Cultural Beliefs

You define adolescence in certain

ways, and across cultures and
historical time periods people
define adolescence differently.

Roles: behaviors that are associated with and

come to be expected of people in a given
position
Key roles of adolescents:
Family member
Friend
Student

(Shweder et al, 1998, p. 868)

Rooted in Symbolic Inheritance -- beliefs,

ideas and understandings, both implicit and
explicit, about persons, society, nature and
divinity

Norms and moral standards that arise from

these beliefs, ideas and understandings

Why do adolescents become

increasingly aware of their cultural
roles and what is expected of them?

Example: ANSWER!
Increasing cognitive capacities in adolescence (i.e., abstract thinking
& self-reflection)

The transition to adulthood is approaching along with the need to

adapt to adult role requirements

The process by which people acquire the behaviors

and beliefs of their culture
Socialization Outcomes
1. Self-regulation ability to comply with social norms
2. Role preparation for roles in work, gender,
institutions such as marriage, parenthood
3. Cultivation of sources of meaning whats
important? Whats to be lived for?

Why is adolescence such

an important life period
in relation to the three
socialization outcomes?
Discuss and explain.

Individualism
Independence
Self-expression
Broad socialization
Western
Independent
Self

Collectivism
Obedience
Conformity
Narrow socialization
Eastern
Interdependent
Self

Keep in Mind
-Cultures belief systems are not pure types
-There are individual differences in any culture
-Diversity also exists within individuals

Cultures define the range and focus of

acceptable personal variation

Cultures differ in the degree of

restrictiveness they impose

Narrow socialization is to collectivism as

Broad socialization is to individualism

Keep in Mind
Individualism-collectivism and Broad-Narrow are
NOT meant to imply moral evaluations!

Influence of friends,
media, school,
community, legal system
increases
School

Peers/Friends

Workplace
Community

Media

Family

Cultural
Belief
System

Legal
System
Influence of
family
diminishes in
adolescence

Implicit vs Explicit
Examples of each?
How can you observe explicit and implicit
ways of socialization that occurs in
classrooms?

1953

customary practice andthe

beliefs, values, sanctions, rules,
motives and satisfactions
associated with it (Whiting &
Child, 1953, p. 27)

1998

Scholars place the custom complex

at the center of cultural
psychology, which examines
human development from a
perspective combining psychology
and anthropology

Simply Put:

Typical practice in a culture and the

cultural beliefs that provide the basis for the practice

Virtually all cultures have religious beliefs of

some kind

The content of cultures religious beliefs is

diverse

Typically contain prescriptions for

socialization roles, self-regulation, sources
of meaning

Typically specify a code for behavior

Fowlers Stage
(1981, 1991)

Poetic-conventional faith

Individuating-reflective faith

Age/Description
Early adolescence/Awareness of
symbolism

Late adolescence/ emerging

adulthood: Question beliefs,
incorporate personal
experiences,
Develop individualized faith

Caveat Fowlers theory is based on American majority

culture and individualistic values

Industrialized countries tend to be more

secular (based on non-religious beliefs).

Why do you think Americans generally are

more religious than people in other
industrialized countries?

Piaget observed children play games and practiced and

discussed rules.
Two Stages Based on cognitive development:

Heteronomous Morality (ages 4-7)

You cant change the rules! The rules were made by my Mother!

Autonomous Morality (reached at age 10-12)

I dropped the glass by accident, that wasnt as bad as when Julie tore up
her book because she was mad.

Kohlberg presented his participants with

hypothetical moral dilemmas, asked them to make
a judgment and explain their reasons for their
decision.

Whether a person judged the actions of the main

character in the dilemma as right or wrong was not
important. Rather, his* reasoning for the judgment
was key to determining stage of moral reasoning.
*Note: Kohlbergs research began with a study of 72 boys
aged 10, 13, and 16.

Level & Stages

Description

Example

Preconventional
Includes Stages
1 and 2

Based on
perceptions of
likelihood of
external reward or
punishment

Stage 1 He shouldnt steal because

hell go to jail.

Conventional
Includes Stages
3 and 4

Right is what agrees

with rules
established by
tradition and
authority

Stage 3 He shouldnt steal because

good sons dont do that.

Postconventional
Includes Stages
5 and 6

What is right is
derived from
universal principles

Stage 5 He should steal because laws

need to be changed to reflect peoples
basic rights.

Stage 2 He should steal because he

needs the money.

Stage 4 He shouldnt steal because if

everyone steals there will be chaos.

Stage 6 He shouldnt steal because

the universal principle of ownership
must be primary over an individuals
needs.

Gender Critique (Gilligan)

Male (Autonomy) vs. Female (Relationship)

Morality of Justice vs. Morality of Care

Consider Shweders Cultural Critique of

Kohlbergs theory of moral development pointing out
a bias toward Western Individualism.

Jensen (1997, 2000, 2003); Shweder et al, (1997)

Prescribed by
Moral judgments;
reinforce world view

Judgments as to
whether an action
is right or wrong

Set of cultural
beliefs

Explanations for
why an action is
right or wrong

Autonomy
Individual is
primary moral
authority having
right to do as
they wish as
long as their
behavior does
no harm to
others

Community
Responsibilities
of roles in
family,
community are
basis for moral
judgments

Divinity
Individual is a
spiritual entity
subject to the
prescriptions of
a divine
authority

Research shows! Emerging adults in the USA rely

especially on the Ethic of Autonomy

Video

What are the top reasons why

adolescents say they cheated?

Most reasons have to do with individuals perceptions of pressures placed on them by their
micro- and macro-system

Cheating on exams common

Plagiarism frequent
High percentage of lying

 Heteronomous morality stage (4-7 years)

Rigid approach to rules

Autonomous morality stage (about 10 years

and up)
Full awareness of rules and their human construction

What would Kohlberg say about moral

development in adolescence?

Pre-conventional
Avoid punishment & Personal gain (No, I will get caught)

Conventional
Good boy / Nice girl, Law & order (Its the rule)

Post-conventional
Social contract & Universal ethical principles (Why? Who made the

rule?)

Criticisms:
Moral issues versus social conventions
Western male cultural bias

How does social learning theory explain

moral development in adolescence?

Albert Bandura
Focus on behaviors
Reinforcements
Modeling theory

What would Bronfenbrener say about

moral development?

Just this year, schools in El

Paso, Columbus, OH,
Washington DC, Atlanta have
been caught cheating fixing
the test scores of their students
Example: Columbus, OH:
caught covering up the failure of
2.8 million students

In California, the
Commission on
Professional
Competence
reinstated a tenured
teacher who was
fired for improperly
assisting his
elementary school
students on state
tests.

Its not just

inthe
U.S.

Protest in China Last Year

"We want fairness. There is no fairness if you do not let us cheat."

SAT: Cancelled Nationwide in South Korea!