Each part of the developmental niche is influenced by, and also influences a child's temperament. The way a child behaves will initiate a specific response from a caretaker in a particular setting, but these responses differ from one environmental setting to another. Depending upon how a culture raises its child, how a mother reacts to their child in Africa is different from how a mother reacts to their child in the United States. Goodness of fit is the quality of the adaptation between a child's temperament and the demands of their immediate environment.
2. Distinguish among different cultural constructions of person and self as described in the chapter.
People no matter what their culture is have a different self-concept. Self-concept is defined as the perception of oneself as a person with desires, preferences, attributes, and abilities. Self-concept and some of the psychological processes related to it, are influenced a great deal by a person's developmental niche and the level of the ecological system. Many cultures individuals develop an understanding of themselves as distinct and separate from others. The concepts of person and self differ depending on the cultural context.
3. Describe independent and interdependent conceptions of self as they relate to the larger cultural dimension of individualism/collectivism.
Triandis, a researcher, has written about individualism-collectivism. He suggests that culture-specific views of the self result from early exposure to differing values and beliefs about the person in general. Childrearing patterns in collectivist cultures tend to introduce and reinforce the welfare of the collective over the welfare of the individual. In individualistic cultures teach their children that it's important for one to establish a unique self, and to depend on one's self. It's either your self is involved and interacting with others, that's collectivist, or it's individualistic where you are in the center, and you have others around for you, only if you feel the need for their help.
4. Critically evaluate the cross-cultural validity of Erikson's ideas on identity formation.
Erikson feels that identity, social roles, and the broader cultural context are all integrated. When he did cross-cultural research, he collected evidence for the universal existence of identity development, but the exact process that individuals achieve an adult identity is influenced by specific contextual factors. The development of identity across cultures is rooted in the physical and psychological developmental changes an individual experience during their adolescence. In his eyes, the way one forms their identity is that an individual must not only consider their own view of themselves, but also the way others and society view them also.
5. Use the concept of social clocks as a developmental framework and apply it to a variety of specific ecological systems.
Some life transitions are defined by one's culture. All cultures have certain times when life events are supposed to take place. There is a point in one's life where an individual is expected to find a mate, start a family, have kids, and eventually retire. The social clock is defined as the schedule by which individuals are presumed to complete the major tasks within a life span. For example, in Samoa, a woman is expected to be married by the age of twenty-two. They are supposed to have kids and make sure they are well taken care of. They don't work while pregnant or do anything to hurt the unborn child. If women in this culture don't follow this "social clock", like they don't get married or have children, are looked down upon in their society. This is very different in our society in the United States, however it is still considered a little strange if women do not get married at a certain point in their lives.