Chapter 11: Human Development - processes, transitions, and rituals

Developmental norms

Typical characteristics and behaviors associated h certain age

Ontogenetic way

How we measure development

Dimensions of development

• biological (physical)

• Cognitive

• Socioemotional

Developmental niche (super & harkness) components

• caregiver psychology

• Customs

• Settings

Developmental niche: caregiver psychology

Parents ethnotheories of early childhood play

Developmental niche: customs

Parents role when playing with child

Developmental niche: settings

Play materials, environment and daily routines

Childbirth

• experiences shaped by medical, social, and cultural factors

• Guides the birthing process - and the experiences - what does this mean

Childbirth: Yucatec Maya

• home birth

• Midwife

• Doula

• Shamans

Childbirth cultural definitions

In U.S. - medical event

Sweden - lifetime achievement

Yucatec Maya - everyday life

Cultural variations: ifaluk mothers (Micronesia)

• not left alone in first 10 days following birth of baby

• Not expected to work for 3 months

• Other female relatives take on tasks

Cultural variations: Netherlands

• covered by insurance

• Visits from nurses for at least 7 days following birth

• Medical care for both mom and baby

Proxemics

How space is used in a cultural context

Hall (1966)

Culture shapes how we think, define, space, and organize the spaces we live in

Autonomy ideal

Parents want child to be independent

Sacred couple

Sleeping alone without child provides a private space for intimacy

Same bed or different bed same room

The 6 cultures study on socialization (SCSS, whiting)

• purpose of the study is how social structure and child rearing practices shapes kids personality

• Gathered info on a kids daily interactions & life w/ family

• Learned cultural settings, role of home, and home → application

Cultural settings

Influenced kids gender learning (daily routines, peers)

Role of the home

• their gender at home

• Watching / interacting with parents

Home → application

Gender appropriate behavior that children can apply in other social situations

Ex. Assign chores based on gender

Adolescence

During the transition (childhood → adol) exp hormonal biological, cognitive, socioemotional, and cultural changes

G. Stanley Hall (1904)

Believed that adolescence was a universal period of “storm and stress” and biologically driven

Everyone experiences this

Margaret mead (1928)

First person to challenge g. Stanley hall

Body image

Traditional cultural views of attractiveness favor heavier frames for women → health, attractiveness, and status

Role of modernization and globalization

Puberty

Changes to your body

Rites of passage

• ceremonies or rituals that mark an important transition or change in a persons life

• Can guarantee that the next question of parents will be well-prepared w/ cultural skills they’ll need to become culturally competent adults

Modernization

Access to new electronic forms of communication

Social media use

• Rise of social networking sites (SNS)

• Digital communication means individualistic values

• Social isolation

• Loss of traditional values

Emerging adulthood

In western thinking, the life stage between adolescence and adulthood

Characteristics of emerging adulthood

1. Experimentation

2. Feeling in between

3. Focus on self

4. Instability

5. Possibility

EA: feeling in between

Someone doesn’t feel like an adult of adolescent

EA: Focus on self

Mostly college, focus on self and what impacts yourself

EA: Instability

Self-exploration, taking on lots of jobs

Not forever career, move out of home

EA: Possibility

Feeling hopeful about future, just getting started

Badger, Nelson and Barry (2006)

• Asked people if they felt they had entered adulthood

• Chinese college students also reported EA characteristics that reflect the Chinese’s cultural values

Aging / senescence

Natural progression or growing older, change in appearance and function

Includes grey hair, loss of bone density, memory loss

Universal

Cross-cultural studies on cognitive decline

Looked at everyday performance tasks

Alzheimer’s Disease

• incurable progressive brain disorder

• Memory problems, confusion, hard time with tasks

Alzheimer’s disease and culture

• if an aging Chinese adult forgets his or her address, there is no cause for concern as there might be an American family