Taking control, losing control. The EU’s policy of teaching helplessness.

Abstract

Since 2015, many refugees have entered EUrope in search for a better life. EUrope’s response of increasing measures of control has had a paradoxical effect: by closing off all legal routes, refugees are forced to use smuggles, ending in a loss of control. This thesis uses an inductive approach to further investigate this paradox. Using an inductive approach, stories and struggles of 26 refugees in Nijmegen, The Netherlands are used as an starting-off point. This thesis follows their stories in order to shine light on the (political) background of conflict in the home country, the European internal and external policies and refugees’ mental health. The thesis seeks to better understand and explain the observed phenomena in Dutch refugees, using the psychological concept of learned helplessness: the inability to engage in purposeful behaviours. Lastly, (policy) improvements are suggested to help refugees retake control. Keywords: refugees, migration, European policy, mental health, learned helplessness.