Discuss the Nature of Relationships in Different Cultures.

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Discuss the nature of relationships in different cultures. One way in which relationships differ in different cultures is the degree to which they are voluntary or non-voluntary. In many Western cultures, people live in mainly urban settings with easy geographical and social mobility. This allows people to voluntarily interact with a large number of people, both acquaintances and strangers. This then means that in Western cultures because there are more people there is a higher degree of choice on romantic relationships. However because non-Western cultures have less social and geographical mobility, people have less choice about who they interact with on a daily basis. This means rather than choice, interactions are based on other factors such as family or economic resources. Another way the nature of relationships differs in different cultures is the kind of relationships that are formed. In individualist cultures, individual interests are seen as more important while romantic relationships are more likely to form due to love and attraction. However in collectivist cultures, the group is seen as more important than the individual. Members of collectivist cultures are encouraged to be interdependent rather than independent. This means relationships in collectivist cultures are more likely to form due to the interests of the group compared to individualist cultures where it is based on freedom of choice. Relationships also differ in cultures in terms of norms and rules. These norms act as guidelines for appropriate behaviour within a culture & dictate how people relate to and communicate with each other in the development of romantic relationships. For example, Ma studied self-disclosure in internet relationships and found that American students self-disclosed sooner than East Asian students. Cultures also differ in terms of the rules that apply to the development
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