A dear colleague and friend of mine, Dr. Saira Jhutty, has conducting a research study investigating how to best predict what type of individuals will be able to successfully live and work, overseas. For example, what personal characteristics would a German need, in order to successfully live and work in Japan?

Her study discovered the following:

1) Individuals who come from a country that is similar to the new country, in terms of culture, language, everyday life, and working conditions, are better able to fit-in and function within the new country.

Hence, we can expect that Diaspora Armenians who have kept their Armenian cultural norms and language alive, while living in the Diaspora, would be better able to fit-in and function in Armenia.

2) Individuals who have higher levels of “emotional intelligence” also have greater ability to function and fit-in, within a new culture and country. Emotional intelligence has four elements a) the ability to correctly identify emotions in oneself and others, b) the ability to use your emotions to communicate feelings, c) the ability to understand complex emotions, changes in emotions, and to understand the relationship between emotions, and finally d) the ability to manage emotions within oneself and another person. For example, what would you do to manage your anger or another person’s anger? To read more about emotional intelligence visit http://www.eiconsortium.org/measures/msceit.html

From these two findings, emotional intelligence was found to be a stronger predictor of successfully adjustment to a new culture and country. Hence, for smoother adjustment to life in Armenia, I would recommend purchasing a book on emotional intelligence(EI), such as “Raising Your Emotional Intelligence: A Practical Guide” by Jeanne S. Segal. Regardless of whether you transition or not, emotional intelligence has countless benefits in one’s daily life.

Repatriates, what are your thoughts on these findings? Do you agree?