isolation.

In order to better understand the correlation between neuroticism, introversion, and acculturation, the participants answered questionnaires about their personal traits and about their sense of belonging and self-assessment as either Argentinean or Israeli. To measure the participants’ integration into Israeli society, they were asked to rate four statements pertaining to belonging to Israel and/or Argentina, structured according to Berry’s categories of acculturation (Berry, 2006). John Berry divides acculturation into four categories: integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization.

Associations between different variables were examined using a correlational analysis which are made explicit in Table 1.

The most significant result we found is that high levels of neuroticism and negative affect are negatively related to the acculturation process of an individual, which includes the integration into Israeli society. Such personality traits are observed in those Argentines who suffer from isolation, and loneliness, meaning, that theyfeel as if they do not belong to Israeli society, or cannot identify with either of the two countries. A slight correlation is also observed between low levels of neuroticism and negative affect with those Argentines who positively identify with both cultures.

One of the five personality factors on our scale Mini-IPIP (Donnellan, 2006) is responsibility. People displaying a high level of responsibility tend to be more careful, diligent, hard-working, trustworthy, and serious about their commitments. This variable negatively correlates with participants who feel as if they belong to neither, Argentina or Israel. This indicates that being responsible, hard-working, and diligent reduces the chances that migrants will feel isolated and anxious.

The results also show a slight negative correlation between the strength of a person's motivation to emigrate and them not feeling as if they belong to either country.

On the other hand, our results imply a positive correlation between migrants’ satisfaction with life, their satisfaction with respect to their social position, and themidentifying more as an Israeli than Argentine.There is a relationship between a person’s subjective well-being and the probability of him/ her experiencing feelings of isolation and loneliness, and not identifying with any particular country and culture. Surprisingly, people who are satisfied with their work and their integration into a new society, display a higher probability of feeling "more Argentineanthan Israeli" or "more Israeli than Argentinean."

Finally, an interestingpositive correlation exists between people who have children and their identification with Israel. This shows that generally, children unconsciously support a parents’ process of acculturation and help them in identifying more with the host country. But, we also found a lower correlation between people who have children and nonetheless, do not feel connected to either of these two countries

Later, a regression analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of the independent variables on the dependentvariable, acculturation. In other words, the migrant’s motivation to migrate to Israel, satisfaction with life, employment, social adaptation, their level of consciousness, neuroticism, negative and positive affect, and the fact of (not) having children were analyzed with the help of Berry’s four categories of acculturation (Berry, 2006): integration, assimilation, separation and marginalization. As shown in Table 2, the motivation to emigrate to Israel, employment, and social circumstances, and (not) having children were observed.

Also, we want to note the importance of the variables "satisfaction with social adaptation", "having children" and "motivation to emigrate to Israel" as predictors of the migrant’s feeling of belonging to either, Israel or Argentina. This is due to social adaptation being the variable with the greatest impact (Table 3).

Finally, the fact of having children turned out to have a strong impact on marginalization and the low or non-existent identification of belonging more to Argentina as to Israel. Also, the level of satisfaction regarding the individual's adjustment to the workplace is shown, even though it is a minimal correlation (Table 4).

The present study sets out to examine the relation of the following variables in the process acculturation. Undoubtedly, a complex process whose result varies depending on the cultures that are being intertwined and thus, results are not definitive. Whether or not anindividual integrates in a new society depends on a very heterogeneous set of variables that exceed this particular investigation

The study of personality traits and its impact on a migrant’s complex process of acculturation is interesting and important.The experience of living in a new country is continuous and in evolves permanently. The results of the questionnaire carried out for this analysis allowed us to affirm assumptions about the relationship between personality and acculturation. Research shows us that the culture of a society is not an abstract that we can passively observe. It is clear that integrating into a different society and foreign to our customs is not easy and requires personal effort to adapt and thus, being able to integrate better and becoming an active part of a new culture.