Stress and the Clash of Cultures

Refugees from Laos began immigrating to the United States in the 1970’s. Since then, over 100,000 Hmong have settled in the United States. Many came because they felt they had no other option. They could not return to their homes in Laos because they faced persecution, and they had to leave the refugee camps in Thailand due to closure. Anne Fadiman’s book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, explores a Hmong family, American …

…lacked the elements of cohesion, their relationship was strained, untrusting, and uncompromising. All the benefits that accompany cohesion and the distress-resistance it offers was out of reach to all the players involved in Lia’s care. In the end, everyone lost a little bit of his or her soul. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography** Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Noonday Press. New York. 1999. Schafer, Walt. Stress Management for Wellness. Harcourt Publishers. 4th edition. 2000.