The relationship of attributions to marital distress: a comparison of mainland Chinese and U.S. couples.
Research on attribution theory has focused on a number of different social contexts. Close personal relationships and marriage in particular have been investigated widely. Cross-cultural differences in attribution patterns have also been explored, although mostly in relation to academic achievement or employment. This article focused on cross-cultural variations in marital attributions. Thirty-six couples from the People's Republic of China (P.R.C.) and 32 couples from the United States (U.S.) were included. Marital attributions were correlated with marital distress for both groups. However, the P.R.C. spouses tended to report more relationship-enhancing causal attributions than did U.S. spouses. There were also some differences in attributions of responsibility and blame across cultures. These findings are discussed in relationship to current marital attribution theory.
Stander
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VA
Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, USA. stander@nhrc.navy.mil
Hsiung
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PC
MacDermid
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S
D000328:Adult; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D001290:Attitude; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States