INDIVIDUALISTIC AND COLLECTIVISTIC PERSPECTIVES ON GENDER AND THE CULTURAL-CONTEXT OF LOVE AND INTIMACY

Individualism and collectivism help explain culture-related difference s in romantic love and in the importance of emotional intimacy in marr iage. Three propositions are suggested: (a) Romantic love is more like ly to be an important basis for marriage in individualistic than in co llectivistic societies; (b) psychological intimacy in marriage is more important for marital satisfaction and personal well-being in individ ualistic than in collectivistic societies; and (c) although individual ism fosters the valuing of romantic love, certain aspects of individua lism at the psychological level make developing intimacy problematic. Evidence pertaining to these propositions is considered based on conce ptual and empirical accounts of romantic love and psychological intima cy in marriage in two individualistic societies (Canada and the United States) and three collectivistic societies (China, India, and Japan). In addition, we suggest that consideration of individualism and colle ctivism as these constructs pertain to gender provides a framework for interpreting gender differences in the reported experience of love an d intimacy in North American society.