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Cultural issues in psychology

Cultural differences in attachment

Some critics of psychology argue that it is relatively ‘culture blind’, ignoring the influence of the society and culture in which we live. Andrew Stevenson aims to redress this alleged imbalance. Here he examines the influence of culture on childhood experience.

Parental discipline in Japan relies on feelings more than on discipline
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There is an old saying that some people are brought up, while others are dragged up. Likewise, one author wrote that while in some cultures children grow up, in others they are brought up (Kagitcibasi 1996). Parenting takes various forms both within and across cultures, and these cultural differences in socialisation have a profound effect on how youngsters turn out.

Do parental regimes vary across cultures? LeVine et al. (1996) compared household routines among the Gusii of Kenya with those in a sample of suburbanites in Boston, USA, and noticed a greater expectation for children to help with chores in the Gusii, with more parental emphasis on intellectual stimulation in Boston.

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UCAS: Writing your personal statement

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