"Our homes are not defined by geography or one particular location, but by memories, events, people and places that span the globe."
– Marilyn Gardner, Author “Between Worlds”
What is a Third Culture Individual (TCI)?
"… an individual who, having spent a significant part of the development years in a culture other than the parents’ culture, develops a sense of relationship to all of the cultures while not having a full ownership in any."
- David Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken, Authors “Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds”
In the American context, third culture individuals (TCIs, also called “third culture kids”) are people who have spent a long period of time living abroad, often being raised in a culture other than their parents' or the culture of their country of nationality, There are many different type of and names for TCIs, such as:
- “Biz kids” whose parents worked with international business
- “Military/Army brats” whose parents served in the military abroad
- “MKs” or “Missionary kids,” kids of missionary parents
- “Diplomatic kids” whose parents served in the foreign service
- Others, such as: “Global nomads” and “Transient people”
What are some characteristics of third culture individuals?
Third culture individuals are extremely diverse. TCIs are able to experience an array of benefits from having had the opportunity to begin traveling at a young age. However, one question TCIs often find difficult answering is “Where are you from?” with multiple variables including their parents’ origin, where they were born, the places they have lived, where their relatives live, their parents’ current location, and possibly additional factors playing a role in where they feel most at home. TCIs hold distinct relationships with many cultures, and more often than not they feel more connected to the host culture than to their parents’ culture.
Because TCIs travel regularly, many of them have problems developing intimate relationships; instead they tend to create an emotional distance from others to lessen the pain that may come with future separation. Often TCIs find a sense of belonging in relationships rather than geographical location, and relate best to others like themselves. In the end, TCIs get a feeling of belonging from being around people who had similar experiences, such as other TCIs, international students, immigrants, "outsiders," as well as cross-cultural individuals.
How do we support third culture individuals at Puget Sound?
Here at Puget Sound we encourage TCIs to enroll as we find them to be a huge asset not only to our community but to our student body as well. We also invite TCIs to participate in events on campus through clubs, such as SOIC (Students of International Community), as well as events and day trips hosted by OIP every semester.
Because of their unique ability to understand converging cultural contexts and making friends in multicultural environments, we encourage TCIs to apply for our Campus Ambassador Program as part of a greater support network for other international students (foreign nationals) on campus.