Family Functioning in a Collectivist Culture of Malaysia: A Qualitative Study

A family is a social unit in society. The societal culture where a family exists contributes to the functioning of the family. A review of the literature on family functioning indicates that most studies on family functioning were conducted by researchers in Western countries, particularly in the Un...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Family journal (Alexandria, Va.) Vol. 28; no. 4; pp. 396 - 402
Main Authors Sumari, Melati, Baharudin, Dini Farhana, Khalid, Norfaezah Md, Ibrahim, Nor Hasniah, Ahmed Tharbe, Ida Hartina
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.10.2020
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Childrearing practices
Collectivism
Culture
Families & family life
Family relations
Literature reviews
Measurement
Parenting style
Parents & parenting
Qualitative research
Sociocultural factors
Value orientations
Malaysia
family functioning
family dynamics
collectivist
culture
parenting
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:A family is a social unit in society. The societal culture where a family exists contributes to the functioning of the family. A review of the literature on family functioning indicates that most studies on family functioning were conducted by researchers in Western countries, particularly in the United States, and were conducted using a Western sample. In most studies, quantitative measurements were used to measure family functioning. No family measurement has been developed so far to measure family functioning in a collectivist culture such as that found in Malaysia. Therefore, we decided to use a qualitative approach in order to explore and understand family functioning in a collectivist society and focused on Malaysia as a case example. Focus group discussions were used to gather the data. Eleven family practitioners from different settings participated in a three-series discussion. Six themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) family role, (2) parenting styles, (3) family rule, (4) communication, (5) value orientation, and (6) cohesiveness. The method used yields rich data and highlights the importance of understanding an issue within its cultural context. The implication for family practitioners and future researchers is discussed.
ISSN:1066-4807
1552-3950
DOI:10.1177/1066480719844334