Asian culture in transition: is it related to reported parenting styles and transitivity of simple choices?

Abstract

Does culture shape reported parenting styles and cognitive processes like transitive reasoning, of choosing A over B, B over C, and then A over C (transitivity)? AsianAmerican, Caucasian-American, and Indian university students differed significantly in transitivity and in reported parental styles. India participants were more intransitive and, contrary to traditional findings in the literature, reported their parents as more laissez-faire, individualistic, and competitive than did CaucasianAmericans. Recent technological and industrial advances in India likely explain some of these obtained differences. Predictions from Adlerian theory and work of Kurt Lewin, that parenting styles would relate to transitivity of choices, were indirectly supported. Stronger evidence was found that culture impacts both reported parental styles and transitivity of simple choices.Culture has long been known to affect human action, emotion, and thought (

Decision Making Styles: A Systematic Review of Their Associations with Parenting

“…This can be seen in the results presented in the review (Hofstede 2007). The differences in how individuals engage in social experiences, as a result of society, can impact parenting, and the approaches that parents use in the parent-child relationship (Ferguson et al 2013;Bornstein and Cote 2006;Parmar et al 2004). The contradictory findings in the two intercontinental studies that examined the associations between decision making styles and parenting approaches can be explained by western and non-western societal differences.…”

“…From a societal perspective, this could partially explain the contradictory associations of both negative and positive parenting with maladaptive decision making. Society, western or non-western in nature, plays an important role in the behavioral and social development of individuals (Ferguson et al 2013;Roets et al 2012;Ferguson 2000).…”

Parental influences on weight‐related health behaviors in western and eastern cultures

“…Since the Authoritarian parental authority is considered unacceptable in the U.S. and acceptable in China (Scharf et al 2011;Lui & Rollock 2013;Kern et al 2014), and since the moderating influence of the Authoritarian parental authority is negative for U.S. participants and positive for Chinese participants, the findings of this study suggest that cultural norms and levels of social acceptance of specific parental authority may be the true indicator of influences on the development of children's weight-related health behavior patterns. Ferguson et al (2013) provide evidence to support this notion. The current study suggests that parents' adherence to the more socially acceptable parental authority influences the moderating relationships of parents' and their children's weight-related health behaviors in Western and Eastern cultures.…”

“…), and since the moderating influence of the Authoritarian parental authority is negative for U.S. participants and positive for Chinese participants, the findings of this study suggest that cultural norms and levels of social acceptance of specific parental authority may be the true indicator of influences on the development of children's weight‐related health behavior patterns. Ferguson et al () provide evidence to support this notion.…”

Family Life Course Development Framework Applied: Understanding the Experiences of Vietnamese Immigrant Families

“…Long-term effects of acculturation can include by are not limited to psychological distress, difficulty dealing with coping with stress and demands, alter emotional well-being among immigrants (Costigan & Korzyma, 2011). Also, parenting styles have been shown to affect children's interactions and views of life (Ferguson, Hagaman, Maurer, Mathews, & Peng, 2013;as cited in Erikson;1959).…”