Cultural Variations Flashcards
define cultural variations
3
the way that different groups of people (cultures) vary in terms of their social practices and how this affects development and behaviour such as attachment
cultural variations suggest that attachments are not innately determined but are actually related to the different child rearing methods used in different cultures
if attachments were innate, attachment behaviour would be very similar across the world but cultural variations exist in attachment
define universal behaviour
2
behaviour that everyone across the globe shares
for example, a funeral or other ceremony marking death
define culture
1
refers to rules, customs, morals and ways of interacting that bind together members of a society or another collection of people
individualist cultures
4
value independence and emphasise the importance of the individual
concerned with individual needs or the needs of immediate family before the wider community
secure attachments are the most common
EXAMPLE = UK and US
collectivist cultures
5
emphasise the importance of the group as a whole and focuses on the needs of the group over the needs of the individual
typically share things such as possessions and childcare
value interdependence
multiple attachments are common
EXAMPLES = Japan and Israel
outline a study into cultural variations (procedure)
3
Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) conducted a meta analysis of findings from 32 studies of attachment behaviour
together these studies examined over 2000 strange situation classifications across 8 different countries
they were interested to see whether there would evidence that inter cultural differences (variations between cultures) and intra cultural differences (variations within cultures) existed
outline a study into cultural variations (findings)
7
there were small differences between cultures, variations were x1.5 greater within cultures than between them
secure attachment was the most common classification in every country, it is clearly the norm
insecure avoidant was the second most common attachment classification in every country except Japan and Israel (both collectivist) — such different patterns of attachment can relate to differences in cultural attitudes and practices
these cultural similarities suggest that attachment is an innate and biological process
more avoidant attachments in western/individualist cultures (cultures that encourage independence) and more resistant attachments in non western/collectivist cultures
global patterns across cultures seem to be similar to that found in the US
secure attachments being the norm supports the idea that they are best for healthy social and emotional development
x3 evaluation points
support from Tronick et al (1992)
challenged by Grossmann and Grossmann (1991)
problems with SS classifications
EVALUATION
problems with SS classifications
5
what is considered a sign of a secure attachment in one culture may not be the same in every culture because the strange situation was designed by an American so fits western criteria only
for example, under the strange situation it’s assumed that willingness to explore and independence is a sign of a secure attachment
however, in some cultures like Japan dependence rather than independence is a sign of a secure attachment, meaning that Japanese children may appear to be insecurely attached according to western criteria but are actually securely attached by Japanese standards
therefore, the study, which uses and relies on strange situation classifications, may lack validity because these classifications are culturally biased and do not consider the cultural relativity of attachment classification
the study may have limited ability to explain cultural variations in attachment and should be viewed with caution when doing so
EVALUATION
challenged by Grossmann and Grossmann (1991)
6
found the existence of cultural differences in attachment
they found that German infants tend to be classified as insecurely attached rather than securely attached
this may be due to differences in child rearing — German culture involves keeping some interpersonal distance between parent and child, which results in the child not engaging in proximity seeking behaviour and thus appearing to be insecurely attached
this challenges Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg’s findings in two main ways
firstly, it contradicts the idea that secure attachments are the norm in all cultures and secondly, it demonstrates cultural differences whereas Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg found cultural similarities in attachment
therefore, the study may lack reliability and should be viewed with caution when being used to explain cultural variations in attachment due to the existence of challenging research
EVALUATION
support from Tronick et al (1992)
5
studied an African tribe called the Efe who lived in extended family groups
infants were looked after and breastfed multiple women but usually slept with their own mothers at night
found that despite differences in child rearing between the Efe and western cultures, infants still displayed one primary attachment at 6 months
this study supports Van Izjendoorn and Kroonenburg’s findings by demonstrating cultural similarities in terms of attachment behaviour, which suggests that attachment is an innate and biological process — this is one of V+K’s main findings
therefore, the study can claim reliability and may have increased usefulness in explaining cultural variations in attachment
