Personality and Adaptation in an Overseas Enclave

When people move to foreign lands, they face the problem of adaptation to a changed environment. That there is variation in adaptability in such a situation is obvious but the reasons for it need further exploration. This article deals with factors influencing adaptability—particularly personality type and foreign enclave—in a colony of immigrant Japanese on the Isle of Pines, Cuba. We will argue that the foreign enclave is an important instrument of adaptation for most men, that certain personality types are particularly adaptable as individuals, and that they come as consequence to play key roles in the maintenance and adaptation of the enclave. A discussion of types of personality relative to the problem of adaptation will conclude our presentation.