王一帆
西安医学院
Abstract：Cross-cultural Marriage refers to the fact that people with different cultural backgrounds from different countries get married.According to statistics,since the early 1980s,the number of cross-cultural marriage couple registered in our country has been increasing year by year.Because of the cultural and social differences,different living habits and values,the small clashes and conflicts resulted in higher divorce rate.Therefore,this paper aims to analysize the problems and conflicts in cross-cultural marriage through the discussion of the cross-cultural couple cases.In addition,it will provide some suggestions for people to get to know more about cross-cultural marriage and cross-cultural communication.
Key words:Cross-cultural marriage;Cultural background;Cultural conflict
1 Reasons for the Increase of Cross-cultural Marriage
Culture has been defined in many ways and there are a number of definition of culture.Anyway culture can be described as patterns of human activities and the symbols that give these activities significance.Specifically,culture means the way people dress and what people they are connected,their religions and the like.Some people feel the cultural from another country is very mysterious and attractive.Especially for girls,girls dream about married to a man from the western country or Korean,mostly attracted by their culture.Married to someone from another country to make themselves into half foreigners,this is what most people was thinking about.
In most people’s mind,western country are wealthy,they got this kind of idea influence by movies or old expressions,but not all foreigners are rich and can provide you anything you want after get married.It is very necessary to getting to know more about their education background and family background.
2 Cultural Conflict of Cross-cultural Marriage
2.1 People’s Attitude Towards Marriage
Cross-cultural marriage is so popular while it is not to say that the path of cross-cultural marriage is smooth and flat.Conflicts and problems in cross-cultural marriage are frequently reported through all kinds of media.Most of the cross-cultural couples separate or divorce mostly because they can not integrate with each other in value standards,life habits and concepts or other cultural discrepancy.
2.2 Conflict Between Individualism and Collectivism
The American people emphasize the personal independence,while Chinese emphasize on the whole family,not any individual members.For example,Children in America have more freedom than that in China.After get married they will live separately with their parents.Their parents rarely interfere with their private affairs or their grandchildren stuff.But Chinese parents like to live with their kids even after they get married and they think in this way they can help them effectively and efficiently.This is the thing that most American don’t understand at all.
As we know,most American don’t intend to have so much contact with their family members.They emphasize individualism between family members.They encourage people work hard for themselves,and people feel the sense of honor for their achievements.But in China,there is no doubt that if a family member does very well in his study or work,it will become the honor of the whole family.In an cross-cultural marriage,two person from two different kinds of culture and growing environment,this conflict will definitely happen during their marriage life.
2.3 Different Religions and Beliefs
Religion and beliefs can also impact cross-cultural couples life.In western country,religion play an important role in people’s daily life.The vast majority of American people are Christians,American people believes in God and call God as father.Christianity is a strictly monotheistic,think that there only have one master of the universe that is God.
Chinese religious has given people great freedom,so that people can hold religious sentiment in their hearts.Most Chinese people do not belong to a religious organization,however,are more or less exist a unified spirit form Confucianism Buddhism and Taoism.The religious traditions in China Confucianism has constituted the soul of Chinese culture in the long course of historical development.Many thinkers and politicians in China are based on the Confucian sense of responsibility.And Confucianism is deep-rooted in China people are bound by moral codes.Which made China to be a ceremony country.
Above that people’s religion from western countries and China are quiet different,when two people with different religion and belief live together,there will have more communication and problems for them to deal with.Cross-cultural marriage couple need to be more patient and understand each others’attitude and what’s in their deep heart to make sure the religion issue won’t make them pick a fight or get mad.
3 Conclusion
The cross-cultural communication happens around us everyday and everywhere.Due to globalization,we can not predict who we meet next minute and who we love or who we marry in the future.The development of communication tools have change the way of communication and anything impossible has been convered into possibility.Cross-cultural couple get married because of love,but after they get married,miscommunication and cultural conflict make their lives have more challenges.Cross-cultural couples face more than the couple from the same country because of the cultural conflict,so more patient and properly strategies will help them work their problems out effectively.
Reference
[1]Kaishan Kong.Culture Influences on Intercultural Relationship for Women.
Proceedings of International Conference on Humanity,culture and society[J].(ICHC2012)
[2]Romano.Dugan,Intercultural Marriage Promise and Pitfalls[M].London,
Nicholas Brealey.2001.
[3]Warters Dan One Couple two Cultures Western-Chinese Couples Talk About Love and Marriage[J].Hongkong:MCCM.2005.