Are there cross-cultural differences in the transformation of motivation process in close relationships?

Abstract

When faced with an undesirable behavior by one’s partner, theories of relationship maintenance indicate that individuals must undergo a transformation of motivation in order to set aside their initial impulse to respond in a self-centered manner, and instead choose to respond in a pro-relationship manner. However, the cultural psychology literature indicates that a primary focus on one’s own needs and goals is predominantly a feature of individualistic cultures, such as those in the Unites States and Western Europe which have been the setting for the vast majority of close relationships research. Thus, it is possible that people from less individualistic cultural contexts do not experience this same transformation of motivation process when faced with an undesirable behavior by their partner, because their initial impulse is less self-centered and more other- or relationship-centered. To test this hypothesis we conducted pre-registered replications of two classic studies documenting the transformation of motivation process (Yovetich & Rusbult, 1994) using a cross-cultural sample of participants from the U.S. and Thailand. The extent to which people in both cultural settings engaged in the transformation of motivation process was assessed in a correlational study ( N = 187) and an experimental study ( N = 328) of partnered individuals. Results indicate that participants in both cultural contexts experience a transformation of motivation process, and the magnitude of the transformation did not differ between the two countries. Exploratory analyses indicate that Thai participants engaged in more passive behaviors than U.S. participants, and U.S. participants thought passive behaviors were more harmful than active behaviors. Overall, when faced with an unpleasant behavior by one’s partner, the need to set aside one’s initial impulse in order to respond in a more pro-relationship manner appears universal, but the exact behaviors that are the endpoint of that process differ across cultures.