英文摘要 |
Culture has unique importance in shaping the self. However, the self is not a passive receiver. The self is evident in determining the extent of individual desire vs. cultural expectation. The present study employed role playing in a situated context (marital relationships) to examine the persistence and yielding of each partner's self. The interaction of two selves forces individual to think 'Who am I? Is this what I want?' We hope to observe the transform of self in the answers to these questions. We used in-depth qualitative interviews to draw on the rich life experiences of participants to understand how they negotiate with their spouses. Our participants were three married couples and one wife whose husband declined interview request. The average age was 35.57 years old. Using narrative analysis, our results indicated that: (1) When acting one's role in accordance with social expectations, frustration and conflict give individuals an opportunity for introspection. Furthermore, married individuals have to negotiate with the 'selves' of their spouses. (2) Individuals need to perceive themselves as acting beyond social expectation, answering the question of whether it is possible to keep multiple selves when facing pressure from both cultural norms and interdependent relationship requirements. Individuals need to be self-reflexive and strike a balance between gratifying others' expectations and transcending the view other people have of them. Couples can create new work and family roles and also new selves. From these processes, it is possible to unravel the nature of the self, including impermeability, and situated-embeddness. |