Resettlement problems of forced migrants are confounded when groups nove to regions where.cultural and language are different from their own. resettlement areas are preselected by group that initiates the movement. the exaditions, customs, In most cases, activating agent, the Underlying rationale for the choice in somewhat suspect and often reflects the interests of the activating agent rather than the migrant group. Migrants are often: told that relocation to a culturally different region will facilitate their assimilation into a dominant group and hence improve their quality of life. Actually, activating agents tend to resort to the assimilationist argument when they want to obfuscate their responsibilities and commitments to the migrant group, as was the case with American Indians during the 1950's (Alfred, 1970; Ablon, 1971). Studies have demonstrated that individual migrants have shown a high rate of psychiatric disorder.” Odegaard (1932) found a high degree of morbidity among Norwegian migrants in Minnesota. Similarly, Malzberg (1964), in replicating Odegaard's work, found high rates of psychiatric disorders among migrants in New York. More recently, Wintrob by migrants who (1967) returned home identified stresses experienced after a sojourn in the United States. Different ethnic groups appear to react differently to the relocation process. Psychosis rates were found to be unusually high amonq Polish and Irish migrants and low among'the Trish and Swedes ‘(Malzberg, 1964). High rates of alcoholism and . , ,; , 2 Joseph Westermeyer of the University of Minnesota provided me with much of | an the information discussed in this brief 9011095 section.