Abstract
The purpose of this study was to discuss the relationship between Korean people's normative sense of the traditional filial piety and their affiliation with relatives. For this purpose, the researcher reviewed ethics books during the Chosun dynasty such as Naehoon Women's Ethics), Dongmongsonsup (Children's Cardinal Moral Principles) ,Kyokmongyokyol (Juvenile's Learning) and Gyuenyoso (Instructions for Daughters of Marriageable Age), Based on this review a questionnaire was designed. For the survey,566 returned questionnaires from married people between their 20's and 70's living in Seoul and Wonju Si were sampled The collected data were analyzed using the SAS program for means and SDs of each area in order to examine the overall tendency, and were subject to one-way ANOVA to determine the relationship between their normative sense of the traditional filial piety and their affiliations with relatives depending on their demographic variables, In addition to this correlation analysis, the data underwent regression analysis to determine the significant factors affecting the subjects' sense of filial piety and their affiliation with relatives. The results of this study can be summarized as follows ; First, the subjects were found to have a normal or higher sense of filial piety in overall terms, which suggests that the Korean morality of filial piety may be positive. In particular, the subjects' sense of filial piety was higher for living parents than for dead ones. Namely, they wanted to give more respect, honor and support to their parents than give a cordial funeral or memorial service to deceased parents. Second, older Koreans were more aware of filial piety, and men were more conscious of filial piety than women. Buddhists or atheists tended to be more faithful to their parents. Generally, those with lower academic background and living with larger families had a higher normative sense of filial piety. On the other hand, those in their 60's and 70's were most affiliated with their relatives, while youth and middle-aged people were less affiliated with their relatives. Men were more affiliated with their relatives than women, and first sons or daughters were more affiliated with their relatives. Besides, those living with larger families were more affiliated with their relatives. Third, the subjects' normative sense of filial piety, particularly for deceased parents, was highly correlated with their affiliation with relatives, and such a normative sense of filial piety was most conspicuous in their funeral rites.