Love and Marriage in Eleven Cultures

Abstract

College students from secondary population centers in India, Pakistan, Thailand, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Australia, England, and the United States were asked to rate the importance of love for both the establishment and the maintenance of a marriage. Love tended to receive greatest importance in the Western and Westernized nations and least importance in the underdeveloped Eastern nations. These differences were stronger and clearer for decisions regarding the establishment of a marriage than for the maintenance and dissolution of a marriage. There were few significant sex differences, either across or within countries. Individualistic cultures, as opposed to collective cultures, assigned much greater importance to love in marriage decisions. Respondents assigning greater importance to love also tended to come from nations with higher economic standards of living, higher marriage rates and divorce rates, and lower fertility rates.

Love in the Fourth Dimension

“…By the mid-1980s, at least 80% of both men and women said that they would not marry a person with whom they were not in love even if he or she had all the other qualities they desired in a mate (Simpson et al 1986). These figures continued to increase, and the importance of romantic love in the contraction of marriage is now found in many other cultures and countries as well (e.g., Levine et al 1995). …”

Marital satisfaction and the impact of children in collectivist cultures: A meta-analysis

“…Adult unmarried children are encouraged to live apart from the family home; in fact, it is a social stigma in the United States to live at home while attempting to find a mate (HOFSTEDE 2001). Romantic love is highly regarded in individualist culture (LEVINE et al 1995). Marital satisfaction is affected by the level of emotional backing one receives from a partner, who is perceived as an intimate companion (DION and DION 1993).…”

Pengaruh Dyadic Coping terhadap Kepuasan Pernikahan Pada Pasangan Menikah di Tangerang

“…Berbagai sikap seperti menyalahkan pasangan ketika memberi bantuan, tidak menanggapi stress-nya dengan serius, atau menjauh ketika pasangannya menceritakan permasalahan yang sedang dihadapi dapat menyakiti perasaan pasangan, baik secara langsung ataupun tidak langsung (Stone & Shackelford, 2006;Bodenmann, Meuwly, Bradbury, Gmelch, Ledermann, 2010). Sikap-sikap tersebut kemudian menumbuhkan atribusi atau emosi negatif terhadap pernikahan sehingga dapat menurunkan kepuasan pernikahan (Cutrona & Gardner 2006;Bodenmann, 2005 Levine, Sato, Hashimoto, Verma, 1995). Setiap individu yang memutuskan untuk menikah tentunya memiliki pengharapan bahwa pasangannya akan memenuhi kebutuhannya, baik secara fisik maupun emosi (Olson & DeFrain, 2003).…”