Working with intercultural couples (original) (raw)

Intercultural intimate relationships

The International Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication, 2017

As transnational social networks expand, people increasingly form intimate relationships with partners from a different sociocultural background. While intercultural intimate relationships are not a new phenomenon, they have attracted research only recently due to their global proliferation. Scholars are particularly interested in how such mixed relationships communicate and how their interculturality impacts on partners' (and their offspring's) identities. Some studies have been criticized for overemphasizing cultural differences and identification problems of intercultural partners. This depiction of intercultural coupledom as problematic in early research echoed initial societal perceptions of it. Contrastingly, recent works explore how intercultural partners can effectively communicate and negotiate their complex sociocultural repertoires. The hybrid cultural forms and meanings that intercultural couples create are shown as empowering rather than debilitating. This new approach is also reflected in society and the media, which increasingly represent intercultural families in a positive light, gradually normatizing or even endorsing them.

Intercultural Couples in Iceland

2016

As the population of intercultural couples and multicultural individuals rises in Iceland, counseling professionals can increasingly expect to work with this population. For the purpose of this Master’s thesis, an Intercultural Couple’s Workshop was created as a pilot study with the aim of developing family life educational material that might be of value to intercultural couples in Iceland. The workshop placed emphasis on issues and challenges that intercultural couples often face. With this thesis, the author hopes to bring awareness to the challenges that family therapists face when working with intercultural couples and to benefit the couples involved. Although the participants ’ sample was small, certain conclusions can be drawn from the results. The product of this work may have value in understanding intercultural couples in Iceland and creating a comprehensive program for this population. Moreover, it is hoped that this work affords valuable suggestions to family therapists ...

An Observation of Cultural Dimensions in Intercultural Marriages

The paper presents an observation of several aspects of four intercultural marriages influenced by the cultural differences between the spouses processed through Hofstede’s and Hall’s cultural models; more specifically, three cultural dimensions: Individualism/Collectivism, Power Distance and High-/Low-context Cultures. The participants’ home-countries are The United States, Germany, The United Kingdom, Serbia and Greece. This research proves that social and emotional expectations in a relationship are indeed highly dependent on values the culture, in which an individual was raised, impose to that individual as normal functioning. A clash of worldviews in an intercultural marriage can only be reconciled through a high degree of determination to make love last alongside with the essential cultural awareness, tolerance and a spark of adaptability. Intercultural marriage as a phenomenon in which the impact of cultural differences becomes apparent on many levels is also a great guide to building stable relationships on compromise, mutual understanding and the willingness to adapt and never stop learning – the very essence of cross-cultural communicative competence.

Stress and Coping Techniques in Successful Intercultural Marriages

2004

The number of intercultural marriages has grown significantly in the past few decades, as have the numbers of intercultural couples presenting for marital and family therapy. Current literature on intercultural relationships states that they are at a high risk for failure, with higher divorce rates and lower marital satisfaction reported than for same culture marriages. Few actual research studies have been conducted to prove or disprove these theories, and no studies have looked at how successful couples have dealt with the stressors stated in the literature such that they remain married and report high marital satisfaction. This study was an exploratory study on the stress and coping techniques successful couples have utilized in their relationships, based on the ABCX model of stress and coping. Six couples were interviewed on what stressors they have faced, what resources they have accessed and built to combat those stressors, and what their perceptions of their challenges have been. Several themes emerged. Couples revealed common stressors from family and society disapproval, language barriers, logistics, cultural barriers and traditions, and children. Coping resources included humor, learning about the other's culture, support, communication, personal preparation, working towards common goals, and religion.

Introductory Analysis of Factors Affecting Intercultural Couples in the Context of Singapore

Studia Edukacyjne, 2014

The intercultural marriages in Singapore have been on the rise in recent years and there is a growing need to present an analysis of potentially vital factors, which may play a significant role in couple dynamics from the cross-cultural perspective. The body of research found that mixed marriages and relationships tend to encounter more obstacles affecting the level of marital satisfaction than monocultural marriages. Therefore a deeper understanding of the factors affecting intercultural couples in Singapore seems to be a crucial introduction to the local context due to the paucity of prior research.

The Comparison of Relationship Satisfaction in Monocultural and Intercultural Couples

2023

Romantic love is a dynamic and psychological process that adapts across cultures, is influenced by cultural beliefs and values, and occurs in various ways around the world. In the literature, a significant difference was found between intercultural married couples and married couples from the same culture in terms of marital satisfaction. The lack of studies on intercultural family relationships makes keeps researchers from understanding these couples psychologically (e.g., different values and beliefs), emotionally (e.g., stress management), and socially (e.g., cultural behavioral differences). In this study, whether intercultural couples have more relationship satisfaction than monocultural couples will be addressed by aiming the contribute to the literature. It has been suggested that there is a gap between research on the relationship satisfaction of monocultural couples and multicultural couples. In this research, further research questions are provided to be investigated in future studies.