「情同母女」之外：婆媳關係的多元和諧

Beyond Mother-Daughter Affection: Multiple　Harmonies for Mothers- and Daughters-in-Law

「情同母女」向來是華人婆媳和諧關係的理想原型，但華人社會由於受父權家庭制度的影響，婆媳關係的本質存有結構上的衝突，因此「情同母女」的婆媳關係不易達成。隨著現代社會變遷、家庭制度的逐漸轉變，婆媳之間也呈現著不同以往的諸多新樣貌。基於此，本研究以半結構訪談大綱進行深度訪談，以13筆婆媳的敘說資料為研究分析素材，且以黃莉於1999 年的「人際和諧與衝突動態模式」為詮釋之參考架構進行研究。資料分析結果顯示，現代婆媳的和諧關係至少有四種內涵──除了「情同母女」之外，還有「情同姐妹」、「主從有序」、「工作伙伴」等。此四種婆媳和諧關係除了核心的和諧概念有所不同之外，其相對的互動方式及情緒感受也有所不同；同時，在華人的「位階的尊卑」與「情感的親疏」雙軸向度上之相對位置也有所不同。最後，本文也指出現代台灣社會婆媳關係的三個主要的相關命題：一為現代華人婆媳關係至少有四種和諧內涵，突破過去以「情同母女」為單一理想之迷思；其次，「主從有序」與「工作伙伴」為現代婆媳之主要和諧內涵，婆媳表達人情的方式也隨著時代的變遷而朝向以功效考量為主；第三，多數的婆媳互動仍局限在家務與照護領域，但「情同姐妹」的婆媳關係突破此一僵化結構，為婆媳關係的未來創造新契機。

Culturally Chinese people expect the relationship between mothers- and daughters-in-law to be as close as mothers and their own daughters. However, some mothers-in-law can not avoid conflict with their daughters-in-law. The harmonious ideal for their relationship is changing due to transformation of the family system, and there are now various possibilities for how they can relate to one another. The dynamic model of interpersonal harmony and conflict is used to draw distinctions among a variety of conceptions of relationships. Thirteen in-depth interviews were analyzed. Results indicated that in modern Taiwanese society, there are 4 harmonious relationship types between mothers- and daughters-in-law: equal sisterhood, affection, obligatory role fulfillment, and efficient co-worker. Some differences in interaction principles and emotion exist among these 4 types, which may be arranged along two dimensions: intimacy/distance and superiority/inferiority. The core components of a harmonious relationship between a mother- and her daughter-in-law are obligatory role fulfillment and efficient co-worker. Those emphasizing the equal sisterhood component have more interaction, and are not restricted to household duties in their interaction. This type may be gaining prominence in modern Taiwanese society.