From: Rosy Chang
Hello!
My name is Rosy Chang; I just joined the forum. Before I continue, I would like to introduce myself and ask for your support in my research on interracial marriages. I am a woman of Lao, Thai, and Chinese heritage engaged to a man of German and Scottish heritage. We have been together for almost 8 years now. I am in my 5th year of graduate school in the Ph.D. program in Developmental Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Let me tell you a little more about my research. I would like to learn about the development of marriages between Asians and Caucasians: how you met, how your relationship developed, moments of satisfaction and happiness, but also something about the inevitable problems characterizing all lasting relationships – I am interested in the good times as well as the bad, the ups and the downs, the whole story.
Obviously, I have a personal interest in this topic. But I also believe that it is important to know more about lasting marriages between people from different backgrounds. Our society is not free of prejudice. Perhaps people who have lived with a person from a different cultural background have overcome such problems more thoroughly than anybody else. And perhaps you also have learned something about them? Marriages between persons from different cultural backgrounds are also becoming more common. Why do some succeed while others fail? Greater knowledge about these issues will benefit us all.
I am seeking Asian-Caucasian couples who have been married for approximately a decade to participate in my study. You would be asked to complete a questionnaire and participate in an interview describing your experiences about your marriage. It is fine if you are only interested in parts of the study.
Most participants find this task to be very interesting. I and the people I have spoken with so far have learned a lot from our conversations. Everything you say or write will of course be kept strictly confidential. Should you be interested, I’ll be happy to send you a summary of my findings when I have finished the survey.
This project offers you the opportunity to contribute to a psychological understanding of the long-term role of race and ethnicity within the context of an important social institution: marriage. I would greatly appreciate your participation in this study. Also, should you know of any who are interested, please pass this information along.
If you are interested or have any questions, please contact:
Rosy Chang, M.S.
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Psychology
Social Sciences II
1156 High Street
University of California
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Thanks in advance!