Concepts of Adaptive and Maladaptive Child Behavior

A Comparison of U.S. and Japanese Mothers of Preschool-Age Children

Bibliographic Data

ID2313745
AuthorsSheryl L Olson (0000-0002-2457-2607, University of Michigan, corresponding author), Keiko Kashiwagi (Shirayuri University), David Crystal (Georgetown University)
Year2001
Volume32
Issue1
Pages43-57
Publication date2001-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Cross-Cultural Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-0221 • E-ISSN: 1552-5422
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0022022101032001007
OpenAlexW2106873375
LanguageEN
Citations received17
References cited26

Maternal concepts of desirable and undesirable child characteristics were compared across two contrastive cultures: Japan and the United States. Sixty mothers of preschool-age children, half from Japan and half from the United States, were asked to describe the behavioral characteristics they found most desirable and undesirable in young children and to choose one characteristic in each list that they considered most highly positive or negative. In describing positive characteristics, mothers in both cultures tended to emphasize social cooperativeness and interpersonal sensitivity. However, concerns about positive emotional adjustment were more salient among U.S. than Japanese mothers. Comparisons of negative behaviors revealed striking cultural contrasts. U.S. mothers were far more likely than Japanese mothers to designate aggressive and disruptive behaviors as negative, whereas Japanese mothers tended to highlight social insensitivity and uncooperativeness. Moreover, qualities of emotional maladjustment were described by U.S. mothers, but did not appear in the Japanese protocols

Cooperativeness · Developmental psychology · Geography · Interpersonal communication · Personality · Salient · Temperament · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Cultural Differences and Values · Psychology · Social Psychology