Dispute Resolution Theory, Thai Culture, and Expectations of a "Farang" Spouse or Boyfriend.
Rugged Individualism versus People Concerned About their Role in the Collective Well-being of Family I plan to retire to Thailand in the summer of 2020. My weekly treatments with a talented Thai massage therapist, Mena, have suddenly involved language lessons and cultural translations over our two hour sessions together. Today, we skipped the language lessons. Instead, I raised a question arising from my look at the postings on various Thai-related Facebook groups. Male-dominated groups regularly discuss relationships with Thai women, both spouses and girlfriends. I'll spare you the seedier details. One recent post, by a thoughtful 72-year old Western man, asked whether "farang" men had a hard time getting their Thai spouses or girlfriends to open up emotionally. He had studied and written books about relationships, and so came at the topic with a scholar's curiosity. I asked Mena what she thought in response to the question. I have kno