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Family Functioning and Self-Differentiation: A Cross-Cultural Examination

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Abstract

This study examined the degree to which self-differentiation as related to family functioning is valued differently by Korean and European-American university students. The main findings confirm that the level of family functioning reported by European Americans is greater than for their Korean counterpart; family functioning is associated with differentiation measures (total score, emotional reactivity, and emotional cutoff) to a different extent across the two groups; and controlling for the effect of family functioning, the added contribution of a country variable explained further variance in self-differentiation. The importance of addressing the issue of similarities and differences between cultures in the assessment and treatment of individuals with problems related to their families of origin is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child Studies, Chonbuk National University, Dukjin-Dong 1-Ga, Jeonju, South Korea

    Hyejeong Chung

  2. Department of Child and Family Development, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Jerry Gale

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  1. Hyejeong Chung
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  2. Jerry Gale
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Correspondence to Hyejeong Chung.

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Chung, H., Gale, J. Family Functioning and Self-Differentiation: A Cross-Cultural Examination. Contemp Fam Ther 31, 19–33 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-008-9080-4

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