COMPARISON OF SOAP OPERA FAMILIES IN JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES

Soap opera families in Japan and the United States are compared in the Parsonian framework of structural functionalism. Eight American and seven Japanese programs were viewed for ten months during 1973-1974, from which 100 married couples were chosen for content analysis. In relation to the external environment the American family is insulated within the framework of the provincial white middle class, while Japanese characters are broadly intermeshed with society at large. The Japanese family adheres to the goal of family continuity, while the American is based on romantic love. Such a difference in goal orientations affects the types of family integration and pattern maintenance.