Culture And Developing Selves Beyond Dichotomization

The distinction between individualism and collectivism (I-C) has been useful in understanding differences in the world's cultures and the developing selves that they spawn. Contributing chapters to this volume examine the multiplicity of developing selfhood that exists within and between cultures. In so doing, they explore the coexistence of self-cultivation and social obligation among the Chinese, the coexistence of deep spiritual interiority and social duty in urban India, changing patterns of identity in immigrant families, and how autonomy functions in the service of social relations among American adolescents. A uniting theme in the chapters argues that individuality and connectedness cannot exist independent of each other. Although there are dramatic differences in how they are constructed, individual and communal dimensions of selfhood must be represented in some form in selves that develop in all cultures. The traditional view of I-C holds that in individualist (most North American and Western-European) cultures, individuals develop a sense of self as separate, autonomous, and independent of others. In contrast, collectivist cultures (for example, many Asian cultures) place primary value on group orientation, the goals and needs of others, and readiness to cooperate. However, despite its utility, the I-C dimension can obscure an analysis of the complexity of selves that develop in individualist and collectivist cultures. Individuality and interiority are represented in selves that develop within cultures considered collectivistic; conversely; selves in individualist cultures are defined through relations with others. This work represents a breakthrough in understanding the complex and inter-related issues of I-C in both individualist and collectivist cultures. This is the 104th volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development.

An important work from a leading scholar, this book explores self-development from early childhood to adulthood. Susan Harter traces the normative stages that define the emergence of many self-processes, including self-esteem. She also addresses individual differences and societal influences on self-development. Presenting pioneering empirical research, Harter shows that increasingly mature features of the self have both benefits and liabilities for psychological adjustment. The book highlights the causes and consequences of different types of self-representations, including those that are unrealistically negative or positive. New to This Edition *Reflects more than a decade of conceptual, empirical, and methodological advances. *Provides a broader sociocultural framework for understanding self-development. *Chapters on emerging adulthood, self-esteem and physical appearance, self-processes in the classroom, motivation, cross-cultural issues, and the quest for authenticity. *Expanded chapters on childhood, adolescence, and the self-conscious emotions. *Increased attention to the liabilities of our contemporary preoccupation with the self.

Reflecting author Çigdem Kagitçibasi's influential work over the last two decades, this new edition examines human development, the self, and the family in a cultural context. It challenges the existing assumptions in mainstream western psychology about the nature of individuals. The author proposes a new model — the "Autonomous-Related Self" — which expands on existing theory by demonstrating how culture influences self development. The development of competence is examined from a contextual perspective, with a view towards global urbanization which is creating increasingly similar lifestyles around the world. The implications of this perspective are discussed extensively, particularly early intervention policy implications related to promoting human competence in immigration and acculturation. Rich in both theory and application, each topic is introduced with a historical antecedent and earlier research before current work is discussed. This new edition also features: a new theoretical perspective that integrates cultural variation with universal human development trajectories in the context of social change, globalization, and immigration; two new chapters on "Parenting and the Development of the Autonomous Related Self" and "Immigration and Acculturation"; a more student-friendly approach with boxed stories, summary and main point reviews, discussion questions, and an extensive bibliography in each chapter; and a comprehensive glossary of all the book’s key terms for a quick reference. Intended as a graduate or advanced undergraduate level text for courses addressing cross-cultural psychology taught in a variety of departments including developmental, community, family, and educational psychology, this comprehensive volume will also appeal to researchers interested in issues of human development in a socio-cultural context.

Although integrative conceptions of development have been gaining increasing interest, there have been few attempts to bring together the various threads of this emerging trend. The Handbook of Integrative Developmental Science seeks ways to bring together classic and contemporary theory and research in developmental psychology with an eye toward building increasingly integrated theoretical and empirical frameworks. It does so in the form of a festschrift for Kurt Fischer, whose life and work have both inspired and exemplified integrative approaches to development. Building upon and inspired by the comprehensive scope of Fischer’s Dynamic Skill Theory, this book examines what an integrated theory of psychological development might look like. Bringing together the work of prominent integrative thinkers, the volume begins with an examination of philosophical presuppositions of integrative approaches to development. It then shows how Dynamic Skill Theory provides an example of an integrative model of development. After examining the question of the nature of integrative developmental methodology, the volume examines the nature of developmental change processes as well as pathways and processes in the development of psychological structures both within and between psychological domains. The team of expert contributors cover a range of psychological domains, including the macro- and micro-development of thought, feeling, motivation, self, intersubjectivity, social relations, personality, and other integrative processes. It ends with a set of prescriptions for the further elaboration of integrative developmental theory, and a tribute to Kurt Fischer and his influence on developmental psychology. This book will be essential reading for graduate students and researchers of developmental psychology and human development, specifically developmental science.

As intercultural encounters between people in the modern world become more common, important questions have been raised about the nature of culture-specific differences and similarities. Focusing on the relationship between culture and human development, this timely book offers an interdisciplinary exploration of key developmental processes. It combines psychological and sociological approaches with cross-cultural research to examine phenomena such as the transfer of culture between generations and the universality of attachment theory. Drawing on detailed research from a range of cultural groups, leading international researchers consider the impact of social change and modernization on the development of the individual and at the societal level. Theoretical and methodological issues are presented in terms of how to apply the results of cross-cultural research as well as recent empirical research done in specialized areas of the field. Finally, short-term intercultural exchanges are examined and used to suggest some of the potential practical uses of cross-cultural research for the future. This book will be essential reading for anyone studying or researching in cultural psychology, cross-cultural psychology, acculturation or behavioral development. It will also prove an invaluable source of information for anyone interested in sociology and the social sciences in general.

Volumes 1 and 2 of the Invited Lectures present the main contributions from the 29th International Congress of Psychology, held in Berlin in 2008.

This book presents a fresh conceptualization which holds that independence and interdependence are multifaceted and inseparable dimensions of human functioning that may be defined and enacted differently in different cultures. Thus, the current approach

In the past fifty years, scholars of human development have been moving from studying change in humans within sharply defined periods, to seeing many more of these phenomenon as more profitably studied over time and in relation to other processes. The Handbook of Life-Span Development, Volume 1: Cognition, Biology, and Methods presents the study of human development conducted by the best scholars in the 21st century. Social workers, counselors and public health workers will receive coverage of of the biological and cognitive aspects of human change across the lifespan.