Mobilidade transcultural: estudos sobre talento acadêmico e estresse

Abstract

In recent years, significant transformations have taken place in global human mobility. These changes have been driven by various factors, including fragmented globalization, protectionist measures, and social, political, and financial crises. The concept of crosscultural mobility extends beyond national borders, encompassing different cultural and geographical areas. However, current research on cross-cultural mobility has largely overlooked the concept of talent, often reducing it to high qualifications. As a result, there is limited research available on the transcultural mobility of talented individuals. This thesis aims to address this research gap by presenting a series of studies on cross-cultural mobility and academic talent. The first part, titled 'Talent and Cross-cultural Mobility,' begins with an analysis of the theoretical framework, which includes Gagné's Integrative Model and Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Perspective. While there is little existing research on the interplay between these two models, they share many converging elements and complement each other by articulating typical patterns of change (normative development) and individual differences (idiosyncratic development). Subsequently, the focus shifts to examining the cross-cultural mobility representations of a sample of 41 academically talented Brazilians who are residing in other countries. In this study, we identified intrapersonal triggers for mobility representations, such as the academic training process, as well as environmental factors, including Brazilian policies and research and development opportunities. Additionally, we explored the challenges faced by these individuals during different phases of displacement, which were categorized into language and adaptation processes. In another chapter, the statements of the interviewees are revisited, providing a broader and contextualized understanding of the motives and challenges experienced by academically talented individuals in cross-cultural mobility. Although measuring stress was not a specific objective of the interviews, it became evident that some interviewees experienced high levels of stress. Consequently, a systematic literature review on the stress of cross-cultural mobility was conducted, which revealed that most existing efforts to measure such stress fall short of the intended goal. These measures often only consider aspects such as stressors or coping strategies, while overlooking physiological and psychological responses to internal or external stressors. Additionally, positive aspects of stress (eustress) are rarely taken into account. Therefore, it is clear that there is a need to develop a comprehensive measure that encompasses all aspects of cross-cultural mobility stress. Furthermore, the content analysis of the systematic review highlighted the widespread use of the concepts of acculturation and acculturative stress, particularly in psychological texts. However, these terms are considered outdated in other disciplines such as Anthropology and Sociology. Therefore, a terminological and conceptual 'reconceptualization' is suggested, which entails considering that cross-cultural mobility involves incorporating new elements into one's own culture instead of solely experiencing their loss. Consequently, the term 'cross-cultural mobility stress' is recommended as a more updated and critical alternative for describing this type of stress. As an extension of the systematic review and empirical research, we developed the Inventory of Stress and Resilience in Cross-cultural Mobility (IERM-T). However, the psychometric properties of this inventory have not been examined in this study.