IndexCultureIntercultural communicationCommunication style and relationshipsIntercultural marriage: advantages and disadvantagesAdvantages of intercultural marriageAppreciation for cultureDifferent foodsIntegrated valuesAbility to compromiseBilingual childrenTravelling togetherAn opportunity to learn a different languageFriends and family are introduced to diversityDisadvantages of intercultural marriageCulture shockCultural differencesNew environmentDifferent customsDifferent religionsDifferent languagesParental disapprovalSocietal rejectionRecommendationsConclusionWorks Cited:CultureThe world is an interesting and diverse place to live. When two different cultures combine together, there can be significant challenges that they face. Each race guarantees its own culture. A culture can differ from each other due to socially transmitted patterns of behavior, arts, beliefs, institutions and all other products of human labor and thought. Culture is a system of shared beliefs and values ​​and is constantly evolving and changing throughout the world. The presence of cross-cultural marriages and intimacies is clear, and the expansion in societies across Cultures may consist of shared language, religion, or ethnicity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayIntercultural CommunicationCommunication is defined as a process of sharing and creating meaning between individuals (Gudykunst & Nishida, 2001). It is a tool used by all human beings regardless of the culture they come from and is crucial for the survival of human beings (Casmir, 1978). Intercultural communication is a discipline that studies communication between different cultures and social groups, or how culture influences communication. It is used to describe the wide range of communication processes and problems that appear naturally within an organization or social context composed of individuals from different religious, social, ethnic, and educational backgrounds. Communication style and relationships Communication style and interpersonal relationships are fundamental aspects of culture and can vary greatly from one culture to another. There may be language and communication barriers. It's worth remembering that everyone on this earth has a culture, not just those groups considered "civilized." Most culture is invisible, beneath the surface. For example, when a Russian man marries an Italian, it is not only the differences in native language (Russian vs. Italian) and religion (Eastern Orthodox vs. Roman Catholic), but also a number of differences. cultural differences associated with factors such as the expression of emotions, the expression and management of conflicts, the role of the family of origin in raising children (Sullivan & Cottone, 2007). The beliefs and values ​​that lie beneath the surface can be the most difficult to understand changing when necessary. (Progressive Scholar, 2010) interracial marriages are not always intercultural marriages, since in some countries, for example in the United States, people of different races may share the same cultural background. It's easy to understand why it's difficult to let go of a tradition or expectation. It is not easy to deal with the legacy that we all have grown up in our ethnic, religious and socio-economic context. Cross-Cultural Marriage: Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages of Cross-Cultural Marriage Cross-cultural marriages have the ability to expand the mind and alter how you see the world. Making a cross-cultural marriage work takes time, but the investment can lead to a rich relationship. The fusion of cultures creates a powerful bondand distinct to you and your spouse. Many times people only discuss the challenges of being in a cross-cultural relationship, but I have found that the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. Your ability to withstand the challenges of an interracial relationship has the potential to make it much more rewarding. After all, these challenges are often outweighed by benefits and other attractive points. Some of these benefits are discussed below. Appreciation for culture You learn to appreciate another culture. This awareness changes how you see that culture, the people within it, and your culture. You may better understand the nuances of an intercultural exchange. You can develop a love for how another culture approaches family and marriage, as well as how the culture influences people. As you and your spouse appreciate your different cultures, your mutual respect will increase. Different Foods Trying new foods is a distinct advantage in cross-cultural marriages. You expose yourself to different spices, vegetables, and other ingredients when you and your wife combine cultures. You might find ways to put a cultural twist on common dishes. For example, if you're American and marrying an Asian woman, you might learn to use dark sesame oil, a common ingredient in stir-fries, to add a nutty flavor. Integrated Values ​​Combining cultures often means integrating value systems, providing a global advantage in your marriage. You can synthesize valuable principles from other cultures. This new structure sets the foundation for your relationship and creates a one-of-a-kind set of values ​​that defines it. For example, many Latino cultures emphasize the role of family, and many Americans value independence. If you are married to a Latino, combine his strong family values ​​with a sense of independence. Ability to Compromise An important benefit of cross-cultural marriage is the ability to compromise. To unite cultures, you must be able to negotiate what is beneficial to your marriage and what is not. You learn which parts of your culture strengthen a relationship and which do not. Creating this foundation requires mental and emotional strength, but also love for your spouse. When you undertake this process successfully, you both develop a sense of what it takes to reach a compromise. Bilingual Children In some families where each parent comes from a different country, their children will naturally grow up bilingual. It's worth your time and effort to encourage your children to learn their father's or mother's native language, as well as the traditions of that culture. It can be hard work, but the result is so worth it, especially for the future, be it social or professional. Traveling Together One of the benefits of being married to someone from another country is that you get to travel from time to time. When you are able to travel, be sure to visit your spouse's family and learn about their culture firsthand. You will appreciate it even more. An opportunity to learn one or more different languages ​​Most people would like to learn another language, but they need to enroll in a course and find a way to practice it. When you marry a spouse from a different culture, you automatically have a language teacher. Just by listening to them and conversing with their family, you can learn many words and pronunciation. Friends and family are introduced to diversity In a cross-cultural relationship, your mind is continually open to different ways of life. One of the unexpected side effects of this is that it positively impacts your friends, family, and community. We introduce our friends to our respective cultures by sharing our travel experiences, inviting them tofestival and making them try new dishes. Another important thing is to break many stereotypes. Disadvantages of Cross-Cultural Marriage Although it seems to be a very romantic love story at first, the truth is that it can be very challenging and frustrating in real life. And it's simply not about being racist, marriage has a deeper meaning, which lies in its understanding, it is possible to have extremely strong and natural negative feelings about an interracial relationship or marriage even if you are not considered racist. Legal or not illegal the question is "should".Should interracial marriages be encouraged? The union between two altogether different cultures will give space to different experiences and opportunities in life, but above all to difficulties in married life regarding. Adopting a completely different culture may not prove to be an easy task. The main intention of getting married is to emotionally, spiritually and physically unite men and women together, as husband and wife, it is a commitment made in the presence of God, and is valid until death. Cross-cultural marriages are often influenced by external factors that can create confrontation and disagreement in relationships. Different cultures bear very different moral, ethical and value foundations that influence their perception of individual, family and social lifestyles. When these foundations operate together with the foundation of different cultural roots, as in intercultural marriages, problems and disagreements often occur. It takes effort to combine two cultures successfully and a willingness to learn from both partners. Culture Shock The first argument against intercultural marriages is culture shock (adapting to a new culture). When considering a cross-cultural marriage, one of the partners must be introduced to a new culture. Ideally, both have to get used to each other's cultures and laws to survive the marriage and this will create a lot of problems in the process. For example: a non-Muslim who marries a Muslim will have to obey certain laws of Islam; Islam prohibits marriage between Muslim women and non-Muslim men. Therefore, any partner will have to convert and obey Islamic rules (sound vision, 2010). In the case of Muslim men who marry Jewish and Christian women, the situation is different. Even if Islam allows it, Muslim men who marry Jewish and Christian women must remember that living in the West, if they end up divorcing, their children will almost automatically be married off. given to the mother. The process of converting from one religion to another and adapting to new laws will create huge problems that will even end the marriage. Further problems in Muslim family law practices in the United States arise from the structure of authority in Islamic jurisprudence as there has never been an official church certifying individuals to speak on behalf of the religion, the field is open to any devout Muslim who tries to act as an imam and lead a community (Quarishi & Syed-Miller, 2001), therefore, non-Muslims have a very rare chance to win and survive in marriage due to different laws in different cultural laws. Cultural Differences Moving forward, intercultural marriages have contrasting differences between traditions and cultures. Although some studies have examined this, cultural differences also stimulate marital conflict, particularly in cross-cultural marriages. Indeed, Takano's (2002) quantitative study highlighted that 19% of marital discord in the interethnic couples involved in his study were attributed to cultural differences. Couples who enter into a cross-cultural marriage bring very different assumptions and expectations into their relationshipregarding marriage and family life. Many of these assumptions arise from the values, unspoken rules, and belief systems that permeate their primary cultures. These unexpressed values ​​have become so much a part of their lives that they are almost hidden from view. For example, the way of celebrating Christmas is different in Germany than in America. In fact, many of these cultural differences don't emerge until the couple gets married. However, new experiences and a new culture as a whole can interest an adventurous spouse as it is a once in a lifetime experience and the difficulties largely depend on how culturally and religiously bonded the families are. New environment Not everyone thinks outside the box, strange new land, parents and language can cause discomfort at the beginning of married life. One spouse will be living in their country of origin and the other will be a stranger in a foreign land, the pleasantness may fade after some time when trying to adapt to a different family and culture. Different customs Marriage and customs differ from one country and another culture. For example, Indian wedding customs vary from Chinese traditions marriage customs. In Japan the Japanese bride must be painted pure white from head to toe, visibly declaring her unmarried status to the gods. There are two choices of headgear. One who is, the watab? shi, it is a white hood, the other is called tsunokakushi, it is used to hide the bride's 'horns of jealousy'. It also symbolizes the bride's intention to become a kind and obedient wife. During the time of traditional Indian wedding days, a tilak ceremony (where the groom is anointed on the forehead), a ceremony of adorning the bride's hand and then covering it, took place. feet with henna (called Mehendi) accompanied by Ladies' Sangeet (music and dance) and many other pre-wedding ceremonies. Therefore, marriage traditions, customs and beliefs may clash due to the above-mentioned points so far. Different religions Religion is deeper as they practice their faith and it is a part of their cultural identity that they want to hold on to. The accuracy, customs and special days associated with the religion remain significant to them. The importance of child worship is important: some religions deny the validity of all others and insist on conversions or demand that children be raised in that religion. A couple may have difficulty deciding on this point and the spouse of the other religion may feel inferior and down. For example, Orthodox Judaism teaches that the family must repudiate (sit shivah for) a child who marries a non-Jew: Islam requires obedience to God's law only as revealed by Muhammad and also requires that a Muslim marry another Muslim. Catholic churches until recent years insisted that a non-Catholic partner sign a prenuptial agreement to raise any Catholic children. Particular Christian sects preach that all strangers are damned to eternal fire and forbid any marriage with people of different faiths. At this specific point, the problem could arise if faith plays an important role in the decision-making process, if the partner is intensely religious. Different languages ​​If couples speak different languages, subtle communication problems can create misunderstandings and marital conflict. As they get closer to each other's separate territory, there is a new language, new customs, and a new standard of "normal" to learn. Parental disapproval Parental disapproval of a cross-cultural marriage is common. Parents should play an important role in structuring their children's marriage. THEparents, in fact, fear putting the lives of their unmarried children at risk, who could suffer discrimination from their partner's family. There may also be communication problems if they speak different languages. And it is typical of parents to want their children to find a spouse of their own religion and culture, just to make their life easier and a better place to live. There are situations in which they decide to emigrate to the country of their spouse, who lives far from their family. Parents of an interracial couple usually feel humiliated by their children. Intercultural communication in a marriage should respect differences. In marriage you simply do not marry another but connect with another family as a whole. Cross-cultural marriages can also include people of different races coming together, a situation where there are much more complicated issues when it comes to marriage. (the cultural difference is greater). Rejection from Society Another problem that many couples face is social disapproval. We have to cope with our society despite our opinion. Society, on the other hand, views intercultural marriages as deviating from traditional values. A society is an organization of people who share a common cultural and social background. (Oak, 2007) The consequences of marriage affect every aspect of society. It occupies the most intimate aspects of personal intimacy and personal love and reaches into the pillars of a culture's sacred institutions. Marriage is the pillar of society, but it is also the pillar of government, business and the military. (Wood, 2010)There are simply open-minded people who would give all the support they can, there will always be others who would make the couple feel unwelcome. The most violent treatment would come from other children. During courtship, many racial differences may have been overlooked, but after marriage the couple may have difficulty making changes as each group practices a different lifestyle. Another discouraging aspect occurs when couples try to participate in social organizations. Although society's disapproval does not affect the couple as much as parental disapproval, it is still a problem that cannot be ignored. Of course, multicultural marriage requires many sacrifices. Recommendations Intercultural marriages face many barriers, due to family issues and cultural adjustment. A marriage is not easy to maintain and is more challenging since it is a cross-cultural marriage. As in this modern era, people should be more welcoming and diverse. Parents should be more attentive to their unmarried children's wishes, think more outside the box, and support them regardless of cultural barriers. They should focus more on the person and character and not judge them based on the race or religion they belong to. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Premarital counseling would help ease the start of marriage, due to the differences. Avoid conversions to others and have faith in what they have always believed and not change because of marriage. Parents should always give their blessing to a marriage no matter how much they like it or not because it affects the couple emotionally and psychologically. Society should be more accepting of differences. The couple should get together and spend more time each with their family and the places where they were acquired, so that the spouse feels comfortable and less strange in adjusting. changesThe family and relatives, 365(9456), 347-353.