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Influence of culture on romantic relationships
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Essay of 2 pages for the course Relationships at BPP
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The influence of culture on romantic relationships is dependent on if they are an individualisticculture (western) individuals have a choice over their relationships and how their partner will be as
family has a smaller effect on the relationship as the focus is on the individual. However, in a
collectivistic culture (non-western) are encouraged to be interdependent rather than independent.
Collectivist cultures tends to leads to relationships that may have more to do with the concerns of
the family or group as put forward by Moghaddam et al (1993).
A distinguishing feature of many western cultures is that we live in predominately urban settings,
with relatively easy geographical and social mobility. This ensures that, on a daily basis, we
voluntarily interact with a large number of people, many of whom are first acquaintances. Western
cultures, therefore, appear to be characterised by a high degree of choice in romantic relationships
and a greater ‘pool’ of potential relationships. Non-western cultures, on the other hand, have fewer
large urban centres, and less geographical and social mobility, and people therefore have less choice
about whom they interact with on a daily basis. Interactions with strangers are rare, and
relationships are frequently tied to other factors, such as family or economic resources.
As relationships in western cultures are typically based on freedom of choice, we might expect to
find differences between western and non-western cultures regarding the importance of love in
romantic relationships. Levine et al (1995) investigated love as a basis for marriage in 11 countries.
Respondents were asked whether they would be willing to marry someone who had all the qualities
they desired in a marriage partner but whom they did not love. The US respondents expressed a
reluctance to marry in the absence of love (only 14% said they would marry someone they did not
love). However, the figures from collectivist cultures such as India (24%) and Thailand (34%) were
higher, suggesting a higher proportion of people in these cultures were prepared to marry in the
absence of love. This suggests that in such cultures the extended family is of greater importance and
romantic love is considered a comparative luxury.
Cultures that promote a strong desire for romantic relationships can greatly influence feelings of
romantic loneliness in young people not involved in a romantic relationship. Seepersad et al (2008)
suggested that young adults in western cultures such as the UK and US would experience a greater
degree of loneliness because of a high desire for romantic relationships, compared to young adults
from non-western cultures, such as China and Korea. Seepersad et al’s study revealed that in a
sample of 227 US and Korean students, US students reported significantly higher levels of romantic
loneliness than did Koreans when they were not in a romantic relationship. Their results suggest
that a strong emphasis on the importance of romantic relationships in western cultures may unduly
amplify individuals’ feelings of loneliness. Seepersad et al’s study also showed that Korean students
relied more heavily on their families to fulfil their social network needs, while American students
relied more heavily on friends and significant others.
Voluntary relationships aren’t necessarily better – in some societies, ‘non-voluntary’ or arranged
marriages make good sense and seem to work well. Divorce rates are low, and in around half of
them the spouses report that they have fallen in love with each other. Myers et al (2005) studied
individuals in India living in arranged marriages. They found no differences in martial satisfaction
were found when compared to individuals in non-arranged marriages in the US. This suggests the
idea that voluntary relationships aren’t necessarily better as it implies that non-voluntary
relationships are equally as successful.
However, in some rapidly developing cultures, such as China, there have been a noticeable increase
in ‘love matches’ i.e. a move away from traditional arranged marriages. In China, instances in which
parents dominate the process of partner choice have declined from 70% prior to 1949, to less than
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