Lives Across Cultures, 4th Edition

The fourth edition of this market-leading cross-cultural human development text offers an interdisciplinary exploration of major developmental topics across the lifespan. Presented in a chronological-within-topics approach, this text focuses on cultural contexts throughout the world while emphasizing links between theory, research and practical applications.  

 

Chapter 1: Introduction

What is Cross-Cultural Human Development?

Cross-Cultural Human Development and the Other Social Sciences

Some Important Themes

A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Goals for the Field

An Ecological Model

The Developmental Niche

A Developmental Orientation

A Chronological-Within-Topics Approach

Practical Applications

Overview of the Book

Some Cross-Cultural Teasers

Summary

Study Questions

Further Readings

 

Chapter 2: Theories and Methodology

Theories of Development

What Is a Theory?

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model

Super and Harkness’s Developmental Niche

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory of Development

Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development

Methodology in Cross-Cultural Human Development

Studying Development Cross Culturally: Some Methods, Problems, and Solutions

Methods for Assessing Components of the Developmental Niche

Studying Ecological Systems

Summary

Study Questions

Further Readings

Developmental Analysis

 

Chapter 3: Culture and Socialization

What is Socialization?

Ecological Model and the Development Niche

Some Cultural Variations in the Socialization of Behavior

Infancy

Childhood

Adolescence

Adulthood

Summary

Study Questions

Further Readings

Developmental Analysis

 

Chapter 4: Cultural Aspects of Physical Growth and Development

Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Physical Development

The Prenatal Period

Infancy and Early Childhood

Middle Childhood

Adolescence

Early and Middle Adulthood

Later Adulthood

Summary

Study Questions

Further Readings

Developmental Analysis

 

Chapter 5: Culture, Language, and Cognition

The Language-Cognition-Culture Link

Infancy

Early Cognitive Development in Cultural Contexts

Language Acquisition

Early Second-Language Acquisition and Bilingualism

Childhood

Stages of Knowing and Learning

Language Skills and Language Socialization

Adolescence and Early Adulthood

Formal Operational Thinking

Analytic Thinking and Problem-Solving

Middle and Later Adulthood

Intelligence

Communicating in Later Life

Summary

Study Questions

Further Readings

Developmental Analysis

 

Chapter 6: Culture, Self, and Personality

Infancy and Temperament

Temperament, Ecological Systems, and the Developmental Niche

Temperament and “Goodness of Fit”

Childhood and the Emergence of the Self

Cultural Views of the Person

Personhood in a Balinese Village

Personhood in China, Japan, and the United States

Cultural Views of the Self as a Person

Culture-Specific Aspects of Self

Content and Context of the Self-Concept

      Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy

Adolescence: Threshold to the Adult World

      Identity Formation

      Social Identity Formation

Cultural Influences on Social Identity

Adulthood and Aging

      Normative Tasks of Social Living in Samoa

Summary

Study Questions

Further Readings

Developmental Analysis

 

Chapter7: Issues of Gender and Sexuality

Theoretical Perspectives on Gender Differences

Biological Perspectives

Evolutionary Perspectives

Socialization and Learning Perspectives

Infancy and Childhood

Gender Socialization

Cultural Influences on Female and Male Socialization

Gender Relationships in Childhood

Adolescence

      Markers of Sexual Maturation

      Gender, Sexuality, and Cultural Taboos

Early and Middle Adulthood

      Status and the Division of Labor within the Family

      Division of Labor in the Workforce

      Gender Relations in Social Status, Religion, and Public Policy

Later Adulthood and Old Age

      Divorce and Widowhood

      Gender Roles and Status in Old Age

Summary

Study Questions

Further Readings

Developmental Analysis

 

Chapter 8: Culture and Social Behavior

Infancy

      Child-Caretaker Relationships and Attachment Patterns

      Secure Base-Hypothesis

      The Sensitivity Hypothesis

      Consistency and Inconsistency of Attachment Over Time

Childhood

      Peer Culture and Social Relationships

      Sharing and Social Participation

      Moral Development and Prosocial Orientation

      Cultural Influences on Caring and Justice Orientation

      Aggression

Adolescence

      Family and Peer Influences on Adolescent Social Behavior

      Cultural Influences on Adolescent Social Behavior

Adulthood and Aging

      Developmental Tasks in Middle and Later Adulthood

      Work and Leisure in Middle Adulthood

      Sport as a Social Phenomenon

      Social Support and Well-Being in Later Adulthood

Summary

Study Questions

Further Readings

Developmental Analysis

 

Chapter 9: The Family in Cultural Context

Cultural Variations in the Family Life Cycle

      Mate Selection

      Marriage and Other Ling-Term Relationships

The Birth Process Across Cultures

      The Ecology of Birth

The Transition to Parenthood

Parenting Infants and Children

      Parental Belief Systems

      Mothering

      Fathering

Parenting Adolescents

      The Ecological Model and Adolescence

      Cross-Cultural Differences in Adolescent Peer Relationships

Adulthood and Aging

      Grandparenthood

      Caring for the Elderly

The Changing Context of Families

Summary

Study Questions

Further Readings

Developmental Analysis

 

Chapter 10: Cultural and Health

Cultural Concepts of Health and Healing

      Culture-Bound Syndromes

      Medical Diagnosis Across Cultures

Infancy and Childhood

      Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

      Childhood Mental Health

      Parental Beliefs About Caring for Infants and Children

Adolescence

      Eating Disorders

      Culture and Sexually Transmitted Diseases

      Culture and Adolescent Drug Use

Early and Middle Adulthood

      Mental Health Issues

Later Adulthood

      Disease and Premature Aging

      Cultural Views on Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

Summary

Study Questions

Further Readings

Developmental Analysis

 

Chapter 11: Looking to the Future

Looking Back: A Review of Major Themes and Theories

      Ecological Model

      Developmental Niche

      Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory

      Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory

      Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development

      Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development

Where Do We Go from Here? Thoughts and Challenges to the Future

Summary

Study Questions

Further Readings