Cultural Aspects Of A Successful Marriage

Society continues to become more and more integrated in all aspects of life, even in marriage. While the majority of society may marry within their own culture, a growing movement is emerging with couples of dissimilar ethnic backgrounds tying the knot. This type of marriage can be exciting, but also altered as one is usually breaking out of their cultural norms. To some, that can be an exciting change, but for others it may cause unintentional personal or family concerns. While some of these challenges may be problematic it is possible to have a successful marriage if one can be understanding and patient. It can be rather enlightening and joyful to marry someone from another country; however, language barriers, differences in culture, …show more content…
Some families would likely embrace the new spouse with open arms and acceptance of their culture. However, some families may disagree with their son or daughter’s decision and could elect to make things difficult for the relationship or even for the entire family. When one falls in love with a potential spouse the thought of family acceptance may have not crossed their mind, but that does not mean that some family members have contradictory opinions. Nevertheless, in most situations the passing of time can usually rectify the situation as the family becomes further exposed and even more understanding. Families of the spouses could also have a difference in mentality related to day to day family life. For example, Hispanics are a very close knit family group where up to three generations may very well live under the same roof. To the contrary, most families in western society usually live independently, even if they remain close by living in the same town or state. This wide variation in individual mentality could cause potential issues in that one spouse may not agree with extended visits or everyone living under one roof. Alternatively, the other spouse could have a difficult time understanding why one would not want family to be with them every day of their life. While some may or may not experience this variance with their spouse regarding family, most will likely …show more content…
Families of both spouses may experience times when they are unable to fully communicate with the other spouse’s family. While this can be either frustrating or disappointing at times, it can also be motivational. At first, the natural reaction from both sides is perhaps resistance since they have not likely encountered family to which they cannot effectively communicate. Some family members may still live in other parts of the world, especially if one member of the family relocated to another country. Naturally, they will want to keep in touch which likely means a phone call or Skype session, which is not similar to talking face to face. However, as time goes on both sides tend to adjust and learn to cope. As family members on both sides become more accustomed to their new family they will most likely gain an interest in learning the others language. Not only can this help bring the entire family closer together, it can also help enrich one’s life by making them bi-lingual. It is well known that speaking more than one language is good for one’s brain activity. Additionally, knowing more than one language could make it easier to travel abroad or find employment that requires such talent. While it can be initially difficult, one will usually learn to love not only their