Culture - Relationships A02

I - Non-voluntary marriages can work well in cultures that have reduced mobility.

J - Myers et al (2005) studied couples living in India in arranged marriages. These marriages were then compared to couples living the United State in non-arranged marriages and no difference between maritial satisfaction was found.

E - This suggests that non-voluntary marriages can work just as well as voluntary marriages. 

I - Relationships based on love may not produce compatible partners.

J - It has been found that younger people may be "blinded by love" and not see the incomatiblity whereas parents are able to judge how compatible people will be in the long term.

E - This shows that not all relationships produce compatible partners even though the individuals may love each other. 

I - Western relationships are becoming less permanent. 

J - Divorce has become more common in Western countries in the last fifty years with 12 couples per 1000 getting a divorce in 2007. 

E - This shows that Western society is changing so that individuals are more mobile and don't just "mate for life". 

I - There are different rules and norms for relationships in different cultures.

J - Argyle et al conducted a cross-cultural comparison of relationship rules in different cultures. The research found evidence to support some relationship rules but didn't support others. However, the list of relationship rules that was used for this study was based upon couples in the United Kingdom so wouldn't include rules from any other culture.

E - This shows that relationship rules are not the same in every single culture.