1、毕业论文 文客久久 本科 毕业论文 (设计 ) 题 目： A Comparative Study of Chinese and American Family Relationships from the Perspective of Cultural Dimensions 学 院： 学生姓名： 专 业： 英语 班 级： 指导教师： 起 止 日期： 毕业论文 Contents Abstract . 2 Introduction. 3 1. Cultural Dimensions Theory. 3 1.1 Elements of Cultural Dimensions . 3 1.2 Evol
2、ution of Family Relationships . 5 1.3 Application of Cultural Dimensions in Family Relationships . 5 2. Husband-wife Relationships in Chinese and American Families . 6 2.1 High PDI V.S. Low PDI. 6 2.1.1 High PDI in Chinese Family. 7 2.1.2 Low PDI in American Family. 7 2.2 High MAS V.S. Low MAS . 8 2
3、.2.1 High MAS in Chinese Family . 8 2.1.2 Low MAS in American Family . 9 3. Parents and Children Relationships in Chinese and American Families . 10 3.1 High PDI V.S. Low PDI. 10 3.1.1 High PDI in Chinese Family. 10 3.1.2 Low PDI in American Family. 11 3.2 High IDV V.S. Low IDV . 11 3.2.1 Low IDV in
4、 Chinese Family. 12 3.2.2 High IDV in American Family . 13 Conclusion . 13 References . 15 毕业论文 1 摘要 家庭是被婚姻、血缘或收养的纽带联系起来的社会组织的基本单位。近年来，随着世界经济、政治、文化的变革，家庭结构及家庭观念在不断更新 ,家庭关 系也呈现出新的特点。而文化维度理论在分析国家、家庭、学校等组织成员的价值及其差异方面起着不可替代的作用。利用文化维度理论来分析中美家庭关系的 差异有着研究价值及实际意义。 本文试图以霍夫斯泰德的文化维度理论为依据，从权利距离、男性与女性、个人主义与集体主义三
5、个原则出发，探究中美两国家庭成员关系的差异，并从历史、文化、经济等方面挖掘引起差异的原因。在夫妻关系上，中国家庭体现了高度的权力距离和男性占主导的特征，而美国家庭则具有相对较低的权力距离和较弱的男性主导特征；在亲子关系上，中国家庭体现了高度的权利距离特征和较低的个人主义倾向，而美国具有低权力距离和鲜明的个人主义倾向。了解产生不同家庭关系文化背景及价值观等方面的因素，有利于更好地了解中美两国的文 化及价值观，促进中美文化的交流。 【 关键字 】 文化维度理论；中美；家庭关系；对比研究 毕业论文 2 Abstract Family is a basic unit of the society. I
6、t is the first environment that people were born and a basis of the cultivation for peoples outlook of the world. Recently, family structures and values are updating with the changes of world economy, politics and culture. Thus, family relationships present a certain new characteristics. As an autho
7、ritative theory in the field of cross-cultural communications, Cultural Dimension Theory is of great significance in discussing the values and differences among different countries, families and schools. Therefore, it has great value and practical meaning to discuss Chinese and American family relat
8、ionships from the perspective of Cultural Dimensions. The thesis aims to make an analysis on the respective characteristics of Chinese and American family relationships from power distance, masculinity and femininity, individualism and collectivism. In terms of husband-wife relationship, Chinese fam
9、ily presents higher PDI and MAS compared with that in American family; while parents-children relationship in Chinese family displays higher PDI and lower IDV with that of American family. An exploration to the underlying causes of the characteristics helps to form a better understanding of the diff
10、erent cultures and values in China and America. Key Words cultural dimensions; China and America; family relationships; comparative study 毕业论文 3 A Comparative Study of Chinese and American Family Relationships from the Perspective of Cultural Dimensions Introduction Researchers have become increasin
11、gly interested in the study of the family relationship since China put forward the conceptions of “harmonious society” and “harmonious world”. The family is among the oldest human groups and the basic unit of society. “Entire civilization have survived or disappeared, depending upon whether family l
12、ife was strong or weak” (Sun, 2004:1). In an upheaval century, it is said that people are faced with a global “family crisis”, which specifically presents the worsening of family relationships, the increasing rate of divorce and so on. It is becoming an urgent for Chinese as well as other countries
13、in the world to improve family relationships. A lot research on the subject of Chinese and American family relationships have been made by famous scholars. To a certain degree, there is a need to explore the deep unique characteristic of Chinese and American family relationships from cultural level.
14、 Culture is similar to unwritten rules of social games, which are passed from social members to new comers and develop in their mind (Hofstede, 2010:37). In this sense, culture affects peoples thinking, which deeply has an effect on the communications among different groups of different cultures. Un
15、doubtedly, family relationships are a part of social culture. Scientifically, family relationships mean the total of all social relationships of family members (Ding, 2010:221). The aim of the thesis is to discuss the differences between Chinese and American family relationships from the perspective
16、 of Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions and analyze the reasons to better facilitate the cultural communications of the two countries and avoid culture shocks. The thesis mainly discusses the distinctive characteristics of Chinese and American family relationships and the differences of husband-wife, pare
17、nt-children relationships in Chinese and American families. 1.Cultural Dimensions Theory “Culture is defined as a collective programming of the mind; it manifests itself not only in values, but in more superficial ways: in symbols, heroes, and rituals” (Hofstede, 2008:1). In 1970s, A Dutch sociologi
18、st named Hofstede made a survey of the employees of the IBM across the world and put forward his famous Cultural Dimensions, which has become an authoritative theory in the field of inter-cultural communications. In the paper, Cultural Dimensions will be applied in the study of family relationships.
19、 As an important part of family culture, it is important to use the theory to explore the deep characteristics of Chinese and American family relationships in their own cultural environments. 1.1 Elements of Cultural Dimensions Five parts were put forward in Cultural Dimensions, including power dist
20、ance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism and collectivism, masculinity and femininity, 毕业论文 4 long-term orientation and short-term orientation. Nowadays, Cultural Dimensions has become authoritative theory in the filed of studying cross-cultural communications. As the first part of the theory, pow
21、er distance is the extent to which less powerful members of organizations and institutions accept and expect that power is distributed unequally (Hofstede, 2008:ii). The phenomenon of inequality exists in every group; however, the difference is the degree the members accept, which determine the func
22、tions of the group. Similarly, power distance also tells the dependence of people in a group. In low power distance country, the upper class is closely related to the lower class, which reflects the interdependence between them. In high power distance country, instead, counter dependence is commonly
23、 exists. Uncertainty avoidance as another important parts of the theory means that members of a culture and program to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations (Hofstede, 2008: ii). The unstructured situations are unknown, novel, surprising, most importantly, are different
24、 from usual. Surprisingly, uncertainty avoidance is inseparable from happiness and health of people, no matter in rich countries or poor ones. Every people will be in the trouble of feeling being threatened, uncertain, horrible in front of some uncertainties, however, people of different groups woul
25、d take distinct measures to make them safe. Thus, the view uncertainty avoidance was arisen to be evidence. Besides, collectivism means that individuals are supposed to look after themselves or remain integrated into groups, usually around the family (Hofstede, 2008: iii). The ways of thinking and b
26、ehaviors are inevitably affected by the settings around them. In some groups, people usually live together, go to find food together, thus leading them to put the interests of the whole group first, while in other groups, people behave by themselves. In most collectivism-focused societies, extended
27、family takes into form and nuclear family commonly takes place in individualism-focused groups. Another two parts of the theory are masculinity and femininity and long-term and short- term orientation. Femininity refers to the distribution of emotional role between the genders, which is another fund
28、amental problem for any society to which a range of solutions are found (Hofstede, 2008: iii). A society of femininity tends to present the traits of gentle, plain and will be more emotional and harmonious than the society of masculinity. In addition, long-term and short-term orientation means the e
29、xtent to which its members in a culture to accept delayed gratification of their material, social and emotional needs (Hofstede, 2008: iii). All the five parts of the theory account of significant role in the study of cross-cultural communications and usually are applied in the study of the comparis
30、ons of behaviors and thinking among different cultures. While values are regarded as the core of a culture, which has been mainly fixed in peoples childhood and are the determined elements of social behaviors, directly affecting the belief, thinking, ideas and actions of people. Once values of peopl
31、e in a society are observed, their ways of behaviors can be analyzed. 毕业论文 5 Family is the first place where people form their outlooks and values of the world, thus in a sense, we could make sense some of the distinctive features of Chinese and American family relationships against their cultures b
32、y using the theory. 1.2 Evolution of Family Relationships Varied views of family relationships have been discussed by eminent scholars. Family relationships in the thesis mainly refer to the relationships among family members. In the view of Nie (1988), family relationships stand for the social rela
33、tion of family members, which can also be called family structural relationship. Husband- wife relationship, parent-children relationship, brothers-sisters relationship are the most important three kinds in modern times nuclear family. Husband-wife relation has changed in China, owing to the transfo
34、rmation of the whole society. Traditionally, father-son relationship, which derived from husband-wife, was the most critical one in Chinese family. Recently, husband-wife relationship becomes the role as the core of a family with the remove of the feudal family and has changed to modern egalitarian
35、mode. This kind of relationship has become the key link in the family chin, closely related with the family structure and family function, greatly affects a family life. However, in American family, husband-wife relationship keeps the tendency. In the western world, equality no matter between man or
36、 children, male or female, is a norm obeyed by many people. It is also embodied in the environment of family where wife has approximate status compared with husband. Parent-children is another kind of family relationships no important than husband-wife relationship. Children are the hope of a family
37、, the harmonious relationships between parents and children are beneficial for the happiness and the healthy development of family. No matter in Chinese or American families, parents attaches much importance to keep intimacy with their children. Differently, American children are endowed much indepe
38、ndence when they have been grow-up, enjoying the rights to have their own life, which isolated from their parents. However, in China, children are tied with parents for a life time owing to various reasons, historically and ethically. As times goes on, “421” family (four elders, two parents and one
39、child) is becoming the mainstream of the Chinese society. In American society, the family mode of nuclear family also remains popular. The thesis aims to discuss family relationships of these two countries from two prospective, which are husband-wife relationship, parent-children relationship. 1.3 A
40、pplication of Cultural Dimensions in Family Relationships In every family structure, family relationship is the production of its own society. Culture is one of the determinative elements of the ways of thinking and life ways (Shang, 2010:125). In a sense, family relationship of a society reflects t
41、he values, ideas of people. The cultural mode of a society forces its people to mirror their behaviors on family relationships. Family as the first group a people forms their values of the world, having a 毕业论文 6 pivotal influence on shape of conceptions. The Cultural Dimensions are applied to analyz
42、e the social roots of the political modes, economic development and social rules of different groups. Family, as the basic group of a society, unquestionably, is suitable for the application of the theory. However, personally, not all the five parts of the theory are obvious, hence, three key points
43、, namely, power distance, individualism and collectivism, masculinity and femininity are applied. Firstly, because of the roles Chinese and American men and women, parents and children played in the family are quite different in two cultural environments, thus leading to some distinctive dissimilarity of Chinese and American husband-wife and parents-children relationships. Besides, Chinese and American cultures are different due to their geographical reasons which take into form the id
