SEPARATENESS AND TOGETHERNESS - INTERDEPENDENCE OVER THE LIFE-COURSE IN JAPANESE AND AMERICAN MARRIAGES

This study examines cross-cultural conceptions of interdependence with in marriage over the life cycle. Older Japanese and American couples p articipated in a narrative interview in which both spouses jointly dis cussed the story of their marriage. The resulting data were analyzed q ualitatively and several salient themes emerged. Interdependence among couples varied across cultures and between racial groups. Further, th e couples' feelings of intimacy and distance were renegotiated over th e life course. The implications of these findings are discussed in rel ation to family development theory.