Sojourner
entry by Julie M. Marx, Global Family Expert at Expat Valley
An individual who lives temporarily in a country other than their own, with a clear expectation of eventual return or onward movement. Distinguished from immigrant by the temporary and intentional nature of the stay, and from tourist by its duration and degree of social participation. The sojourner’s awareness of impermanence shapes psychological investment in the host environment.
Comparable terms
Temporary resident (administrative, immigration — legal status rather than psychological category) · Expatriate (HR/mobility — broader; some expatriates intend permanence) · Short-term assignee (HR/mobility — corporate framing) · Transient (sociological — neutral but can carry negative connotations)
Why this matters
Knowing “this is temporary” shapes how much people invest in friendships, language, and local life. Sojourners may hold back to protect themselves, which affects adjustment and belonging. Being conscious of this dynamic allows more deliberate choices about engagement.
Cross-references
SIE (Transitions & Mobility); Acculturation (Cultural Adaptation); Cultural Adjustment (Cultural Adaptation); Transition Fatigue (Transitions & Mobility); Anticipatory Grief (Wellbeing & Mental Health). SIE is the HR/organizational equivalent of the sojourner concept — both describe internationally mobile individuals who are not permanent migrants; cultural adjustment and acculturation describe the processes that sojourners undergo, shaped specifically by the temporariness of their stay. Transition fatigue is a particular risk for long-term sojourners who cycle through repeated temporary stays without the psychological closure of either permanent settlement or definitive return.
Sources
The concept of the sojourner is foundational in cross-cultural psychology, describing those who move temporarily between cultures with the expectation of return, whose psychological adaptation follows a different trajectory from immigrants precisely because of the known temporariness of their stay. Ward, C., Bochner, S. & Furnham, A. (2001). The Psychology of Culture Shock (2nd ed.). Routledge.
The foundational academic treatment of the sojourner specifically is: Furnham, A. & Bochner, S. (1986). Culture Shock: Psychological Reactions to Unfamiliar Environments. Methuen.
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