Am J Psychiatry 1985; 142:577-581
Copyright © 1985 by American Psychiatric Association
Family interaction patterns among Japanese-American and Caucasian families in Hawaii
J Hsu, WS Tseng, G Ashton, JF McDermott Jr and W Char
The authors compared the family interaction patterns of Japanese- American
and Caucasian families in Hawaii by rating videotapes of structured family
interactions. There were significant differences between the two groups in
many aspects of family interaction, such as power, coalition, closeness,
negotiation, clarity of self-disclosure, responsibility, invasiveness,
affect, and empathy. The differences in family interaction could be
explained by the cultural differences between the two groups and indicate
that profiles of healthy families differ between distinct cultures, and
there is a need to establish a culturally relevant family interaction
profile; otherwise normal interactions in families outside the mainstream
could be misinterpreted as pathological.
