Identity crises in second-generation migrants.
Recently, I came across a piece of research about “Identity crises in second-generation migrants”—a phenomenon I didn’t even know existed.
I wanted to share a simple insight about it, especially because many people I know—including myself—are migrants with children or are children of post-war migrant generations.
I’m sharing this not as a diagnosis or to label anything as “good” or “bad,” but simply to raise awareness. We all experience transitions and adapt in different ways. Challenges and difficulties, though often uncomfortable, are powerful teachers and catalysts for growth, especially when we face them as questions to explore, not problems to fix or as invitations to grow, not burdens to carry.
Identity crisis in second-generation migrants is a well-documented psychological and sociological phenomenon, recognised in academic research and through lived experience across many cultures.
What Is It?
Second-generation migrants are children born (or raised from a young age) in a new country after their parents migrated.
Their identity crisis arises because they:
Don’t fully belong to their parents’ culture
Don’t fully belong to the culture they grew up in
They live in the in-between, navigating two or more worlds, languages, values, expectations, and emotional codes.
Why Does It Happen? (Psychological Roots)
1. Cultural Dissonance
Home life reflects the old culture (language, customs, beliefs)
School/work/social life reflect the new culture
They feel torn or conflicted between the two
Example:
Expected to be obedient and modest at home (e.g. Latvian or Asian values)
Expected to be individualistic and expressive outside (e.g. Australian or Western norms)
2. Parental Expectations vs. Personal Desires
Parents often carry sacrifice narratives:
“We came here for you to have a better life.”This can lead to pressure:
“You must succeed, behave, marry right, become a doctor.”Meanwhile, the child wants to define their path, which can feel like betrayal.
3. Belonging Nowhere / Feeling ‘Too Much’ or ‘Not Enough’
In the “host” country:“Where are you really from?”
In the “home” country: “You’re not one of us anymore.”
This leads to:
Imposter syndrome
Shame
Confusion about who they are or where they fit
Emotional exhaustion from code-switching
Is It Studied?
Yes, deeply. A few terms are often used:
Bicultural identity conflict (psychology)
In-betweenness or liminality (anthropology)
Cultural hybridity (postcolonial theory)
Acculturation stress or ethnic identity negotiation (sociology)
Authors and researchers like:
Stuart Hall (cultural identity as fluid, not fixed)
Homi Bhabha (the “third space” concept)
Jean Phinney (acculturation models and ethnic identity in adolescents)
And many writers of diaspora literature (e.g., Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ocean Vuong, Jhumpa Lahiri)
Common Expressions of This Crisis
Feeling restless, rootless, like a chameleon
Difficulty committing to a single path — jobs, relationships, locations
A sense of guilt toward one’s parents or heritage
Desire to reclaim lost culture, mixed with anger about what was forced
Creating identity through art, storytelling, activism, or spiritual searching
What Helps?
Finding community with others in the “in-between”
Telling your story (through art, writing, or shared spaces)
Learning to hold multiple truths — you are not fragmented, you are braided
Moving from “Where do I belong?” → to “How do I belong to myself?”
“You are only free when you realise you belong in no place - you belong every place - no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great.”
Maya Angelou
Great book to read and go into the depths of belonging: Brené Brown's book "Braving the Wilderness": The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone (2017).
The artwork by Gunārs Vīndedzis, a movie poster for a Latvian folk myth by Anna Brigadere about Sprīdītis — a little man's journey to find his sense of belonging.