Culture, ethnicity and mate choice

This psychological study investigates the relationship among culture, ethnicity, and mate choice. Employing surveys, the research uncovers the multifaceted relationship between related self, autonomous self, autonomous-related self, ethnicity, opposition to interethnic mating, and parental influence on mate choice. The findings reveal that the Armenian, Jewish, and Greek ethnic minority in the Turkish society show more parental influence on mate choice and opposition to interethnic mating than the ethnic majority which are people of Turkish origin. Also, Armenians show more opposition to interethnic mating than Greeks. Jewish people show less autonomous self than the Turkish, Armenian, and Greek people. However, ethnic groups do not differ in the other self-construals (related self and autonomous-related self). Furthermore, the study illustrates a positive correlation between opposition to interethnic mating and parental influence on mate choice, a negative correlation between autonomous self and parental influence on mate choice; between autonomous-related self and parental influence on mate choice; and between autonomous-related self and opposition to interethnic mating. On the other hand, the study finds no correlation (positive or negative) between parental influence on mate choice and related self, between opposition to interethnic mating and related self, and between opposition to interethnic mating and autonomous self. This research contributes to psychology by offering insights into the interplay between culture, ethnicity, and mate choice, calling for a nuanced understanding of family dynamics, their effects on individuals in clinical settings, and society. Keywords: Autonomy-relatedness, Ethnicity, Opposition to interethnic mating, Parental influence on mate choice