한국문화와 부부갈등에 관한 연구 = Korean Culture and Marital Conflict

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The increasing divorce rate and the decreasing birth rate are two main concerns for wellbeing of the Korean society. The divorce rate is one of the highest among OECD countries. The unresolved marital conflict is the number one cause of the divorce. Home is God`s first institution and foundation of the stable society. Healthy home is possible through harmonious marital relationship. This paper deals with the problem of marital conflict among married couples. Among many factors understanding Korean marital conflict, this paper focuses on the collectivistic culture to explain the marital conflict. Confucianism, the major religion of Korea in the Lee Dynasty in the last 500 years, has all the characteristics of the collectivistic culture. The Korean society has experienced rapid shift from the traditional collectivistic culture to the westernized individualistic culture in the last 50 years. The change requires new roles for the husband and wife. When couples fail to adjust to the cultural change, they tend to fail in their relationships. The answer to the marital conflict due to the rapid cultural change is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Having the attitude of Jesus and learning his humility is the primary answer to the marital conflicts. Jesus said that we should consider others better than ourselves(Phil. 2:3). When we consider our spouses better than ourselves and respect them as the better half, many conflicts can be resolved and many marriages can be saved. The message of the Gospel is what many conflicting couples need to hear and to apply in their broken relationships.