从文化冲突理论视角对我国跨文化婚姻的调查

从文化冲突理论视角对我国跨文化婚姻的调查 辽宁师范大学 硕士学位论文 从文化冲突理论视角对我国跨文化婚姻的调查 姓名: 李晓英 申请学位级别:硕士 专业:英语语言文学 指导教师:王昺 20090501 辽宁师 范大学硕士学位论文摘要 本文是从中国女性的角度探究中美跨文化婚姻本质的定 性研究,分别从文化冲突 内容,文化冲突的应对以及维持良好婚姻关系的技巧方面做 出阐述。其调查对象是七位 定居中国大陆并与美国男性结婚的中国女性。本文旨在 增进人们对我国中美跨文化婚姻 复杂本质更加充分的了解,同时期望能为我国跨文 化婚姻领域的研究作适当的补充。本 文的所有数据都来源于问卷调查。作者使用统 计的方法对这些所获取的数据加以分 析后,得出以下五个重要的结论:第一,"相 似性"这一点显然已成为跨文化婚姻中女 性最初被吸引的最普遍原因,在"公共场合 相遇成为所调查夫妇中???为常见的结识方 式;第二,众多女性选择步入婚姻殿堂的 重要理由是"相似性以及"配偶某方面的优 点''。以上两点都与跨文化婚姻的冲突内 容及其应对有直接关系;第三,在跨文化婚姻 中产生的冲突问题中四个方面最为普 遍:文化差异,在家庭事务方面的不同意见,交际 方式的不同以及语言障碍;第四,此次 调查显示出中国女性在应对冲突时最为常用的方 式是综合型,其次是回避型和体贴 型,突破了传统中国女性常用的回避型,这一事实充 分明了中国女性地位的改变和 提升,同时从文中我们可以明确的一点是多数中国女性 用来应对婚姻冲突的方法受 到中国孔子思想和集体主义观念的影响。最后提出了四种不 同的婚姻交互模式以供 参考:第五,本文的调查研究得出了中国女性维持良好婚姻关系 最为普遍的五个方 法即:自我提升,共同参与,原谅对方??爱的示意及幽默生活。其中 只有一位女性并不 认为在她的婚姻中有过冲突,这一点体现在她极其重视良好婚姻关系 的维持技巧 上。第六,本文从研究跨文化婚姻冲突的视角转向学生语言学习过程中跨文 化交际 能力的提升,详细阐述了语言和文化的内在联系,同时指出教师如何在语言课堂 中应 用多元文化教育的理念来提升学生的跨文化交际能力。 关键词:跨文化婚姻;冲突; 冲突应对;关系维持;跨文化交际 A Survey ofInterculturalMarriageinChina:AConflict ManagementPerspective Abstract This qualitativestudyexplores thenatureofChinese-Americanintercultural marriage fro??Chinese wives'perspectivesconcerning aboutconflict issues,conflictmanagement and relationship maintenance techniques.Seven ChinesewomenwhomarriedtoAmericanmenin Chinaaleinvolved.This study isonthe purpose of helping readerstounderstandbetterthe complicated natureofChinese- studymaysupplyknowledge in??hefieldofintercultural marriage communication.Datais obtainedfrom questionnaires.The author adopts statistical analysis todrawfive important conclusionsfrom data.First,it isobviousthat the"similarity''becomes themost important ingredientaccounting fortheinitial attraction,and''meet inthe public situation''becomesthe mostcommonstyle of acquainting witheach other.Second,''similarity''and''husband'S goodness''appears tobethemostcommonreasonfor marriage;the twoitemsabove closely relatewiththemaritalconflictandits management inintercultural marriage.Third,four most familialconflictissues emerge:culturaldifferences,differentopinions onhouseholdand investigation showsthemost approachesadoptedby Chinesewivesinmaritalconflictare integrating,whileobliging andtheconventional avoidingtechniques followedfits second, whichbreaks through thetraditional approach Chinesewives normallyadopt(avoiding).The useofmixed approaches manifeststhe change ofChinesewives'rolesinChina.Itisobvious thatthe ???echniques Chinesewivesusedtomanagetheirmaritalconflictshavebeeninfluenced by ChineseConfuciusand collectivists'points of view.Besides,thethesisoffers four different styles ofinteraction in intercultural marriage.Fifth,the five mostC01TUTIOn relationship maintenance techniques foundinthe study ale self-improvement,jointactivities, patience,assurance andhu??or.The only wifewho reported noseriousconflictissueinher marriage revealsher frequentattentiononthe thestudyremovesthefocusfromtheintercultural marriageperspective tothe improvement of thecross-cultural competency ofthestudentsin languagelearning.The author expounds the inherent relationship between langt'lage an?? culture,andpoints outhowtheteachers apply the mulficultural education theory to improve the students'cross-cultural communication competency inthe language classrooms. Key Words: Intercultural marriage;Conflict;Conflict management;Relationship maintenance;Cross-culturalcommunication 辽宁师范人学顾I:学位论文 Table2.1 Table2.2 Table3.1 Table4.1 Table4.2 Table4.3 Table4.?? Table4.5 ListofTables Ranking offortycountriesor regions onindividualismandcollectivism..............9 Cultures arrangedalong the high? context andlow-contextdimension................11 Demographic characteristicsofsevenChinesewives..........................................】【8 Initialattractionfactors.........................................................................................23 Chinesewives'reasonsfor marriage...............???..................................................26 Maritalconflictissues...........................................................................................29 Conflict managementtechniques..........................................................................37 Relationship maintenance techniques...................................................................z13 一V一 A Survey ofIntercultural Marriage inChina:AConflict ManagementPerspective ---?____-___^-__?_-_--?___-__--__-______?---_P--?___----l__--_--____---??----------_ __l?-----_--?-__-____----------------------------一一。一一。一 Listof Figures Figure 4.1 Figure 4.2 Figure 4.3 Figure 4.4 Figure 4.5 Complexity of language testifiedinaChinesecharacter....................................34 Submissionstyle ofintercultural marriage..........................................................40 Obliteration style ofintercultural marriage.........................................................41 Compromisestyle ofintercultural marriage........................................................42 Consensus style ofinterculturalmallriage...........................................................42 学位论文独创性声明 本人承诺:所呈交的学位论文是本人在导师指导下所取得的研究成果。论文中除特 别加以标注和致谢的地方外,不包含他人和其他机构已经撰写或发表过的研究成果, 其 他同志的研究成果对本人的启示和所提供的帮助,均已在论文中做了明确的声明 并表示 谢意。 学位论文作者签名:塑盘堑筮 学位论文版权的使用授权 本学位论 文作者完全了解辽宁师范大学有关保留、使用学位论文的规定,及学校有 权保留并 向国家有关部门或机构送交复印件或磁盘,???许论文被查阅和借阅。本文授权 辽宁 师范大学,可以将学位论文的全部或部分内容编入有关数据库并进行检索,可以采 用 影印、缩印或扫描等复制手段保存、汇编学位论文,并且本人电子文档的内容和纸质 论文的内容相一致。 保密的学位论文在解密后使用本授权书。 学位论文作者签名: 燧指导教师签名: 签名日期: 色7%眵日 辽宁帅范人学硕.Ij学位论文 1 Introduction Intercultural marriage hasbecomemorecommonoverthecourseofthis century jnboth intercultural marriagemay bein part relatedto rapid technical advances(e.g.,meeting a partner viainternetor newspapers,meeting a partnerduring abusiness trip),a growing numberof multinational corporations,orgreater personalmobility(Nadler,Nadler,& Broome,1985).Inaddition,the vast scaleof immigration caused by work migration, education,andtourismalso brings more people thaneve??beforeintocontactwitheachother 1.1CurrentSituationofIntercultural Marriage InChina,interculturalmarriage has steadily increasedduetotheinfluxof foreigners since the 1978'S Policy of Reform and Openness period,then the increased n umbersofChinesewere studying and travelingabroad,whichenhancesthecommunication and governmentdialogue betweencountries,Americais included.Inaddition,recent socio-economicdevelopment in China brings more foreigners toChinathan everbefore. Accordingto thedatafrom ministry ofcivil administrationin China,therewere14193 intercultural couples enrolledin 1 982,which increasedto50773in 1997anduntilthen Chinesemarriedwit?? people fromtheother53countries(Baike). InUnitedStates,interculturalmarriage hasincreased steadily overthecourseofthe twentieth century andthereare predictions thatitwillcontinuetodoSOinthefuture.United Statesisa highlydevelopedcountry,whichpositioned onthe top oftheworld economy,and shehasbecomea meltingpotcountryfully filledwith people fromtheothercou??triesand races.Inaddition,theincreasing breakdownof legal barrierstOinterracial marriage inthe UnitedStates,such astheremovalofa1924 Virginia law forbiddingmarriage between persons ofdifferentracesin 1 967,aswellasthedecreaseofsocial animosity towards cross-culturalunions increasinglypermitspeople ofdifferentcultural backgrounds to marry (Eshleman,2003). 1???2The Significance ofIntercultural Marriage Research Intercultural marriagemay bemore complicated thanthesameculture marriage,since couples fromdifferentcultures usually havedifferent styles of communication,languages, differentsocialpractices andsocialnetworks.Forinstance,Parkand Adelman(1983)suggest that,ingeneral,a lackofcommonsocialnetworks may increa??ethe probability offailurefor intercultural marriages.Inaddition,Gumperz and Tannen(1979)suggest that themore participants in aconversation knowabouteach other,the less likelihood thereis of miscommunication.Itmeanswhen participants havelittlecommon backgroundinformation, 一l一 thecommunicationis likely tobefilledwith interruptions.Therefore,themisunderstandjngs between couples fromtwodifferentcultureswillcausemaritalconflict,whichcanbeclarified furtheras confusion,anxiety,anger andeven despair.Inshort,becauseofan increasing rate ofintercultural marriage in twocountries,theessentialdifferencesbetweenChineseand Americanculture may causemarital conflict and familydisagreement.That is why the conflict study andthe relationship maintenanceofChinese-American marriages areworth investigating. Themaritalconflictis viewedasan on- important meansof distinguishing a healthy marriage from dysfunctionalmarriage(Messman&Canary,1998).Because littleis known aboutwhatconflictoccursandhowtO manage inChin??se-Americanintercultural marriages. thisthesiswill explore someissuesonthe development of potentialconflict,effectiveconflict managementtechniques,andrelationship maintenance techniques.In addition,study on conflictandmaintenanceof relationships inChineseandAmericanintercultural marriage iS an ongoingtopic,and the qualitativeinvestigation willbe applied inordertoobtaina richly detailed understanding ofthisissueinthis study.The data gained fromthis qualitativestudy issignificantforthefutureresearchworkinintercultural marriage. 1.3The Purpose andResearch Questions Inordertofillinthe gapemerged in previous researchonintercultural marriage in China, Isubmitthe study onconflictissues,conflictmanagement,andrelat??onshipmaintenancein ChineseandAmericanintercultural marriages.The data acquired fromthe qualitative researchwillbe especiallyimportant for understanding someofthe key issueswithinthe complex intercultural relationship betweenChineseand Americans,and alsoit will help readersbetterunderstandthenatureofintercultural marriage betweenChineseandAmericans marrie?? couples.Ihope that my research emphasis onthesethree majorissues(conflict, conflict management and relationshipmaintenance)willhelp advance knowledge inthefield ofinterculturaland interpersonal communication.Thethesiswill develop fromtheresearch questions andfindthesolutionsintheconclusion chapter.There arethreeresearch questions inthisthesis: 1、)What'Sth???mostcommonconflictissueoftheintercultural couples 2、 Dowdotheintercultural couples dealwiththeirmaritalconflict 3)Dowdotheintercultural couples dotomaintaina goodmarriagerelationship 1.4ThePromisesIntercultural MarriageBrings About Most couples hadahardertime identifying therewardsoftheir marriages thanthe problems,because the promises aremore intangible thanthe negatives,thefollowing arethe principalpromises theintercultural marriagebringsabout(DuganRoman,1997). Self-growth 一2一 辽宁师范人学硕Ij学位 论义 Beinggiven the opportunity toincrease self-knowledgebybeing forcedto examine,they definetheirown values,ideas,andprejudices,thatis,self-growth(DuganRoman,1997). Mostofthe couples toldaboutthedifficultiesin havin??many oftheir thoughts andbeliefs challenged,butfinallytheyadmitted.They were strengthened becauseofthe experience of having tothink thingsthrough when confronting theintractable problems in somemarital conflicts.They all feltthat they werericher people becauseoftheirintercultural marriage relationship. Perceiving theculturalrelativism. Theintercultural couple?? were exposed thattheir unique combinationhad given them opportunities to developmultiple cultural frames,and thenitis possible forthemtochoose how they livetheirlives.Fromthedifferentcultural frames,they discoveredthetrue meaning ofculturalrelativism. Enriching theDailyLife They would experiencegreatdiversity and vigor if they livewitha spouse ofadifferent life style.Forthey liveinanenvironmentofdifferent customs,ceremonies,languages and countries,mostcouples feltthatthedifferenceshadenrichedtheir daily livesina way that would probably not havebeen possible to experience witha spouse from the same background.They oftenfeltthatlifewith a"foreigner"was more interesting becauseit was varied,fullof curiosity and unpredictable. Developing international identity. Manyspousesspoke of enjoying theinternational identitythey obtained through their uniquemarriages.They likedthesenseof beingexceptional andthecenterofattentioninboth theirownandtheir mostfeltthattheir marriagesgave themdistinctionand uniqueness that they enjoyed. Daving biculturalchildren Ifthe couples have children,usually thechildrenare biculturallyeducated,SOit is possible thatthechildren haveawiderworldviewandownan ability tObe''at home" wherever they were.The couples wouldfelt proud tobethe parents ofthec???ildrenwhowould bebroad-mindedcitizensoftheworldandculturalmediators,forthevitalreasonoftheir bicultural exposure. Asenseof beingpioneer Someofthe couples talkedabout they were anticipating thefutureafter building their intercultural marriage,theysuppose afutureworldin which cultural,racial or religious differenceswouldnotbeacausefor divisiveness.Theyenjoy asenseof beingpioneers.They hoped thattheir marriages werea willcometoanendallovertheworld. 一3一 1.5 Key WordsDefinitions 1 willlist the specificdefinitionsoftheterms below,whichwere frequently usedinmv papercontext,for thereader'Sbetter understanding and interpretationofthisstudy. Thus,allintercultural marriage refersto anymarriage betweenmembersofdifferen【t culturalorracial groups(Do,1984).The distinctionbetweentheintercultural marriage and cross'cultural marriage is concemedabouttheresearch perspective.Interculturalmarriage tendstObemore specific and microscopic,in which studydataobtainedfromadefinite marriage(e.g.,thecouples arefromChinaand America);CROSS.culturalmarriage inclinesto bemore generaland macroscopic,in which study data acquired from any discretional marriages(e.g.,thecouples areeitherChineseandAmericanor Japaneseand French,etc). Thisthesis specifically studiesthe marriage betweenChinesewivesandAmericanman,sowe defineditasChinese-Americanjnterculturalmarriage. Conf??ict is conceptually definedas disagreementbetweentwo interdependentpeople whohave Conflictmanageme includingavoiding it altogether(Cahn,1992). Relationshipmaintenance techniques inthis study refertoroutin?? ways of maintaining close,personal relationships(Knapp&Vangelisti,2000).In otherwords,itrefers tO maintenance techniques onesuseto prevent theirmarried relationship from fallingapart. Dere,Americanrefersto any Whiteornon-White person whowasbornand broughtup inAmerica. Throughout the paper,Chinese referstonativeChinesewhowerebornand broughtup in China. 一4一 辽 宁???范人学顾lj学位论义 2 LiteratureReview Inthis chapter,the literatureonconflictissues,conflictmanagement,andrelationship -American marriage andthetheoreticalframeworkhavebeenaddressed. 2.1DiscussionofIntercultural Marriage inChina Internationally.Intercultural marriage literatures have shown consisten??ly that the numberof marriages between partners fromdifferentracesand religionshasbeen rising throughout thecourseofthis century(e.g.,Glenn,1982).Indeed,many researchersreason thattheincreasingopportunity forsocialinteractionbetween couples fromdifferentracesand studiesofc??mmunicationwithininterculturalromantic relationships haveconsideredsuch issuesas marriages betweenthedifferentnationalities(e.g.,Danmajorities andminorities, minoritiesand minorities).While