Developmental agenda.

Developmental Continuity and Change in the Cultural Construction of the “Difficult Child”: A Study in Six Western Cultures

“…Temperament research, however, usually focuses on a particular age group, and thus we have little insight into how parents’ perception of difficulty might shift from one stage of development to the next. We know that parents in all cultures have a developmental agenda for their children (Harkness, 2000), including age‐related expectations for child behaviors and accomplishments (e.g., Edwards, Gandini, & Giovaninni, 1996; Ninio, 1979;). Yet culture's power to shape development depends on the repetition and elaboration of “messages” across childhood (Mead, 1972; Super & Harkness, 2002), “messages” about cultural values, behavior, and identity.…”