Impact
Psychological Impact
Some of the oldest internees, Issei, were community leader who were arrested and kept in Department of Justice as enemy aliens. They experienced intense stress from the abandonment of home, separation from friends and family. Some found that their children can no longer recognize them and some were denounced by the arrest and saw as a spy. For non-DOJ Issei, they feel powerless and lack a sense of a head household in their family. Their children frequently ate with peers instead of families in the mass hall.
Nisei, the younger generation, were majority in their early adolescents. Their developmental stage as becoming an adult made them vulnerable to psychological effects. The government’s betrayal led them to depression and a sense of shame and humiliation. Nearly all of the Nisei never mentioned their experience at the camp, which a symptom of posttraumatic stress. Some have distant themselves from Japanese culture or anything that related to Japan. In contrast, some developed a distrust in white American and associated only with Japanese-Americans.
Nonetheless, the Nisei remained a low profile and fitted into American culture. This psychological defense impacted their children, Sansei. Sansei grew up hearing the internment from their parents.They experienced their parent’s unwillingness to discuss the internment and sensed that what happened was too painful to be discussed. The Sansei were also affected by their parents’ effort to blend into American culture and minimize anything related to Japan. As a result, they lost a sense of their own culture and language.
Economic Impact
Because the Internment had caused removal of Japanese labor force, male internees experienced earning loss, shifted to low paying and status jobs, and moved toward self-employment opportunities. While the Japanese appeared to be successful after all, perhaps they would be more successful without internment. The Issei were largely impacted by the internment, since they were likely to be foreign, to have an agricultural occupation prior the internment, and to own a farm or business prior the internment.
