Abstract
The present study tests and extends existing research about the effects of culture and self-construal on reports of accommodative dilemmas in dating relationships. Data were collected from members of three different regional cultures: U.S. mainland, Hawaii, and South Korea. Using a four-factor self-construal model, two hypotheses were posited: (i) members of collectivistic cultures tend to enact accommodation (loyalty, voice) more and nonaccommodation (neglect, exit) less than do their individualistic counterparts; and (ii) bicultural self-construal is more strongly associated consistently with accommodation than are the other three self-construal types. These hypotheses received support. Collectivism–individualism was related consistently with the type of accommodation, and the four self-construal types also displayed a reliable pattern of associations with accommodation and nonaccommodation. Post-hoc assessments revealed that the four-factor model predicted self-reported accommodation better than did the two-factor model used in previous research. Small effect sizes in the present study, however, suggest that other factors (e.g., industrialization) may have a considerable bearing on responses to accommodative dilemmas.
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