Communication and Marital Satisfaction in Japanese and Caucasian American Intermarried Couples PDF Download

Author: Yuko Iwamoto Franklin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Communication in marriage
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
"The purpose of the study was to investigate the nature of communication in intercultural marriage between Japanese and Caucasian Americans; examining how cultural differences are manifested in communication styles and how these differences affect relationships. A dual methodology was applied to explore these questions. First, two tests designed to assess level of communication in-marriage (Marital Communication Form) and marital satisfaction (Locke and Wallace Marital Adjustment Test) were translated and distributed to a large sample (n=240) of Caucasian Americans, Japanese (in Japan), and mixed couples (in the United States). Then, face-to-face interviews were conducted with six interculturally married couples, selected to represent either 'good communicators' or 'poor communicators' based on their results on both tests. Quantitative analyses of the questionnaires point towards major differences between American and Japanese cultures in these areas: Perception of marriage (including mate selection, gender role expectations, and concepts of happiness and intimacy) and communication styles and content (including verbal/nonverbal and expression of affection). In this context, in-depth interviews of intermarried couples were conducted and analyzed. Four general areas pertaining to intermarriage provided the framework for questioning: 1) factors leading to the marriage; 2) marital adjustment; 3) cultural differences and conflict; and 4) managing the conflict. The purpose of the interviews was to obtain an understanding of what actually happens when two people of different ethnic cultural backgrounds marry, and to discover strategies developed by couples to cope with cultural differences. The four areas of questioning are discussed through vignettes taken from the married lives of both good and poor communicators. The results of the study show that the more one knows of one's spouse's culture, the better the communication, and that for mixed marriages in the United States, marital satisfaction is contingent on having Japanese spouses speaking English to an adequate degree. As a preliminary and exploratory study, the research has provided some answers about the complexity and multi-dimensionality of communication and marital satisfaction in intercultural relationships"--Leaves iii-iv.