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The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of the Liberal Arts “JUST ONE OF THOSE DUTCH DAYS”-- AMERICAN EXPATRIATE SPOUSES IN THE NETHERLANDS: TOWARD AN EXPATRIATE FRAME MANAGEMENT THEORY OF ACCULTURATION A Thesis in Speech Communication by Jennifer A. Jones-Corley ã 2002 Jennifer A. Jones-Corley Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2002 We approve the thesis of Jennifer A. Jones-Corley Date of Signature __________________________________ ____________________________ Michael Hecht Professor of Speech Communication Thesis Adviser Chair of Committee Head of Department of Speech Communication __________________________________ ____________________________ Dennis Gouran Professor of Speech Communication Professor of Labor Studies & Industrial Relations __________________________________ ____________________________ Michelle Miller-Day Assistant Professor of Speech Communication __________________________________ ____________________________ Judith Kolb Associate Professor of Education iii Abstract The spouses of expatriate employees are frequently cited as the number one reason for early return or failure of expatriate assignments. However, little is known about these spouses’ (almost exclusively women) experiences and the challenges they face. This study provides insight into these experiences and challenges by developing an Expatriate Frame Management Theory of Acculturation. The theory is grounded in the experiences of 37 American expatriate spouses (all women) living in The Netherlands. In-depth interviews and on-site observations enabled the women to explore their experiences of expatriation in The Netherlands. This study was an inductive approach to determining the key domains of expatriate experience and how these domains influence the acculturation of the women. Three key, first-order domains of experience for the expatriate spouse emerged: Cultural Challenges, Coping Strategies, and Identity. Each domain encompassed subcategories and concepts deriving from the narratives of the expatriate spouses. As these domains emerged, an on-going second-order analysis led to the identification of the core variable, Frame Management. This core variable formed the foundation of Expatriate Frame Management Theory. Expatriate Frame Management Theory captures important dimensions of the process of acculturation. The theory builds from three central constructs derived from the first-order domains: frame incongruencies, frame management strategies, and personal adaptation. Frame incongruencies are misalignments among the expatriate spouses’ frames and those enacted by the host country nationals. These incongruencies create uncertainty and dissonance for the spouse which, if salient, she will want to alleviate. This may spark the need for her to alter, or manage frames so she can achieve a sense of fit, or personal adaptation, in the new culture. Thus, this study offers both a typology of expatriate issues and a process theory of how expatriate spouses manage these issues through the management of their frames. iv Table of Contents List of Figures ...........................................................................................................................viii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. ix Acknowledgements.....................................................................................................................x Chapter One: Introduction...........................................................................................................1 Overview of Research Problem............................................................................................1 Theoretical Concerns...........................................................................................................2 Research on Expatriates .................................................................................................2 Current Conceptualizations of Acculturation....................................................................4 Providing a Different Perspective.........................................................................................6 Chapter Two: Review of Related Scholarship .............................................................................9 Individuals Abroad ...............................................................................................................9 Expatriates ....................................................................................................................10 Expatriate Spouses .......................................................................................................12 Frames ..............................................................................................................................15 Preliminary Work...........................................................................................................21 Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Psychology.............................................................23 Sociological Work..........................................................................................................28 Linguistics and Communication.....................................................................................33 Interconnections Between Frames and Culture.............................................................38 Frames as Defined in the Current Study........................................................................40 Adaptation and Acculturation .............................................................................................41 Stage Models ................................................................................................................43 Curve of Adjustment Models .........................................................................................44 Cultural Learning Models...............................................................................................45 v Recent Conceptualizations............................................................................................45 Frames and Expatriate Spouse Experiences .....................................................................47 Guiding Questions .............................................................................................................49 Chapter Three: Methods...........................................................................................................51 Data Collection ..................................................................................................................52 Boundaries and Focus of the Study...............................................................................52 The Research Location .................................................................................................52 Participant Recruitment .................................................................................................54 Participants ...................................................................................................................56 Role of the Researcher .................................................................................................57 Interviews......................................................................................................................58 Field Notes and Memos ................................................................................................59 Trustworthiness.............................................................................................................60 Audit Trail......................................................................................................................62 Data Analysis.....................................................................................................................63 Analysis Procedures......................................................................................................63 Data Management.........................................................................................................66 Chapter Four: Findings .............................................................................................................67 Domain: Cultural Challenges .............................................................................................69 Cultural Differences.......................................................................................................69 Language......................................................................................................................73 Medical Care.................................................................................................................76 Summary.......................................................................................................................78 Domain: Coping Strategies ................................................................................................78 Social Support...............................................................................................................78 vi Other Coping Strategies................................................................................................87 Summary.......................................................................................................................90 Domain: Identity.................................................................................................................91