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Publication Date

2010

Document Type

Honors Project

Department

Psychology

Keywords

Authoritatianism (Personality trait), Marriage-Korea (South), Koreans-Attitudes, Conservatives-Attitudes, College students-Korea (South)-Attitudes, Interpersonal relationships, Interpersonal relations and culture, Interperson relations-Korea (South)

Abstract

Authoritarianism is related to a high degree of attachment to social conventions, a high degree of submission to authorities, and a high level of aggression. Numerous studies on authoritarianism have examined the political perspective of authoritarianism and shown that those who score high on authoritarianism scales tend to have rigid ideologies about political leaders and established authorities. They also tend to support traditional social norms. However, compared to psychology's understanding of authoritarianism and politics, there are fewer studies examining the non-political correlations of authoritarianism. In order to extend the construct validity of authoritarianism, the current study examines the influence of culture on attitudes about interpersonal relationships, particularly, the relationship between authoritarianism and attitudes about marriage and gender. This study focuses on the attitudes of South Korean students about marriage, dating, and the ideal characteristics of a potential spouse. Results indicate that gender differences occurred with regards to attitudes about arranged marriages. Furthermore, authoritarianism was correlated reliably with more traditional ideas about marriage and dating. We hope the data collected from South Korea will help increase psychologists' understanding of the nonpolitical correlates of authoritarianism from a country different from the U.S.

Language

English

Comments

31 p. Honors Project-Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 2010. Includes bibliographical references (p. 23-24)

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