Review of Related Literature and Studies

Foreign Literature

Intercultural Couples

According to Pashchuk (2012), as globalization keeps on bringing people from

various societies into important contact, intercultural relational unions will keep on

expanding. In the opinion of Ho (1990) as cited by Skowroński, Othman, Wen Siang, Wei

Han, Jia Yang & Waszyńska (2014) stated that intercultural relationships can be

characterized as a union between partners from various ethnic, national or religious

foundations. In an intercultural/multilingual relationship, couples have some unique

characteristics, such as originating from various cultures of origin and speaking diverse

dialects and these qualities serve them as strengths to defeat difficulties that do not exist

in a monocultural/monolingual relationship (Molina et al., 2004 as cited by Tien, 2013).

As claimed by Bystydzienski (2011) & Romano (2008) as cited by Tien (2013),

Intercultural relationships is defined more broadly nowadays, due to the fact that the

variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds of people in this country has dramatically

increased. Furthermore, technology has developed rapidly and has become an essential

part of people’s daily life. All the new technology and the emergence of the internet have

created more ways to communicate with people on the other side of the world; the

physical distance between people is not as important anymore, which makes it easier to

start and maintain international and long distance relationships. One thing that is

exceptional for intercultural/multilingual couples compared to other couples is that they

create a new culture, a new language, and a new phenomenon of their own instead of

choosing one partner’s culture or language for the relationship (Tien, 2013).

Culture-related Barriers

Intercultural couples may confront interior stress identified with unacceptable

conveyance of family unit obligations and duty as impacted by their social convictions,

including each other's duty regarding overseeing funds, supporting the family monetarily

cooking, cleaning, and dealing with kids, assuming any. Seshadri and Knudson-Martin

(2013) conclude that despite the discoveries, internal stress has not been estimated

explicitly among intercultural couples. Moreover, Intercultural relationships face conflicts

and a lot of stress but some strategies lead to hard working solutions. For the barriers,

the most common phenomenon in human relationships is inevitable. It happens when a

person interacts with the other person’s reaction when two people are so close to each

other this may happen a lot. The struggles in the relationship are circumstances that

makes alongside love within the marriage and it is inevitable for man

and woman who encountered various cultural-related experiences. Barriers among the

couples give them this possibility that test their reliance and also the partner’s

dependency and find their depth of feelings toward one another and renew the endeavors

for production of a satisfying relationship (Haghighhatbayan, Rafezi & Salabifard, 2015).

Some intercultural couples may encounter stressors that usually start inside the

relationship, which can have negative impact with the person as well as the partner's

relationship and work (Silva et al., 2013). According to Kong (2012), pairs from different
cultural foundations may have distinctive discernments about who should earn money

and how to manage it. Hernandez (2014) also suggests that intercultural couples face

struggles and only the real loved ones truly succeed.

Prior studies that involve marital barriers have different aspects such as lack of

communication, low level of sexual activity, increase emotional reaction towards the

partner. In addition, boost of personal relationship with the relatives loss of relationship

with friends and colleagues. Hernandez (2014) concludes that miscommunication is also

viewed as a problem. Intracultural relationship face miscommunication but intercultural

relationships are more problematic because they have different communication

strategies. The lack of clear verbal communication between the couple often leads to

unhappiness and failure. Furthermore, one of the biggest conflicts is due to family

members. Families play a huge role on intercultural relationship's success. Couples tend

to feel obligated to live up to their parent’s expectation and lean towards a break up.

Families make intercultural relationship stress increase rapidly. Also, when families do

not allow the relationship to live happily, the couples tend to feel unsafe and this facilitates

to a divorce. As eloquently exclaimed by Molina, Estrada & Burnett (2004) Intercultural

couples face difficulties and show qualities in correspondence and the connections that

are not the same as the monocultural couple (Tien, 2013). Kittivipart (1987) as cited in

Tay et al., (2012) and other researchers (Renalds, 2011) discussed that good

communication is one of the fundamentals of a good marital relationship especially when

it comes to an intercultural relationship to yield when discussing the marital satisfaction

in intercultural relationships, whereby a lack of effective communication patterns with

spouses often yield less contentment and happiness in the process. As mentioned in a
study made by Taweekuakulkit (N.D.) as cited in Tay et al., (2012) noted that

communication problems may easily occur if interculturally married couples find it difficult

to come to an agreement on a shared common language to use. Moreover, even if there

is no problem with a mutual language being used, still possible barriers are very likely to

come in their way as subtle differences of communication patterns may lead to

misinterpretation (Renalds, 2011).

In stressing circumstances positive behaviors such as active listening, interest and

sympathy in couples will be decrease and on the opposite hand negative behavior like

to criticize, humiliate and disrespect, hostility and withdrawal will increase wide that

everyone among these are weak marital status performance predictors and therefore the

high risk of divorce. Without ability and appropriate facing skills with stress a few marital

statuses relationship can be broken in manner that incapacity in appropriate facing with

stress in couples is one among the essential reasons of high rate of divorce. In

experimental findings showed that learning to couple cope leads reduction of marital

status conflict (Bodenmann et al., 2014).

Anger inside the relationship

According to Tyler and Novaco (2005) as cited by Avar et al., (2015), anger is an

ecstatic feeling and devastating at the same time it formulates the internal system and

activates a person for a potential danger. Researchers conclude that anger is unhealthy

excitement if it is not shown in a controlled way, particularly, the excitement can source

aggressive behavior (Lau, 2001). As stated by Averill (1993), Anger is normally viewed
as a negative feeling which alludes to both the abstract understanding of one’s own

aversive enthusiastic state such as a negative social, judgment of displeasure

communicated towards others (Waclaw Bak, 2016). Expressing anger may result in

family, interpersonal, and occupational conflicts, others negative assessment of the

person, negative self-concept, and low self-confidence. Anger management and control

do not mean that the person doesn't show their anger in any respect, but

anger management consists of expressing the anger in persistent manner (Avar et al.,

2015). Critical approach to investigate partners social relations and coping strategies for

dealing with stress, which might be particularly gainful for intercultural couples to help

manage their relationship fulfillment even with pressure inside to their

relationship(Holzapfel , Randall , Tao, & Masumi 2018).

Local Literature

Filipinos’ within the intercultural relationship

According to the explanation made by Tungao (2015) that Filipinos who marry

foreigners saw it as an opportunity to move abroad, which the acceptance could

drastically completely change them. Today, Filipinos can meet the future partners through

cell phones, companion referral, Internet-based visiting and even help of a relative

abroad. Tungao (2015) also expressed that conjugal fulfillment among Filipinas wedded

to Japanese men was commonly high. Furthermore, this is on the grounds that Filipinas

showed steadiness to make the marriage work and for her to conform to the society.

Sympathy, adaptability and eagerness to embrace points of view other than one's very

own appear to add to the achievement of Filipina-Japanese relational relationships.

Moreover, Filipinas are currently an increasingly fluctuated assemble than the anticipated

famous pictures with the end goal that they are emphatic, autonomous disapproved and

willing to go out on a limb. These qualities might be an impression of inward conviction to

be strong and certain about wandering another universe of involvement in interracial

marriage (Tungao, 2015). Moreover, a study made by Sung (2004) as cited by Tungao

(2015) also stated intercultural couples additionally have a solid commitment to the

relationship and to each other, willing to make changes and acknowledge the non-

traditional and are progressively adaptable and creative in managing differences than

their same-culture peers.

Anger

According to Anderson & Bushman (2002) as cited by Abalos (2017)

The complexness of the relationship is obvious in modern, integrative models within

which anger might not cause aggressive behavior, however will increase the chance of

aggressive responding by reducing natural inhibitions against aggression, increasing

the prominence of aggressive psychological feature scripts accustomed interpret

and reply to social stimuli, and increasing physiological arousal. In addition, Abalos

(2015) states that increasing female participation in the labor force encouraged divorce

among women in the West by enabling them to become financially independent,

increasing marital friction over household management arrangements, and exposing

women to alternative potential partners in the work environment. The effects are also

evident in Islamic Southeast Asian countries, but it have been outweighed by other
divorce-reducing effects, such as links with rising educational levels and self-arranged

marriage, which eventually led to greater commitment to chosen partners.

Synthesis

An intercultural relationship comprises of different cultures and belief may face

challenges that will test the strength of a couple. Some of these factors are related to

anger and other barriers that contribute to the friction and growing gap between two

individuals inside the Intercultural relationship. Various experiences from culture norms

might affect the relationship and may higher the risk of separation between the couple.

As the studies suggest, families also play a big role to the relationship and may also cause

gaps in the relationship. However, different perceptions on family may impact the needs

and power structures. For some intercultural couples, one partner may likewise feel

underestimated or then again forgotten in light of the fact that he/she doesn't share the

local language of his/her life partner's family. Additionally, stereotyping in some

intercultural relationships may prompt preference, and this partiality can block intercultural

communication and it might influence the relationship. Lack of communication, as shown

in prior studies, had shown huge impact as one of the barriers in the couple. However,

other studies show one of the basics of a decent connection particularly with regards to

an intercultural relationship to yield while examining the fulfillment in intercultural

relationships. Locally, Filipinas showed steadiness to make the marriage work and for her

to conform to the society. Overtime, certain coping styles and strategies are developed

by intercultural couples and the strategies help make the relationship even stronger.
Money may also be a barrier for the couple because both individuals have distinctive

discernments about who should profit or earn and how to manage it.