Dr. Janet Fetzer PhD; LPCC-S
Psychocultural effects of Scottish
immigrants to the USA
Dr. Janet Fetzer
We are delighted to include Dr. Janet Fetzer in the Spring Edition of our newsletter 2025. Her study on the psychocultural effects of Scottish immigrants to the USA has been widely acclaimed. In March 2025 she will be in Scotland presenting this research at Edinburgh University.
Janet holds a Doctorate in Counseling and Psychological Studies, concentrating on trauma and crisis counselling. Her research is directed toward immigration, mental health, and the enduring legacy of birth.
Content of this post:
- Professional Biography of Dr. Janet Fetzer
- Abstract for Psychocultural Marginality and the Impact on Scottish Emigrants
- A summary of Psychocultural Marginality and the Impact on Scottish Emigrants
- Link to Janet’s full publication in open access format.
1. Dr. Janet Fetzer’s Professional Biography
Dr. Janet Fetzer (PhD, LPCC-S) holds a Doctorate in Counseling and Psychological Studies with a concentration in Trauma and Crisis Counseling. Her primary research has focused on themes related to Psychocultural Marginality and the impact of emigrant trauma on the Scottish Diaspora. She completed her graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and has worked with a variety of populations including adolescents, adults, and families in both individual and group clinical settings. Janet has training in both art and play therapy and specializes in the unique needs that children and adolescents face. Janet completed her training in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing therapy and utilizes this approach to address trauma in clients as young as 3 years old through adulthood. She is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor- Supervisor and a practicing clinician in the United States where she owns a private practice that employs 30 clinicians and offers community-based support through programs in assisted living facilities, local school districts, and physicians’ offices. Janet’s research is directed toward immigration, mental health, and the enduring legacy of birth culture.
2. Abstract for Psychocultural Marginality and the Impact on Scottish Emigrants
This study explores the concept of Psychocultural Marginality among Scottish emigrants, examining how cultural dislocation influences the acculturation process and the essence of adverse impacts and adaptation. Marginalization and disconnection from culture can translate into increased breakdowns in family of origin connections, the decay of birth culture, and negative changes in mental health symptoms. The context of this study identifies the historical patterns of emigration as well as the enduring cultural heritage that Scottish emigrants carry during their lives and throughout generations. The need for this research comes from a gap in existing literature regarding psychological implications of emigration in Scottish individuals. A deeper understanding of the impact that emigrants’ can experience when disconnected to their culture of origin can have significant insights in understanding the process of cultural negotiation. This phenomenological research study looks to identify the influence that emigration may have on Scottish individuals who have resettled in the United States. Through the use of thematic analysis, descriptive coding and emotion coding, the researcher identified themes related to the essence of emigration and the process of acculturation. The insights identified through this research may help to benefit larger discussions on migration, adaptation, and cultural identity resulting in better emotional and mental health support for emigrants.
Keywords: Psychocultural Marginality, Cultural Negotiation, Scottish, Emigration
3. A summary of Psychocultural Marginality and the Impact on Scottish Emigrants
The purpose of this study is to describe how adverse reactions are experienced by Scottish emigrants living in the United States. Factors that contribute to emigrant marginalization have been widely studied over the last several decades. Research in Diaspora studies indicates that there is more “lost or greatly adapted than retained” from the individual’s original culture as they work to “absorb” or “create” new cultural traits (Evans & McCarthy, 2022, p. 14). The historical sacrifice of Scottish migration has laid the foundation for the progression of many countries and the systems that we continue to use today (Peterson, 2012). The emigrant experiences a constant liminal process of remembering and forgetting by having one foot in the world they came from, and the other foot in the opportunities provided by a new culture and landscape.
The study consisted of seven participants from a variety of age ranges and interviewed both men and women. The researcher reviewed participant themes against the coded data and the entire dataset. Table 1 shows an overview of participant demographics and important details related to the context and reasons behind the emigration process for each individual.
The key themes identified from the interviews provided insights into the essence of the emigration experience for the participants. These findings highlighted varying degrees of adverse experiences and reactions within the individuals. Similarly, important details related to identity formation, adaptation, and resiliency were also discovered. The unique difficulty of maintaining birth culture identity while integrating the American culture’s values remained a challenging process for many of the participants. The participants’ lived experience provides additional context into the layered and often complex narrative of emigration.
Throughout the study, just over half of the participants reported identifying with the specific term of “marginalized” during the interviews. While all the participants shared experiences throughout their emigration of feeling either disconnected, ridiculed, or left out. The participants who denied marginalization were clear in communicating how they connected to Americans early on and worked to develop relationships within their communities. These participants did not report concerns related to substance abuse, trauma, or significant mental health crises.
The table below highlights the various emotions and feelings that were identified during the interviews and the emotional impact that the emigrants experienced throughout their emigration process.
There is some consideration to the location of Scotland and how the Scottish identity persists across the globe. All the participants indicated a strong connection to their identity, while many of them had little desire to relocate back to Scotland. While this theme was unexpected within the data, it illustrates the capacity for these emigrants to continue to maintain and develop their heritage and cultural identity outside of Scottish soil. To be Scottish is more than to reside there; it includes the involvement of the rituals, celebrations, traditions, and value systems of the Scottish identity which continues to endure within the participants’ stories and narratives.
A key finding included themes related to the enduring value system of Scottish culture. While many of the participants emigrated decades before, they identified holding firmly to the beliefs and values they were initially raised with in their heritage culture. A dominant value included views related to collectivism and community responsibility. The participants’ indicated the difficulty in navigating American culture’s focus on individualism, monetary gain and, at times, greed. The Scots recalled the foundations of their culture which endured throughout their emigration process. Mutual support, the emphasis on community, and shared responsibility became increasingly more important for the participants, despite the pressures and influences of the individualism of American culture.
The maintenance of cultural identity has significant implications for Scottish emigrants and their descendants. Similarly, the continuity of their heritage culture allows for the retention of cultural traditions, the expansion of birth values, and a stronger sense of personal and collective identity. The prioritization of native identity for the participants illustrates how the emigrants’ navigated their new cultural context with their existing identity as a Scot. This work involved balancing and integrating the American culture while working to preserve their cultural roots. This can influence and contribute to adaptation throughout the emigration process.
Each participant within the study continued to demonstrate some level of Scottish connection, native identity, cultural pride, and traditional involvement. The finding of the Scottish emigrant connection to the land and community persisted despite criticism and marginalization is significant for several reasons. One consideration includes the degree of resilience that exists within Scottish cultural identity and community relationships. Even when the participants endured exclusion or criticism from the dominant culture, the individuals maintained strong connections to their cultural roots which highlights the enduring significance of their Scottish identity. Through the practicing of traditions, these values may be passed to other generations regardless of direct exposure to Scotland.
The current literature indicates that emigrants who are situated in marginal contexts do not always experience significant trauma as a result of those experiences (Choi, 2001). Because humans have the capacity for flexibility within adjustment periods, the reactions to challenging scenarios can be widespread. The resiliency identified within the study participants included demonstrations of positive views of the future. The participants who were able to identify with forward focus, create meaning out of challenging circumstances, and apply mental flexibility, were able to approach the emigration difficulties as turning points that provided opportunities for growth rather than crisis.
4. Click here for the link to Dr. Janet Fetzer’s full publication in open access format.
