A cross-cultural and developmental analysis of self-esteem in Chinese and Western children.
In this review, we examine the construct of self-esteem from a cross-cultural perspective in Chinese and Western children and adolescents. We also explore the role of childrearing practices in the development of self-esteem in these different cultures. In doing so, we first review the concepts of emic (i.e., variations in patterns of behavior within a given culture) and etic research (i.e., variations in common patterns of behavior or activities across cultures). Then, we invoke Berry's notions of "imposed-etic" and "derived-etic" approaches (J. Berry, 1989) in understanding crucial cross-cultural differences that are evident in the literature. We pose basic questions such as: (1) What does self-esteem "look" like in Chinese children? (2) How do childrearing practices in China influence the development of self-esteem in children? And, (3) what are the limitations of cross-cultural research in understanding a phenomenon such as self-esteem? We suggest that self-esteem does not "mean" the same things across these collectivist and individualistic cultures. We conclude our discourse with specific recommendations for clinical theory, research, and practice.
Wang
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Department of Psychology, Child Study Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg 24061-0355, USA.
Ollendick
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D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010553:Personality Development; D012649:Self Concept; D012951:Socialization; D014481:United States