Separateness and Togetherness: Interdependence Over the Life Course in Japanese and American Marriages

This study examines cross-cultural conceptions of interdependence within marriage over the life cycle. Older Japanese and American couples participated in a narrative interview in which both spouses jointly discussed the story of their marriage. The resulting data were analyzed qualitatively and several salient themes emerged. Interdependence among couples varied across cultures and between racial groups. Further, the couples' feelings of intimacy and distance were renegotiated over the life course. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to family development theory.