Influence of Culture Flashcards
What are the 3 key aspects of a culture?
culture is shared by group of people, acquired/learned from others, cultural variation due to differences in acquisition of beliefs, attitudes and behaviour
What are the differences between individualistic and collectivistic in relation to relationships?
I: romantic love, individual choice, less permanence expectation, higher divorce rates. C: responsibility to family, arranged marriages, more permanence expectation, lower divorce rate
What are the historical and anthropological theories say about cultural variation in relationships?
Romantic love is not universal and is not always basis for marriage
What is romantic love believed to be literary scholars and social scientists?
social construction specific to Western culture, lots of cultures where virtually absent, can be traced back to troubadour culture 12 C France
What study was conducted into romantic love?
Jankowiak and Fischer 1992: romantic love would have kept our ancestors alive long enough to reproduce, love not social construct but inherited and universal
What is the other explanation of cultural variation of love?
influence of romantic love will vary between societies depending on socialisation, culture and tradition and position on individualism-collectivism continuum
What have been the research responses to the question: if someone has all the other qualities you desired but you didn’t love them, would you marry them?
Allgeiert and Weiderman 1991: yes 14% men, 9% women (US college students). Sprecher 1994: Japan = similar to US answers, Russian = less likely to insist on love. Levine 1995: cross cultural, collectivist need love less
What is the alternative approach for cultural differences in romantic love?
IDA, love is evolutionary mechanism working as signal of commitment, promotes survival/reproduction
What are the differences between voluntary and arranged marriages?
Voluntary: romantic basis, arranged: criteria = family alliances, economic, health reasons (parents may plan alone or with children)
What is the factual data on the prevalence of arranged marriage and its social and geographical distribution?
Broude and Greene 1983: 130/142 cultures have elements of arranged marriage, UNICEF = 55% all marriages arranged, voluntary marriages are historically and culturally uncommon
What study found no difference of satisfaction between love and arranged marriages?
Myers, Mandathil and Tingle 2005: Indian arranged and US love marriages = no difference
What is finding from China on satisfaction and type of marriage?
Xioaha and Whyte 1990: women in love marriages are happier than those in arranged marriages
Who found arranged marriages to be happier?
Madathil and Benshoff 2008: Indian arranged marriages in US happier, higher satisfaction if Indian couples have more involvement in arrangement
What are the explanations for arranged marriages being happier?
matched on social and education background, support from family (might not be in love marriage)
Why might love marriages not be as happy?
Idea of ‘perfect’ partner in Western culture, impossible for someone to be best friend, primary social figure and husband/wife
