Cultural Differences in Relaitonships

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June 10 unit 3 – relationships Discuss research into the nature of relationships in different cultures. There are distinct differences in the nature of relationships across cultures. The first difference is that of whether relationships are on a voluntary or non-voluntary basis. In Western societies there are many urbanised centre giving people the chance to interact daily with new people. Emphasis is placed on freedom, thus such cultures have high levels of mobility. In Non-Western societies however, they are less mobile and there is less opportunity to interact with new people. This is reflected in relationships, which in the West, tend to be down to the free choice of the individual but in Non-Western societies are often linked to family ties and economic resources. There is research evidence found that suggests arranged marriages can work well in such societies. For example, Myers reports that Indian women from arranged marriages reported no less marital satisfaction than non-arranged marriages in the US. However, studies show there has been a shift in Non-Western culture towards voluntary relationships, women from Chengdu in China, for instance, said they felt better about their marriage (even if it wasn’t permanent) when based on a love match than if based on parents decision. Another difference in the nature of relationships across cultures is whether focus is placed on the individual or the group as a whole. In the West, the culture is considered individualistic with the interests of the individual being of greatest importance, highlighting one’s freedom of choice. Whereas in the non-west cultures are collectivist, and the entire group is the primary unit of concern. This is reflected in their relationships which are often only considered in light of factors such as economic resources, and parents, before love and romance are considered. There is
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