Romantic Relationships in Different Cultures STARTER – 5 mins Give 3 differences between culture in the UK compared to another culture of your choice around the world EXTENSION – relate this back to relationships Learning Objectives ALL will understand what cultural variations there are in relationships ALL will be able to describe research which demonstrates both cultural variations and similarity ALL will be able to discuss critical points of this research A01 Learning Outcomes Make notes on the important cultural variations in relationships

Culture Not all cultures are the same, therefore we would expect relationships could be different as well. There are important differences in relationships between different cultures that have been discovered. A01

Voluntary or Non-Voluntary? Western cultures tend to have: Large choice of potential partners in more urban centres. High amount of social mobility Transport links are affordable and easier to access increasing options for relationships A01

Individual or group based relationships Individualist cultures – focus on happiness and pleasure. Temporary relationships, individual interests important not group goals. Choice very important. Collectivist cultures – community, family, tradition is very important. Group goals are the focus. Concerns of family are important in relationship formation. Moghaddam et al 1993 A01

Importance of Love Individualist cultures – Levine et al (1995) found USA pp’s reluctant to marry someone without love (14% would). Collectivist cultures – 24% would in India and 34% in Thailand. Suggests extended family is important and love is a luxury in comparison to western cultures. A01

Differences in loneliness Individualist cultures – Seepersad et al (2008) suggested young adults in these cultures will experience higher loneliness. Compared 227 US and Korean students. Emphasis on romantic relationship may amplify feelings of loneliness. US students relied on friends & partners. Collectivist cultures – The Korean students reported less loneliness. Relied more heavily on the family for support. A01

Culture and romance. Read the yellow box on page 60. Take notes on Erikson (1968) and Ho (1986) Create a study break down for the Moore and Leung (2011) study. Include: 1.Aim 2.Possible Hypothesis 3.Methodology 4.Results 5.Discussion A01

Voluntary or non-voluntary Voluntary doesn’t mean better. Divorce rates are low in non-voluntary cultures. Epstein (2002) found half of arranged relationships the spouses reported falling in love with each other. Myers et al (2005) found no reported differences in arranged marriage satisfaction in India compared with non-arranged in the US. A02

Love & Marital satisfaction In developing countries like China there has been a move away from traditional ‘arranged marriages’. In China, parent involvement in partner choice has fallen from 70% in 1949 to 10% in Xiaohe & Whyte (1990) found women who had married for love felt better about their marriage than women who had an arranged marriage. A02

Research Make notes on the following AO2 sections. Prepare to feedback. 1.Consequences of increasing urbanisation 2.Cultural bias in relationship research 3.Cutural bias IDA 4.Is love an evolutionary adaptation? A02

Demonstrate. Discuss the influence of culture on romantic relationships (8 +16)