Relationships - Influence of Culture

Question 1

Differences in culture?

Answer 1

Western v non-western:
Voluntary v non-voluntary
Individual v group-based
Importance of love
Loneliness

Question 2

Voluntary v non-voluntary - Western?

Answer 2

Predominantly urban settings with easy social and geographical mobility = high degree of choice and a greater ‘pool’ of potential relationships

Question 3

Voluntary v non-voluntary - non-Western?

Answer 3

Less choice on who you interact with and rare interactions with strangers = relationships frequently tied to factors such as family, group-need, economic resources etc. = arranged marriages make sense

Question 4

Individual v group-based - Western?

Answer 4

Individualist = focus on the happiness, pleasure, and rights and freedoms of the individual

Question 5

Individual v group-based - non-Western?

Answer 5

Collectivist and interdependent = focus on the group and ‘good of the family’

Question 6

Research on individual v group based?

Answer 6

Moghaddam et al

Question 7

Moghaddam et al?

Answer 7

Collectivism leads to relationships that may have more to do with the concerns of the group/family

Question 8

Importance of love - Western?

Answer 8

Freedom of choice = greater importance put on love

Question 9

Importance of love - non-Western?

Answer 9

Family is more important = love is considered as a comparative luxury

Question 10

Research on importance of love?

Answer 10

Levine et al

Question 11

Levine et al?

Answer 11

14% of US respondents might marry someone they didn’t love, compared with 24% in India and 34% in Thailand

Question 12

Research on importance of love in China?

Answer 12

Erikson

Question 13

Erikson?

Answer 13

For Chinese couples, romance and love are less important and are only considered in light of responsibility to family

Question 14

Research on cultural differences in loneliness?

Answer 14

Seepersad et al

Question 15

Seepersad et al?

Answer 15

Young adults in Western cultures experience a greater degree of loneliness due to high desire for relationships (US students reported sig. higher levels than Koreans)

Question 16

Loneliness in Western cultures?

Answer 16

Western cultures amplify feelings of loneliness

Question 17

Weaknesses of explanations of cultural differences?

Answer 17

Urban v non-urban
Methodology
Reductionsit
Emic

Question 18

Urban v non-urban?

Answer 18

Divorce rate in India is increasing sharply, but only within the richer, more urbanised sections of society

Question 19

Methodological problems in explanations of cultural differences?

Answer 19

Different interpretations of ‘love’ and ‘satisfaction’ by cultures, so Western measures may not be valid in other cultures - invalidates cross-cultural studies

Question 20

Reductionism in explanations of cultural differences?

Answer 20

Pinker

Question 21

Pinker?

Answer 21

Love is a ‘human universal’ that has evolved to promote survival and reproduction (= low mortality rates and stress)

Question 22

Emic in explanations of cultural differences?

Answer 22

Myers et al

Question 23

Myers et al?

Answer 23

No differences in marital satisfaction between Indian arranged marriages and US ones