Social and cultural changes both play a significant role in the upbringing of the children. The guidance of the child as a function of the family is considered to be of great importance in any society. There is a general belief that when children are guided by the family, they develop a behavior pattern that is peculiar to the culture and social relationship of that particular society. While every parent would like to have their children well nurtured, their expectations of their children and the desire for their development vary depending with the norms and expectations of their culture as well as the family relationships. While researchers and observers have seemed to agree on the importance of mothers in the child rearing and upbringing worldwide, sociocultural factors and family relationship remain a key determinant of the child behavior. Good parenting and provision of proper child care under social and cultural norms as well as family values is essential in shaping their positive psychological and mental health, which eventually impacts a positive behavior development
Socio-cultural Factors and Child Parenting
Child parenting in America is greatly influenced by the culture and social relationships of the community. Culture begins to influence the behavior of children even before they are born, ranging from the things that mothers eat from the days of pregnancy to birth. The culture of companionship marriage that exists in America has also had a great influence on the parenting of the children (Bornstein, 2013). A growing child requires the presence of both parents living together, and the family relationship between the couples is useful in creating a positive behavior in children. When a couple divorces after they have a child, the psychological and emotional development of the child will be affected. For example, a child staying with a single mother is more likely to experience negative effects in the psychological development. Parental separation, which is very common in America, has also been found to impact on the behavioral development of the child. After parental separation, mothers have to rear the child. Separation creates an environment that can affect a child’s cognitive capacity, schooling and mental and emotional health. American parents also spend most of their time away from the child, and this affects their behavior.
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Most mothers spend up to 24 hours away from their children to attend other activities such as weekend trips and movie nights (Bornstein, 2013). This is an accepted culture in America, and as the children grow, they spend very little time with their parents who are expected to play a crucial role in parenting. Americans perceive the culture of spending many hours with the child as a way to spoil that child. Parents start their children at a very young age to promote independence. Initially, a baby in America is viewed as a dependent of the mother and needs to be taught independence. They prefer to give children their own time to increase their independence and build critical thinking. As a result, an American child at a very young age may behave independently in the way of doing things. Parents prefer to encourage self-expression and value. To an American mother, allowing a baby to become fussy is perceived to be allowing the child to improve the crucial skills such as self-expression and being assertive (Forehand & Kotchick, 2016). This culture has made the American children to become assertive and develop decision-making abilities at a very young age compared to children of other cultures. As children grow, they develop and learn to act like players in their environment as they begin to recognize that they have control over their environment. Furthermore, due to the separation of divorce, mothers find themselves busy with work and thus rarely find much time for their children. As they grow away from their mothers, children may miss out on various important parental lessons which can impact their behavior as they grow.
Also, the idea of personal choice is deeply rooted in the principle of liberty and freedom which is constructed from parenting. American parents believe in the culture of freedom and liberty for their children (Bornstein, 2013). Children are encouraged to make personal choices about life rather than choices being made for them by parents. The children are given independence and freedom of choice at a young age without being restricted by the parents. This is useful in shaping their mental development as well as assertiveness as they grow. However, some scholars have argued that giving children liberty and freedom is a way of spoiling them because they may get into unethical behaviors.
Family Influence and Child Behavior
Family relationship has had a great influence on the behavior of children. The way couples interact with each other, and the way they relate to the children can impact how a child behaves. According to Klein & White (1996), American parents are freer with their children as compared to other nations. The relationship between the child and the parent seems more like that of equals rather than child-parent relationship. Parents can sit together with their children and discuss anything like equals. There is no emphasis on the respect for adult’s rule where children cannot sit with their parents and discuss issues like equals. Researchers have praised the free form of parent-child relation as useful in helping the child grow both mentally and psychologically as well as instilling maturity and independence I children. Critics have however criticized the method, terming it as a relationship that can make a child lose respect for adults, as children may always consider adults as their equals.
The behaviors of family and society as a whole can also impact negatively or positively on the behavior of the child. Some parents have been reported to smoke on sight of their children. Some also come home drunk as children observe them. These traits can have a negative influence on the child behavior as they grow. A child who sees a parent smoke is more likely to imitate the same and start smoking at a very young age. Children do what they see their parents do.
Parenting Pattern and Child Behavior
The major parenting styles identified by Heidi Keller are the proximal and distal parenting styles. Proximal parenting style usually involves consistent and prolonged body contact with the child. Dismal parenting style, on the other hand, involves more emphasis on eye contact with minimal body contact. In America, distal parenting style is the most commonly used where parents spend most of the time away from the child. In this style, the baby does not get the full attention of the parent, and this may impact the psychological development and behavior of the child. A child who does not receive attention from the parents may grow up with a low social relationship which can lead to social withdrawal at an adolescence stage.
According to Watabe and Hibbard (2014), two major parental patterns can be used to shape the behavior of children. Authoritarian parenting is used to have control, shape, evaluate and forcefully instill the required behavior in a child. A child raised under this pattern is always under the strict control of the parents, and they are denied the freedom and liberty to do what they like. Here, every action that a child does is as a result of the decision of the parent. Parents are the authority figure and children are required to remain submissive to every decision that parents make. While some scholars argue that this is the best parenting style for developing positive behavior and attitude in children, others have blamed it for lack of independence, and as children grow, they feel dictated. Authoritarian style is hardly used by the American parents who value child’s independence and assertiveness. Another parenting style that can be used to shape the behavior of children is being permissive. Here, children are required and encouraged to exercise their independence as they make their life choices. The work of the parent is only to guide the child, but not to decide for him. Children are treated as people by their peers with their ambitions and agendas. This is the main parenting style employed by the American parents who always encourage their children to be independent as early as they are still very young (Eddleston & Kidwell, 2012). This has led to behavior development I which most children are assertive, independence and with little reliance on the parent for decisions.
The parenting style that a parent adopts to nurture the behavior of a child is determined by the cultural heritage of the society. According to many scholars, the key difference in Caucasian Americans and Asian Americans culture is the idea of independence versus interdependence. Caucasian American community encourages independence with emphasis on self-expression, personal uniqueness and self-efficacy. Asian American, on the other hand, embraces interdependence, personal humility and group solidarity. When children attain the teenage age, they always want to exercise their independence, a situation that may cause conflict and less cohesion. This can have negative impacts on the psychological development and well-being of the children. On the sense of autonomy, Americans are determined to have their children embrace a sense of self. This is a culture which put emphasizes on the need for the children to exercise independence, and ability to express self at a very young age. As the children grow, they are encouraged to be assertive and independent which can be useful in strengthening their self-esteem.
Influencing Behavior and Social Development
Parents need to recognize the significance of behavior development behaviors in children and how this affects the child’s social development. This is usually looked at in the aspect of the formation of operant conditioning. The focus is that behaviors involve learning the relationship between a child’s behavior and the reward or punishment that results from that behavior (Eddleston & Kidwell, 2012). If a child adopts a certain unfavorable behavior, the parent can punish the child for that behavior so that he/she learns that such actions are unacceptable. Similarly, if a child adopts the favorable behavior, the child is rewarded for that behavior so that he/she knows that such actions are acceptable. Parenting culture in America permits the use of punishment to demand compliance and discourage a hostile behavior. This makes a child know what kinds of actions are acceptable and which ones are punishable. Children will thus try to avoid engaging in unacceptable behaviors for fear of punishment. Increasing the frequency of a behavior requires reinforcement, usually a positive reinforcement which acts as a psychological reward that increases the likelihood of the repeat of the behavior.
Family Domestic Violence and Child Behavior
According to Goode (1971), over 200 million children in the world witness domestic violence. A report by Children Funds stated that close to 10 million children in America witness family domestic violence between their parents. Studies also show that the rate of domestic violence among American families has continued to rise annually and the rate is expected to be even higher in the next many years. Evidence shows that witnessing violence between parents can affect the psychological well-being of children and make them develop unfavorable behavior. Children witnessing violence between their parents can influence their behavior and make them develop that same attitude of violence. A child who has witnessed violence is more likely to engage in violence with his peers. Similarly, boys who see their fathers beat their mothers can grow up with the same behavior thinking that it is the right thing to do. At the same time, witnessing violence can make children develop stress and emotional instability which can affect their behavior.
Parenting in Japan and Child’s Behavior
Due to the to the rapid increase in nuclear families in Japan and the significant loss of the father’s authority, the mothers in Japan have assumed a great role in child rearing than it is in American women (Watabe & Hibbard, 2014). There is significant interdependence between the child and mother in Japan, which is unlike in America where mothers encourage child independence and autonomy. The need to emphasize on democracy and emergence of companionship marriages have seemed to influence the role sharing among the couple in child rearing, which is unlike in Japan where mothers take greater responsibility to nurture the child.
Many foreigners and expats who visit Japan have often been surprised by the actions of the Japanese kids. These children have been reported to be more mature and less fussy with greater self-efficiency compared to the kids in America. While the American parents spend most of the time away from the child, Japanese have a culture where mothers spend almost every time with the child. For the first two years of the child’s life, surveys show that Japanese mothers spend on average just two hours in a week away from their children. These mothers are known to be actively predicting the needs of their children, which make them prevent fussy. This is unlike American mothers who prefer fussy in children. While the Japanese mothers prefer to be with their children most of the time, American mothers consider that as a way of spoiling the child and instead prefer to stay away from the child. Mothers in America would go to things like a weekend out or movie nights, which is not a common culture in Japan. It is expected of a Japanese mother that the baby gets full attention for the first two years.
Unlike in America, Japan children are viewed as initially disconnected from their family and needs to be brought into entire connection and dependence on the parents (Watabe & Hibbard, 2014). This parenting style results in self-regulation among the Japanese children. Self-regulation deals with the ability to control one’s own emotions, thoughts and behaviors. This builds the ability to recover from emotional instability and ability to make attempts even after failing previously. American kids, on the other hand, develop the need for self-recognition. This is the ability to understand one’s thoughts and see them as different from others in the world. Such children though lacking self-regulation skills can identify themselves as key players in their surrounding at a tender age and begin to have their influence and control over their environment. As a result of the cultural difference in the way of rearing children, Japanese children seem to be more calm and obedient while American children seem assertive and independence.
Also, Japanese culture of rearing children requires the use of empathy by constantly telling their children how their behaviors and actions can affect the feelings of others. At an early age, a Japanese kid can understand the importance of considering how their actions will affect others before they act. This is unlike in America parenting culture where mothers may demand compliance from their children by use of verbal commands but does not build empathy and the need to consider the effects of their actions on others. While American parents can use punishment to demand compliance from their children, this is not usually the case in Japanese culture. Japanese parents rarely use punishment. Children are rather put into groups where emphasize is made on the importance of harmony, respect and cooperation. As a result, children learn from social pressure that enforces them to adopt desirable behaviors.
Conclusion
Social and cultural factors play a significant role in the parenting of children. In any society, children are brought up depending on what that culture considers as accepted behaviors in the society. As children grow, they will adopt the behaviors that they are taught by the family and society at large. Family influence also has a significant role in nurturing the child. The kind of couple relationship and how they relate to the children can determine the behavior that the child adapts. While American culture for parenting focuses on staying away from the children to promote independence, other cultures such as Japanese culture focus on spending most of the time with the children to promote dependence. Each behavior is desirable within each country’s culture and may be undesirable in another country. Despite the cultural difference, parents must remain key figures in shaping and nurturing a positive behavior among their children.
Annotated Bibliography
Bornstein, M. H. (2013). Cultural approaches to parenting. Psychology Press.
This book how culture impacts the way parents bring up their children. The author notes that the cultural heritage of society plays a key role in determining the acceptable behaviors that children are taught as they grow.
Klein, D. M., & White, J. M. (1996). Family theories: An introduction (pp. 149-177). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
This book describes how norms and cultural factors determine the relationships that exist between family members as well as other members of the society. The authors describe a family in connection with the norms that are attached to kinships. Children are brought up according to these norms, which determine their behaviors.
Goode, W. J. (1971). Force and violence in the family. Journal of Marriage and the Family , 624-636.
This article discusses the violence that occurs in families, and how such violence can impact the development and behavior of children.
Watabe, A., & Hibbard, D. R. (2014). The influence of authoritarian and authoritative parenting on children's academic achievement motivation: A comparison between the United States and Japan. North American Journal of Psychology, 16(2), 359.
This journal discusses the impacts of authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles used in America and Japan and how they nurture how children behave.
Forehand, R., & Kotchick, B. A. (2016). Cultural Diversity: A Wake-Up Call for Parent Training–Republished Article. Behavior therapy, 47(6), 981-992.
The authors of this article describe how cultural diversity impact child parenting. Every culture has its way of parenting a child, and the culture of the community sets behaviors which children must adopt.
Eddleston, K. A., & Kidwell, R. E. (2012). Parent-child relationships: Planting the seeds of deviant behavior in the family firm. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 36 (2), 369-386.
The authors of the article discuss the relationships between the parents and children in the families and how this relationship is useful in shaping the behavior of the child.
References
Bornstein, M. H. (2013). Cultural approaches to parenting. Psychology Press.
Eddleston, K. A., & Kidwell, R. E. (2012). Parent-child relationships: Planting the seeds of deviant behavior in the family firm. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 36(2), 369-386.
Forehand, R., & Kotchick, B. A. (2016). Cultural Diversity: A Wake-Up Call for Parent Training–Republished Article. Behavior therapy, 47(6), 981-992.
Goode, W. J. (1971). Force and violence in the family. Journal of Marriage and the Family , 624-636.
Klein, D. M., & White, J. M. (1996). Family theories: An introduction (pp. 149-177). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Watabe, A., & Hibbard, D. R. (2014). The influence of authoritarian and authoritative parenting on children's academic achievement motivation: A comparison between the United States and Japan. North American Journal of Psychology , 16(2), 359
