Cultural Orientation and Mate Selection: A Cross-Cultural Internet-Based Study
[Thesis]
Sekibo, Tumini May Soba
Gerson, Michael
California Lutheran University
2019
91 p.
Psy.D.
California Lutheran University
2019
There has been a recent increase in the demand for pre-marital and marital counseling services in the urban areas of Nigeria. Therefore, counselors in these areas require relevant tools with which to conceptualize cases and plan interventions. With much of the extant research focusing on cultural values and corresponding socio-cultural motivations in Europe, Asia and America, there is little empirical research representing African populations on this subject. A review of the literature may lead to the assumption that Western cultures are individualist (prioritizing the will of the individual) while non-Western cultures are collectivist (prioritizing the will of the group). In order to test this assumption, this study aims to determine the correlation between culturally informed values beliefs regarding mate selection within and between a Western and a Non- Western culture: American and Nigerian respectively. The Culture Orientation Scale (a measure of culturally informed values) and the Attitudes About Romance and Mate Selection Scale (a measure of romantic beliefs) was administered to 110 unmarried adult participants in Nigeria and the U.S. over the Internet. The primary aim of this study is to add to the growing body of culturally relevant knowledge in this field. Correlational analyses revealed weak to moderate co- relations between cultural orientation and attitudes toward mate selection. T-test analyses further reveal that although both groups differ significantly in cultural orientation, they appear to be similar in their attitudes toward romance and mate selection. Some important contextual factors affecting these results are discussed. Various limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.