Analyzing Cultural Influences on Child Development and Outcomes

This essay delves into the profound influence of culture on child development, examining how cultural contexts shape cognitive, social, and moral growth. It explores various theories, including those of Margaret Mead, Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, John Bowlby, and Lev Vygotsky, to illustrate how cultural practices and societal norms impact children's development. The essay also addresses the effects of globalization and immigration on child-rearing practices and the challenges faced by professionals in diverse cultural settings. It highlights the importance of cross-cultural understanding to address issues related to identity loss and ensure appropriate assessment and support for children from varied backgrounds. The study references multiple scholars and their research to provide a comprehensive overview of the topic.

Running head: CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Child Development
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

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Development of a human child is different from the development of other animals. For
human children, it is necessary for them to develop not only physically, but also mentally and
culturally. The complete development incorporates physical, cognitive, and social development.
Different scholars over time have provided different opinions about the influential factors that
determine the outcome of this development process. This paper will identify the cultural
influence that facilitates the process of development and change the outcome accordingly. In
other words, children belonging from different cultures undergoes different cognitive and social
developmental stage that determines their nature in the future. The paper also incorporates the
globalization as a strong determinant in childhood development as it addresses the social and
cultural aspects. Literatures of different scholars have been incorporated in the study to have a
critical understanding of the issue.
Margaret Mead was the first to study child rearing and the process of child
development and her theory is known as imitation theory. She proposed the concept that the
behavior of children is the reflection of their parents, which means that the children learn from
imitation. They simply imitate the behavior they observes in their parents. Hence, it varies over
culture, or even at family level (Meltzoff 2013).
Jean Piaget on the other hand proposed the theory of cognition that proposes different
stage of child development that are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and
formal operation. He later relate his theory of cognitive development with the society and
culture. He further stated that the development of human cognition is significantly related with
its culture and surrounding. According to his theory, different culture facilitates not only
different level of cognitive development, but also specific cultural experience. However, he
further highlighted that the uniform formal education somewhat ceases this cultural influence in
individual and restrict it into certain level (Wozniak 2014).
Kohlberg on the other hand proposes something similar to Piaget that describes the
moral development of children. His theory is popularly known as the theory of moral

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development, which is divided into pre-conventional, conventional, and post conventional
stages. The first stage develops the self-interest, whereas, the second stage is attributed to the
learning of rules and regulations of the culture. Children learns to distinguish the right from the
wrong in the last stage of moral development. As culture and societies are different from one
another, the morality developed in the individuals considerably varies form on another. He used
both inter and intra cultural examples to reflect the differences in moral understanding. Many
cross-cultural psychologist criticized his theory due to its western biasness. He reflected the
differences placing the western moral reasoning abilities at the top of the chart (Gibbs 2013).
John Bowlby was a famous psychologist from the 20th century who proposed the
attachment theory. The theory of attachment believes that a human child comes into the world
with a serious biological programming that helps them in attaching to the other humans. It is
due to the need of their survival in this crude world as they as babies are vulnerable. It is an
inborn mechanism for which, the babies show affection to the attached one and a sign of fear
for the strangers. However, this idea does not incorporate culture, as according to Bowlby, this
inborn natural instinct is similar to every regardless of cultural variation. There are some main
points that the theory follows. They are:
1. There must be one particular figure the child will feel more attached than the rest. It is
usually the mother in every culture.
2. A minimum of first two years is required with the single attachment for the child to
develop.
3. Separation during this period leads the children to distress. Bowlby distinguished three
levels of distress that are protest, despair, and detachment.
4. Detachment for longer period will lead to mental deprivation that are delinquency,
reduced intelligence, increased aggression, depression and affection psychology.
Bowlby’s attachment theory was also criticized and later modified due to its
incompatibility. Bowlby focused on only one attachment for the babies and stated that the

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babies are bound to attach with only one single caregiver. However, this concept is not entirely
true to all cultures (Goldberg, Muir and Kerr 2013). For example, the Japanese traditional
culture teaches their children to be gentle and polite to every individual as the threats assumed
by Bowlby does not exist in Japanese ancient culture. Similar examples can be sighted in
various other aboriginal cultures around the world that does not face threat of child theft or
similar. Hence, it can further conclude that the development process is situational as the
situation varies in societies and culture.
Vygotsky on the other hand is a Russian psychologist who believed that the children in
different culture develop differently. He believed that the children development process and
speed is related to the interaction with others. Hence, social interaction with the adults plays
significant role in their learning process (Hala 2013). According to Bornstein (2013) mental
health of a child is the end result of the parenting. It also reflects the culture as the parenting or
caregiving is different in culture, though they have some underlying similarities. These process
of diversified parenting becomes manifest in mentally healthy children. For example, mother
in U.S. teaches her children to develop individual autonomy, whereas, scenario in Puerto Rica
is opposite to it as they teaches interdependence and connectedness. Both the process helps
them to develop a strong mental condition in the children in particular setting and make them
compatible in their cultural settings. However, the attitude developed in the children is
considerable different. Hence, it becomes necessary for the leaders to have a cross-cultural
understanding of child development to understanding the personality and cognition of an
individual belonging from particular culture.
However, culture in every corner of the world is changing due to the effect of
globalization. The world is continuously being interconnected, which in turn, is resulting into
massive change in the culture and the societies. Children as a part of the society and culture are
also getting affected as also their process of development. Jensen and Arnett (2012) in their
paper not only discussed the cultural effect on the adolescents but also the children. These

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children are entering the adolescent and finally adulthood without a concrete understanding of
their culture. They are now entering a global world following a multiple pathway without
forming any particular cultural identity. This plural development has both threats and
opportunities, however, loss of cultural identity, is a serious issue. Gender equality and civic
involvement on the other hand can be considered as the beneficial outcome for the modern
world.
Raman and Hodes (2012) on the other hand discussed the impact of immigration from
second half of 20th century that is resulting into acculturation. The societies are now
multicultural and these diversified cultural hubs have direct implication on child development
and child rearing. The influence of intra cultural norms and identity resulting into loss of
identity among the children. The difference between protective and harmful is defined
differently in culture, which is being mixed up resulting into tension. According to Raman and
Hodes, the parents are becoming incapable that is resulting into child malnutrition as they now
have a multicultural child-rearing practices. The children are also facing a different childhood
that is uncommon to their own culture. Venter (2010) in his paper identified the effect of cross-
cultural society in the child development and assessment. The assessment of the children in
South African in the cross-cultural setting reflects that both the children and the caregivers
other than the parents are failing to develop a proper understanding. The teachers are failing to
properly assess these diversified young minds that is resulting into improper class schedule.
Children on the other hand are failing cope up with the learning they are receiving to develop
their cognition. Hence, resulting into failure of developing a proper understanding of the matter.
This gap is later resulting into identity loss and proper cognitive development.
Janelidze (2014) in her work identified that the professionals in childcare and schools
face diversified issues is assessing the children coming from different culture. It can be
attributed to the globalisation that resulted into a multicultural society. Janelidze’s study on
Ireland reflects the need of cross-cultural approach to address this diversity and equality issue in

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the day care and schools. Other issues incorporates the language, behavioural pattern and
personality of the children belonging from different background that the practitioner also needs
to look after.
It can be concluded from the above discussion that the child development is
substantially influenced by the culture they belong to. It is the primary contributor of
personality and behavioural development. This result into a problem for the leaders as they
have to deal with diversified personality in a single workplace. Moreover, professionals in
childcare and schools needs to utilise a cross-cultural approach to address culturally diversified
population. Child development in different cultures on the other hand facing threat due to the
increased globalisation as the children are growing in diversified cultural setting resulting into
identity loss.

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References
Bornstein, M.H., 2013. Parenting and child mental health: a cross‐cultural perspective. World
Psychiatry, 12(3), pp.258-265.
Gibbs, J.C., 2013. Moral development and reality: Beyond the theories of Kohlberg, Hoffman,
and Haidt. Oxford University Press.
Goldberg, S., Muir, R. and Kerr, J. eds., 2013. Attachment theory: Social, developmental, and
clinical perspectives.
Hala, S., 2013. The development of social cognition. Psychology Press.
Janelidze, A., 2014. Experiences and Perspectives of Practitioners in Culturally Diverse Early
Childhood Education and Care Centres in Ireland.
Jensen, L.A. and Arnett, J.J., 2012. Going global: New pathways for adolescents and emerging
adults in a changing world. Journal of Social Issues, 68(3), pp.473-492.
Meltzoff, A., 2013. The Human Infant. Social learning: Psychological and biological
perspectives, p.319.
Raman, S. and Hodes, D., 2012. Cultural issues in child maltreatment. Journal of paediatrics
and child health, 48(1), pp.30-37.
Thompson, R.A., 2012. Changing societies, changing childhood: Studying the impact of
globalization on child development. Child Development Perspectives, 6(2), pp.187-192.
Venter, A 2010. ‘Cross-cultural’ Issues in Child Development and Assessment within the South
African Context. Southern African Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Vol. 12 ,
Iss. 2,2000
Wozniak, R.H., 2014. Development in context: Acting and thinking in specific environments.
Psychology Press.

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