Closeness in Interpersonal Relationships in Japan and the United States

抄録

The present research was designed to extend Berscheid, Snyder, and Omoto's (1989b) research by comparing scores on the Relationship Closeness Inventory (RCI) in Japan and the United States. The present data indicated that students in the United States are more likely to select a romantic relationship than a friend or family relationship as their closest relationship. Students in Japan, in contrast, are more likely to select a friend relationship than a romantic or family relationship. Students in the United States also report greater frequency and diversity, but not strength, of interdependence in their closest relationship than students in Japan. These findings are consistent across raw and scale scores on the RCI. Consistent with Berscheid et al.'s research, scores on the RCI do not appear to be associated with the length of the relationships. A small positive correlation between the total RCI score and attributional confidence supports the validity of the RCI in Japan and the United States.