In recent years, western developmental psychology has significantly influenced most of the non-western cultures. Globalization has led to the increased interaction of people from different cultures, and this has put considerable pressure on non-western cultures to adopt western ideas in their culture. The non-western cultures often feel compelled to modernize and become innovative to catch up with the developing world. This is because western culture is considered to be more civilized and modernized, and the outside cultures tend to adjust their cultural beliefs to match those of the modernized western culture.
The western ideas are not always warmly received in the non-western cultures. The primary concern is the compatibility of the western culture with the local traditions, beliefs, and cultural practices of the non-western culture (Russell, 2015). The individuals in that particular culture may be adamant about changing because they are firmly attached to their culture. They may argue that their forefathers were brought up in that cultural setup and therefore feel the need to guard their beliefs. This may hinder the applicability of western culture, especially in developmental psychology. For instance, how much body contact is acceptable between children and their parents may vary among cultures. Most African culture considers it a taboo for children to have too much physical contact with their parents, such as hugging.
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Developmental psychology should consider the cross-cultural aspects of human development. This is because culture has a significant impact on human development as it can shape the behavior of an individual. Different cultural experiences may bring about variance in the cognitive development of individuals within various cultural contexts (Lamb, Sternberg, Hwang, & Broberg, 2014). For instance, in the aspect of parenting, western culture emphasizes active stimulation to trigger cognitive development. Parents use toys to build skills in reading and counting. Also, parents maintain eye contact with their babies during conversations to stimulate social growth. However, most of the non-western cultures like some African cultures; they discourage social and cognitive stimulation. It is therefore essential to understand the cross-cultural aspects of human development to understand the impact of culture on human development.
References
Lamb, M. E., Sternberg, K. J., Hwang, C. P., & Broberg, A. G. (Eds.). (2014). Child care in context: Cross-cultural perspectives. Psychology Press.
Russell, S. T. (2015). Human developmental science for social justice. Research in Human Development, 12(3-4), 274-279.
