Attachment - Cultural Variations

Question 1

Individualistic vs Collectivist

Answer 1

• Individualistic (USA, UK): prioritise individual independence
• Collectivist (China, Japan): prioritise group + family

Question 2

Van Ijzendoorn + Kroonenberg’s meta analysis

Answer 2

• 1988 study analysing 32 studies from 8 countries
• 2000 participants
• All studies used Strange Situation method
• Aimed to identify inter-cultural + intra-cultural differences

Question 3

Key findings: Inter-cultural differences

Answer 3

• Secure attachment most common across all cultures (50% China, 75% UK)
• Germany: higher rates of insecure-avoidant
  Japan, China, Israel: higher rates of insecure-resistant (over 25%)

Question 4

Cultural influence on attachment: Germany

Answer 4

• Individualistic culture
• Values independence in children
• IA behaviours viewed positively
• Parents seek “independent, non-clingy infants”

Question 5

Cultural influence on attachment: Japan

Answer 5

• Collectivist culture
• Values dependence + close physical proximity
• Lower rates of IA
• Higher rates of IR

Question 6

Intra-cultural differences

Answer 6

• Variation within cultures 1.5 times greater than between cultures
• USA studies ranged from 46% - 90% secure attachment

Question 7

Implications of research

Answer 7

• Secure attachment appears to be the norm across cultures
• Suggest secure attachment may be the best for healthy development
• Indicates attachment could be an innate biological process
• Cultural practices + values influence attachment patterns

Question 8

Strengths

Answer 8

• Standardised methodology (strange situation)
• Allows for accurate comparison across cultures
• Controlled observations with clear behavioural categories

Question 9

Limitations

Answer 9

• Some countries had very few studies (Japan had 2)
• May not be representative of entire cultures - differences found between Tokyo + rural Japan

Question 10

Criticism: Ethnocentrism

Answer 10

• Strange situation designed in America (Individualistic culture)
• Behavioural categories based on Western values
• May be biased towards Western perspectives
• Japanese study where 90% of children couldn’t complete the separation episode
• Need for culturally relative measurements of attachment