Free Essay

How Relationships Differ in Cultures

In:

Submitted By ashleighj98
Words 665
Pages 3
Discuss the extent to which relationships have been shown to differ in different cultures (24m)
Relationships are a universal thing but differ depending on the different types of cultures in which they occur. Individualistic cultures value self-autonomy, leadership and self-fulfilment; more attention is paid to the individual’s attitudes and preferences than to group norms, examples of individualistic cultures include Western Europe, Australia and America. Conversely, members of collectivist cultures define themselves as interdependent and value group harmony, duty, obligation and security. In this type of culture more attention is paid to group norms rather than to an individual’s attitudes and behaviour, examples of collectivist cultures include China, Pakistan and India. As collectivist cultures are more focused on group gain than individual gain, family approval of the relationship would be a key determining factor in the relationship, for this reason marriages are usually arranged by family members and are non-voluntary. Also, in cases where the individual is not happy in the relationship, it may continue despite this as the relationship is more beneficial to the group - for this reason divorce may be difficult or impossible due to this pressure from the group. Whereas, individualistic cultures are more accepting and encouraging in allowing people to freely and voluntarily choose their partner on the basis of love and attraction as the individual’s happiness and pleasure is seen as being fundamentally important. If the costs of the relationship outweigh the rewards, it is possible to end the relationship without the social stigma experienced in collectivist cultures.
Gupta and Singh conducted a study in India which found that out of the 100 professionals questioned, 50% had married for love and the other 50% were arranged marriages. It was found that love marriage couples scored higher levels on Rubikin’s ‘Liking and Loving’ scale but they declined rapidly over the first ten years. On the other hand, arranged marriages started with lower levels of liking and love but these increased after 10 years – so on the whole arranged marriage couples liked and loved their partners more than the couples that had chosen their partners. Yelsma and Athapilly supported this by arguing that the success of arranged marriages comes from the careful selection and matching of partners for education and social background. However, cohabitation before marriage may have been acceptable in for the love-marriage couples, thus on the whole they may have been together longer than the initial ten years of marriage which the arranged marriage couples are experiencing, so irritability and boredom with partners may be an explanation for Gupta and Singh’s findings. Also, even though the study was conducted in India, there are many different types of collectivist cultures and so results cannot be generalised to all collectivist cultures.
Xiaohe and Whyte conducted a similar study to that of Gupta and Singh in China; they found that women who had chosen their own partners reported high levels of happiness, suggesting that Western ideas of free choice are becoming absorbed into collectivists cultures and altering traditional attitudes and practices. This study contradicts that of Gupta and Singh’s by saying that freedom of mate choice promotes marital satisfaction and stability rather than the opposite. This suggests that Western ideas of freedom of choice in partners are now becoming absorbed into collectivist cultures and altering attitudes and practices.
Zaida and Shurayadi study of Pakistani Muslim women in Canada found that most of them didn't like the idea of arranged marriages and would prefer to choose their own partner. They had internalised the views of Western culture – in contrast, their families who had been brought up in Pakistan were against this idea of choosing your own partner and friction between the values of the two cultures is experienced. This study clearly demonstrated how culture can have an influence on relationships. It shows that people who live in individualistic cultures but originate from collectivist cultures prefer the idea of voluntary relationships whilst those living in collectivists cultures preferred non-voluntary relationships.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Speech Summary

...summary Chapter six examines how culture affects communication and also discusses how to identify cultural norms and values. It also gives detailed Explanations of the barriers to effective intercultural communication as well analysis of how to develop intercultural communication competence Culture can be defined as the values, belief, orientations and underlying assumptions prevalent among people in society. When choosing a topic for a speech it is important to choose a subject that is appropriate for the cultural and ethnicity of your audience by doing this it will make your speech more interesting to listen to. Because we are so familiar with own language, gestures, facial expressions, norms etc., familiar aspects of communication are disrupted which lead to cultural shock. Cultural shock is the psychological or anxiety you may feel when you attempt to adjust to a new cultural situation. I experienced cultural shock when I use to take part in charity events and travelled to another country, I felt a sense of anxiety as they could not easily understand what I was saying. Identifying cultural norms and values can be easy. We can identify or figure out different cultural backgrounds by the language they speak, the way they dress or artifacts such as religious gourmets or markers they wear jewelry. Geert hofstede gives a way of understanding how cultures are similar and different from one another. He identifies four major dimensions of culture that affects communication which...

Words: 570 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Communication

...community, where understanding how different cultures communicate is extremely important. In order to achieve effective intercultural communication we have to understand how different cultures communicate. Communication styles differ by how power is distributed within an organization. There are essentially two types: hierarchical, and democratic. In a hierarchical structure the most power is held by the highest ranking individual, where as in a democratic structure, power distribution is uniformed among the individuals. The classification of high-context versus low-context cultures based on the amount of information that is implied versus stated directly in a communication message. In high-context cultures, the meanings of the messages are found in the situation and in the relationships of the communicators, or are internalized in the communicator’s beliefs, values, and norms. In low-context cultures, less emphasis is placed on the context. Instead they rely on explicit verbal messages. Understanding these differences is essential to accurately decoding the message. Communication specialists estimate that three-fourths of our communication is nonverbal and takes place through our behavior. Nonverbal cues serve as the markers of ones’ identities. The way people dress, the accent pattern, and the nonverbal way of gesturing, all deliver messages to others. A culture’s perception of time can alter the message being communicated. In a culture that uses linear time, tasks are...

Words: 1886 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Fathom the Culture Before Communicating

...FATHOM THE CULTURE BEFORE COMMUNICATING There is a Greek saying that ” Every tale can be told in a different way” ,it clarifies the different influence which the culture causes precisely. And it also reflects what we need to do before communicating with people who have different culture background, that is , fathom the culture before you’ve made up your mind to interact with others. So there comes the first question, what role does culture play in our daily life? And how does culture affect the way we communicate? This may be explained from the original aim and principle of communication. First, senders and receivers of messages constitute the two side of the conversation. However, the role is not limited one person, we are not only senders, but also receivers. When we say something and try to make our thoughts and expressions understood by others, we are senders of the message, but when we are the listeners and try to get it, we are receivers. But can we convey messages? We use languages. Language is a tool which we can use to convey messages, and it is language that forms different styles of culture. Language is a kind of magic code, we weave the code by the medium of language, which tells you how to decode it, and the receiver use the same principle to translate the code into messages. Form the program of communication, we can reach the point easily that it is language that forms the difference between communications. Then you may ask, now I believe that language...

Words: 932 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Miscommunication

...discussions during this class. So I thought that I will put this new knowledge to good use. Couples always have a tendency to have fights and arguments, and I believe that is part of a healthy relationship. Most arguments between couples occurs just because of miscommunication between them. Miscommunication can take place pretty much between anybody, between any relationship and any time. We all want to be clearly understood about our feelings at all times. Miscommunication happens usually when someone is giving friendly advice. This advice can be taken as criticism by the other person. Most of the times you might not trying to criticize the other person, but the way we confirm the information can be perceived in a different way depending on the situation. You should always learn to weigh the words that come out of you. Words can create attitude, behavior and perception issues between the two of you. At the same time, silence is also not a good thing to a level. ‘Couple’s interactions and dialogues make up the most important pillars of a functional relationship.’ (Määttä, K., 2013). There will be a lot of times when Luke will say something and Serah will misinterpret it. This is also very common between couples. ‘People can express and interpret messages in various ways and the intended meaning may differ from the interpretation. For example, the phrase ‘we have to talk about this’ can be interpreted in many different ways (Määttä, K., 2013). It is...

Words: 2185 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Analytic Approaches To Personality Paper

...There is currently no single explanation for how personality emerges and the personality differences between people of different cultures, ages, genders, etc, but theoretical approaches are a starting point to begin to understand it. There are many different theoretical approaches but this paper will focus on the trait approach and the cultural approach to personality. Trait theorists believe that the traits that people have are evolved, heritable, and consistent across all cultures, as well as stable and consistent over time and across situations. In contrast, cultural psychologists argue that culture influences how individuals differ from one another. They argue that there are a lot of personality differences between cultures and that it is the culture and upbringing that causes these differences. There are two main cultural categories- individualistic cultures and collectivistic cultures. These two cultural groups have values on the opposite side of the spectrum and have very distinct characteristics in personality. Individualistic cultures, such as the United States and Canada, value the individual self over groups and relationships. There is a bigger emphasis put on personal achievement and personal rights. Collectivistic cultures, such as Asia and Mexico, value group and...

Words: 832 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Psychology the Nature of Relationship Different Cultures

...The Nature of Relationships in Different Cultures Hofstede defined culture as “the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group from another”. From research analysis Hofstede was able to classify the different countries on a continuum from extremely individualistic to extremely collectivist. Relationships in individualistic and collectivist societies differ in the degree to which they are voluntary or non-voluntary. Individualistic societies generally have a high degree of social & geographical mobility, allowing frequent interaction with a large number of people and thus a greater choice in romantic relationships. Collectivist societies have less social and geographical mobility thus people have less choice about whom they interact with. Also, Interactions with strangers are rare and are often tied to other factors such as family or economic resources. Cultures also differ in the degree to which relationships reflect the interests of the individual or the family. In individualistic societies, individual interests are deemed more important & romantic relationships are more likely to be formed on the basis of love & attraction. Also, relationships tend to be short-term as one can end the relationship if one is unhappy whereas In collectivist cultures, relationships are more likely to reflect the interests of the entire family and are long-term. This is because, one cannot end the relationship despite being unhappy because they need to...

Words: 1365 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Initiation of Cet

...Measures to limit the effect of the last recession have resulted in the rendering of the psychological contract (“Old Deal”) useless. Thus, it has given rise to a new contact “New Deal” as well as the introduction of the government initiative of Continuing Education and Training (CET) in Singapore. Yet, with the implementation of CET whose main intention is to facilitate upgrading of relevant skills to better serve of needs of market and their company (WDA, Mind Reskill, 2011), companies are facing the backlash of CET-high turnover. As a possible solution, the author claims that by leveraging 3 key perspectives, companies are able to minimize high turnover, a consequence caused by CET. There are 3 main theoretical perspectives mentioned in the report. Firstly, Psychological Contract (PC). It was mentioned that the changing landscape for job hiring gave rise to some psychological incongruence. Encountering psychological incongruence is said to lead to a decrease in Organizational Commitment. In addition, with the CET, improvement of skill results in mobility and henceforth causes instability. Secondly, Organizational Commitment (OC). In this report, it was mentioned that encounters of psychological incongruence, will led to a decrease in affective and normative commitment. Coupled with the implementation of CET, continuance commitment will too be affected, causing high turnover. If the organization is viewed in a positive manner by the employees, then Organizational Identity...

Words: 1000 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Coaching

...[pic] Understanding Organisations and the role of Human Resourcing Unit Number 3DCS Developing Coaching Skills for the Workplace Nichola Mackay 0510453 CIPD Foundation Certificate 15 January 2014 1000 Words Summary The below should help you understand the nature and purpose of coaching, know how to use a coaching style to improve performance in the workplace and be able to identify ways in which coaching can be implemented in an organisation. Contents Intoduction…………………………………………………………....1 Directive and Non-Directive Coaching…………………………...1 How coaching differs from other development needs…….….1 3 ways in which coaching can be used to meet organisational objectives…………………………………………...2 The role of a coach and cochee……………………………...…..2-3 3 potential benefits coaching for the..........................................4 coachee and 3 for the organisation 2 different ways in which a coaching culture could be implemented within an organisation..............5 Bibliography……………………………………………….................6 Coaching is a teaching, training or development process which an individual is supported while achieving their specific personal or professional result or goal. The individual receiving coaching will be referred to as the client or the coachee. "Coaching is unlocking a person’s...

Words: 1144 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Business

...ant It is of an inevitable reality that cultures differ around the world every place and context has their own unique set of norms, beliefs and practices. These set of norms, beliefs and practices make up the identity of a culture. These make up the whole of their system . A particular culture produces a pattern of actions that a group of people will manifest as they live in this world. Because of the diversity of cultures of people from different places around the world, there exist conflicts due to differences if one culture is imposing its will to the other The Btsisi are considered a horticultural society.   Horticultural societies were those that produced food.   Unlike the Foraging society who collected wild grains and animals as their first stage of food production, “horticulturalists differ from foragers in their dependence on domesticated plants for most of their food energy. Horticulturalists may still collect wild foods and hunt even as they cultivate, but by and large their sustenance depends on domesticated plants.” (Nowak & Laird, 2010). “Btsisi' traditionally practice village exogamy; in other words, the bride and groom come from different villages” (Nowak & Laird, 2010).They do not practice polygamy or the marrying of kin.   “Btsisi' say that upon marriage a newly married couple should first live matrilocally and then patrilocally” (Nowak & Laird, 2010).This is to provide the parents of the bride and groom some self assurance that the marriage...

Words: 788 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Midterm

...1. How does inductive logical thought differ from deductive logical thought? How can a researcher benefit from using both kinds of thinking? Inductive and deductive reasoning are two methods of logic used to arrive at a conclusion based on information assumed to be true. Deductive reasoning arrives at a specific conclusion based on generalizations. Inductive reasoning takes events and makes generalizations. Inductive reasoning is essentially the opposite of deductive reasoning. It involves trying to create general principles by starting with many specific instancesInductive reasoning progresses from observations of individual cases to the development of a generality. Both are used in research to establish hypotheses. Induction is usually described as moving from the specific to the general, while deduction begins with the general and ends with the specific; arguments based on experience or observation are best expressed inductively, while arguments based on laws, rules, or other widely accepted principles are best expressed deductively. Chapter 2 Page 48-49 2. Human nature is the development of culture. Explain how human beings came to the only creatures to make use of culture as strategy for survival. Provide one specific example. On the psychological side, meaning is to make sense of the ideas, experiences, feelings, and images that persade our lives. On the social side, meaning is to be sensible about the external forms we use to make our internal creations...

Words: 930 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Midterm

...Task 1 Compare and contrast different organisational structures and culture of the following 3 organizations 1) http://arcedairy.com 2) www.dairyqueen.com.ph 3) www.ue.edu.ph 1. Company Information i) Background of Company ii) Industry situation iii) Missions Statement iv) Primary Business Activities a) Why they are important and b) How they are accomplished 2. Organizational Structure of Company i) Diagram 3. Value Chain & Critical Processes i) Chart 4.0 People Management i) Why people want to work here or looking for other opportunities. Task 2 Human behavior and values are not self-generating; they are by-products of culture. TRUE or FALSE Why? Task 3 • Explain how the relationship between an organisation’s structure and culture can impact on the performance of the business. I think many human behaviors are self-generating. If they weren't then there wouldn't be variations in social norms. Many people's values seem to run independant from their stereotypical social norms. There are just as many "Moral" athiest as there are moral religious people in how they treat others. There's also an equal number of immoral or amoral individuals spanning all cultures and races.  If values were completely external, then all would conform. The way individuals react to social norms is an intrinsic,...

Words: 3510 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Communication Opinion Paper

...discussion. Effective communication is very important. In a health care setting, it is important to listen to one another and understand what is being expressed. The basic elements of communication are listening, speaking the wants and needs, and making eye contact with the other person. I believe that effective communication incorporates these skills because you need to use the proper communication skills in order to be productive in the conversation. In the health care field I do not see how the communication in basic elements of effective communication differs because all of the same rules apply. In order for your doctor to be able to treat you for an illness or ailment you have to be willing to tell the doctor the entire story and open up to the doctor about your lifestyle. This may include personal details and in order to be able to do that, there has to be a trust that other person just like in effective communication. There are ways in which basic elements of effective communication differ from the basic rules of health care communication. There are specific things that must be...

Words: 1031 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Management and Technology

...psychiatry and management, distinct organizational types, cultural approaches to management and life balance. He put two traditional reactions to a psychoanalyst: one group of people is drawn to them, hoping that the psychoanalyst or psychotherapist will bring salvation; the other avoids them fearing that such people can “see” through them. As a consultant when he start investigates an organization that is sick, the problem arises from the fact that behind every organization lays the shadow founder. When he go into an organization, he always looks at the dominant coalition and studies the personalities of the key players. He will find the “pain” both inside and outside the system – i:e double whammy. He mentions about how leadership styles differ according to culture in that country such as consensus style and more charismatic style in Anglo-Saxon and Latin countries and so on. The last point is the major challenges facing by organization now and in the future, the major concern is probably life balance. The pace may be stimulating but it also burns out these people very quickly. Another challenges mention by him, to do with the global dimension of organization. People need to become more “global-sensitive”....

Words: 532 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

World Music

...universal, but it is not a universal language”? No matter what country we come from, no matter what culture we represent, music exists in everyone’s life. Music can express emotions among different cultures. Therefore, music is universal. However, music needs people to perform and is affected by cultures. Facing with the same music, different people may have different understanding. Also, different cultures may have various interpretations. Therefore, music is not s universal language. 2. What are the potential problems in classifying music as “classical,” “folk,” or “popular”? Usually when people define folk, classical and popular music, they have to consider the background and history information. However, not everyone understands its background information. When people want to classify some new kinds of music, without background information, it may create some problems. For example, the definition of folk music relates to 19th century European culture. If people don’t realize its meaning, the definition may interfere their thinking. 3. How might an ethnomusicologist approach the study of Western classical music differently from a musicologist? Ethnomusicologists focus on the relationship between music and culture. When ethnomusicologists approach the study of Western classical music, they will analyze Western classical music under the background of history and culture. However, musicologists are more focus on music-making. When musicologists approach the study of Western...

Words: 1191 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Culture

...Kennesaw State University Cultures and Marriage April 1, 2013 Abstract This paper discusses the difference cultures between two different cultures but the same religion. It shows how cultures can influence a marriage and how traditions can play a big role in a marriage.  We also identify the coping strategies brides employ in managing the cross-cultural ambivalence that emerges as they reconcile two or more sets of cultural norms and traditions. In this life, we grow up with certain cultures that might be innate while others have been passed on to us from generations to generations. Every culture has their own traditions; one of the most popular traditions is that of marriage. It’s every families dream to celebrate matrimony. Weddings bring the whole extended family together as they celebrate a new union and also pass on different traditions. I was very privileged to interview two people of two completely different backgrounds. One of which is Nigerian from the Yoruba tradition and the other is Sri Lankan. I had several methods to bottom down what marriage really means to each people in these different cultures and how sacred it is. What do they cherish and how it influences their growth as a union and individuality. Ways to keep their marriage alive and how their various cultures co-exist in the same union especially if they are from different cultures entirely. “A new study indicates participation in 9-12 hours of marriage and relationship education produces significant...

Words: 918 - Pages: 4