Cultural Differences in Relationships

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We'll begin by explaining the cultural differences in relationships meaning.
Then, what are the cultural differences in relationships in psychology?
What is the impact of cultural differences on relationships?
Then, let's explore cultural differences in relationship examples.
Finally, what's required when managing cultural differences in relationships?

Cultural Differences in Relationships Meaning

Many things set us apart from one another, but cultural differences can greatly impact our social relationships. Cultural differences in relationships set us apart in our attitudes, beliefs, and values. They can appear in cross-culture relationships but also affect how a person engages in their relationships. Additionally, cultural differences can impact what we view as right or wrong and normal or strange. These rules are often referred to as social norms and can significantly impact relationships.

Social norms: proper behavior that aligns with social expectations.

Every culture establishes social norms or rules that everyone is expected to live by. Some cultures' social norms are more stringent and overt, while others may be more flexible and subtle. In either case, these cultural differences in social norms often appear in our social relationships.

In Layla's culture, it is disrespectful to visit someone's home for dinner and not eat all the food off of your plate. When Holly came over to meet Layla's parents and didn't eat all of her food, it caused a disagreement between the two.

While we will spend time in this article discussing cultural differences in relationships across cultures, it's important to note that there are cultural differences in relationships within cultures too. These subcultures may relate to economic status, religion, or region.

Cultural Differences in Relationships Psychology

In psychology, cultural differences in relationships are often viewed through individualist vs. collectivist cultures.

Individualism: refers to groups that prioritize personal goals over group goals.

Collectivism: refers to groups that prioritize group goals over personal goals.

These two perspectives play a large role in shaping cultural differences in relationships.

People from individualist cultures are more likely to:

finish an "I am..." statement with personality traits.
value recognition of the personal self in social interactions.
be more trusting
act on personal feelings and being true to oneself
express one's uniqueness
have more casual and temporary relationships

While people from collectivist cultures are more likely to:

finish an "I am..." statement with social roles.
value recognition of the collective self in social interactions.
take pleasure in collective victories.
view those willing to change their behavior to suit different people as more honest or mature.
maintain more enduring connections.
value harmony above personal success.

Cultural Differences in Relationships, man standing on edge of boat rail with hands out, StudySmarter

Fig. 1 Individualist cultures value independence, Pexels.com

The Impact of Cultural Differences on Relationships

Cultural differences can impact several social relationships, from raising children to friendships.

Child-Raising

Cultural differences in relationships can be especially apparent when it comes to raising children. Some cultures, often Western cultures, may value a child's independence, offering encouragements such as "be true to yourself" or "follow your heart." Others, however, prefer children who are obedient above all else.

Emotional closeness is often highly valued in many Asian and African cultures. These cultures prioritize the "family self." This simply means that anything that brings honor to one's family also brings honor to oneself and anything that shames a child also brings shame to the family.

In other cultures, the parent-child relationship involves more body contact but little face-to-face interaction such as in the Guise society in western Kenya. Others, such as in Senegal discourage parents from talking to young children. Western cultures, on the other hand, may prefer less body contact interaction such as pushing a stroller, and value speaking to a child all day long. Regardless of these cultural differences, we can't say that one is better than the other.

Friendships

Cultural differences in relationships come out when it comes to friendships. Think about how you view friendships. Do you think everyone around the world views them the way you do? Or even consider your parents. Are there some ways in which they view friendship differently than you?

Cultural differences in relationships can occur even across generations.

Every culture has some form of friendship, but it's constructed and viewed differently across cultures. For example, compared to other cultures, Americans often have more friends with greater differences between them. Other cultures like Ghana tread more carefully when making friends (Adams & Plant, 2003). Some cultures emphasize intimacy and quality of interactions in their friendships.

What about when it comes to conformity among friendships? Are some cultures more prone to this than others?

Conformity: refers to changing and modifying one's thinking and behavior to fit some group standard.

The answer is yes! Bond and Smith (1996) found that people from individualist cultures have lower conformity rates than those in collectivist cultures. Can you think of any reasons why that is?

Hint: Conformity is adjusting to a group standard, not a personal one.

Romantic Relationships

Cultural differences in romantic relationships can be vast. Some cultures may have very specific and strict gender roles in relationships.

Gender roles: refers to behaviors or traits that are socially expected of men or women.

Additionally, cultures may differ in their views of same-sex romantic relationships and may even impose unfair laws concerning members of the LGBTQ+ community. There are even differences in how a culture views interracial relationships, with some being more supportive than others. Interracial couples may also face cultural differences that can create unique challenges in their relationship and between their families.

Cultural Differences in Relationships, couple smiling at each other in traditional clothing, StudySmarter Fig. 2 Cultural differences in romantic relationships, Pexels.com

Cultural Differences in Relationships Examples

What are some examples of how cultural differences impact your relationships that you can think of? Are they most noticeable in school, amongst strangers, or with friends? Let's take a look at a few examples of cultural differences we might see in relationships.

In non-American cultures, people are commonly more formal with strangers than in North American cultures. Isaac noticed that his friend's parents seem very formal with him whenever he goes to his friend's house. At first, he thought that they didn't really like him but he later learned that it was simply a cultural difference.

Roshni and Jaden just started dating and are starting to notice some noticeable cultural differences in their relationship. For example, Roshni has different religious views than Jaden. These differences have caused very many issues except for when they talk about marriage and family values.

Managing Cultural Differences in Relationships

Managing cultural differences in relationships can be challenging in ways. This can be especially true in romantic relationships. So how do we manage these differences? In many ways, it can come down to our willingness to cooperate with one another. Just because your culture has different values than another does not necessarily mean you are right and they are wrong. Each member of a relationship should have a willingness to consider another's perspective. How can you try to understand where the other person is coming from?

Another way we can manage cultural differences in relationships is through open communication. How can we know there is an issue or difference in opinion if no one openly talks about it? The goal of open communication does not necessarily need to be to change another person's mind but to better understand each other's differences and to work towards finding a middle ground.

Cultural Diversity in Relationships - Key takeaways

Cultural differences in relationships set us apart in our attitudes, beliefs, and values. They can appear in cross-culture relationships but also can affect how a person engages in their own relationships.
In psychology, cultural differences in relationships are often viewed through the lens of individualist vs collectivist cultures.
Cultural differences in relationships can be especially apparent when it comes to raising children. Some cultures, often Western cultures, may value a child's independence, offering encouragements such as "be true to yourself" or "follow your heart." Others, however, prefer children who are obedient above all else.
In non-American cultures, people are commonly more formal with strangers than in North American cultures.
Just because your culture has different values than another does not necessarily mean you are right and they are wrong. Each member of a relationship should have a willingness to consider another's perspective.

References

Adams, G., and Plaut, V. C. (2003). The cultural grounding of personal relationship: friendship in North American and West African worlds. Pers. Relatsh. 10, 333–347. doi: 10.1111/1475-6811.00053 CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar
Bond, R., & Smith, P. B. (1996). Culture and conformity: A meta-analysis of studies using Asch's (1952b, 1956) line judgment task. Psychological Bulletin, 119(1), 111–137. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.119.1.111

Frequently Asked Questions about Cultural Differences in Relationships

Cultural differences in relationships set us apart in our attitudes, beliefs, and values. They can appear in cross-culture relationships but also affect how a person engages in their relationships.

Cultural differences can affect relationships because cultural norms can determine what's appropriate in child-raising, friendships, and romantic relationships. For example, a person's culture can determine how they view gender roles which can affect romantic relationships.

An example of cultural differences in relationships can be seen in how a culture values emotional closeness. For example, Emotional closeness is often highly valued in many Asian and African cultures. These cultures prioritize the "family self." This simply means that anything that brings honor to one's family also brings honor to oneself and anything that shames a child also brings shame to the family.

Cultural differences can impact several social relationships, such as parent-child relationships, friendships, and romantic relationships.

An example of how cultural differences affect family relationships can be seen in how cultures value child independence. Western cultures, may value a child's independence, offering encouragements such as "be true to yourself" or "follow your heart." Others, however, prefer children who are obedient above all else.

We can overcome cultural differences by being willing to cooperate with one another and through open communication about our different views and beliefs.

Test your knowledge with multiple choice flashcards

When Kara won her track meet, she told everyone she was proud of her hard work and personal accomplishments. When Lynn won her track meet, she highlighted how hard her team and coach worked together to accomplish their goals. Which type of culture is Kara likely a part of and which type of culture is Lynn likely a part of?

Both Kara and Lynn are likely from a collectivist culture. Kara is likely from an individualist culture while Lynn is likely from a collectivist culture. Kara is likely from a collectivist culture while Lynn is likely from an individualist culture. Both Kara and Lynn are likely from an individualist culture.

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What are social norms?

Social norms refer to proper behavior that aligns with social expectations.

True or False? Cultural differences in relationships only exist across cultures, but never with within cultures.

False. Cultural differences in relationships can also exist within cultures

_____________ refers to groups that prioritize personal goals over group goals.

Individualism

____________ refers to groups that prioritize group goals over personal goals.

Collectivism

Kara is likely from an individualist culture while Lynn is likely from a collectivist culture.

True or False? Emotional closeness is often highly valued in many Asian and African cultures.

True

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