Читать книгу Multicultural Psychology - Jennifer T. Pedrotti - Страница 61

I can’t understand how marriage works in the United States. In my country of India, I am so grateful to my parents that they’ll be able to guide me in making a good decision about my marriage when I am old enough. In the United States, I know that they think that arranged marriages are archaic, but there are so many features to them that I appreciate. For one, I don’t have to look all over the place to find girls my age to date. I know that if I met someone reasonable that my parents liked, I could still make a suggestion that they could talk to her parents, but at least I don’t have to count on this. For several reasons, I want to marry when I’m ready, as opposed to waiting to see if I meet someone. At work, I notice that the boss seems to favor the married guys a little—he might go over to their house for dinner a bit more often, and some of their wives know his wife, so it’s a bit more social. I’m looking forward to having a stronger relationship with him. Also, I want to be a father and I want to do that while I’m younger so I can play sports with my kids and be more active with them as well. My parents know whose families are ones that would make a good match for me, and though I know people in the United States think it’s a forced marriage, I do have some choices. I can say no if I really don’t like their choice, as long as I don’t embarrass her family or mine. To me, there’s no better way to keep families close together and strong.

—Chandra, age 25

Different nations of origin also shape worldview. If a statement about marriage were being written by a 25-year-old man in the United States, you might imagine that it would be pretty different. Chandra’s worldview clearly shows value for his elders and their decision-making process and also shows a strong value for family (within his respect for parents and his desire to start his own family) as well. In addition, there is little emphasis on personal choice, though a bit is noted. There may also be some value for improved social relationships with his boss at work. This example highlights the fact that different worldviews encompassing social behaviors and norms may be impacted by the country in which one is raised, but there may be many other examples of impact on worldview surrounding ideas of safety (e.g., worldviews in a country with political stability versus one in the midst of war), materialism (e.g., comparing worldviews from those in a developing nation to one that is prosperous), and education (e.g., comparing worldviews between countries that have different ideas about the value of education for different groups of people).