TY - JOUR
T1 - Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Self-Change in Close Relationships
T2 - Evidence From Hong Kong Chinese and European Americans
AU - Joo, Minjoo
AU - Lam, Ben C.P.
AU - Cross, Susan E.
AU - Chen, Sylvia Xiaohua
AU - Lau, Victor Chi Yuen
AU - Ng, Hilary K.Y.
AU - Günsoy, Ceren
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was in part supported by the General Research Fund (#15606320) funded by the Research Grants Council, and the Departmental General Research Funds, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, awarded to Ben C. P. Lam and Sylvia Xiaohua Chen.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.
PY - 2022/7/1
Y1 - 2022/7/1
N2 - Three studies examined cultural perceptions of self-change in romantic relationships. In Study 1 (N = 191), Chinese participants perceived hypothetical couples who changed for the sake of the relationship to have better relationship quality than couples who did not, compared to European American participants. In Study 2 (N = 396), Chinese individuals in a dating relationship were more likely to perceive that they had changed in the relationship, and self-change was a stronger predictor of relationship quality for them than for American dating individuals. In Study 3 (N = 115 dyads), Chinese married couples perceived greater self-change, and their perceived self-change was due in part to higher endorsement of dutiful adjustment beliefs than American couples. Self-change was a stronger predictor of relationship quality for Chinese married couples than American couples. Our studies provide support for cultural differences in the role of self-change in romantic relationships, which have implications for partner regulation and relationship counseling across cultures.
AB - Three studies examined cultural perceptions of self-change in romantic relationships. In Study 1 (N = 191), Chinese participants perceived hypothetical couples who changed for the sake of the relationship to have better relationship quality than couples who did not, compared to European American participants. In Study 2 (N = 396), Chinese individuals in a dating relationship were more likely to perceive that they had changed in the relationship, and self-change was a stronger predictor of relationship quality for them than for American dating individuals. In Study 3 (N = 115 dyads), Chinese married couples perceived greater self-change, and their perceived self-change was due in part to higher endorsement of dutiful adjustment beliefs than American couples. Self-change was a stronger predictor of relationship quality for Chinese married couples than American couples. Our studies provide support for cultural differences in the role of self-change in romantic relationships, which have implications for partner regulation and relationship counseling across cultures.
KW - culture
KW - relationship adjustment
KW - romantic relationships
KW - self-change
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85109941562&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/01461672211026129
DO - 10.1177/01461672211026129
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85109941562
SN - 0146-1672
VL - 48
SP - 1118
EP - 1133
JO - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
JF - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
IS - 7
ER -