Psychology

Compare the most critical cultural factors that influence the developmental process, such as personality, temperament, and cognitive thinking. Share examples of factors from 2 different cultures that have influenced each of these areas of development.

ANSWER

Cultural Factors and Developmental Processes

Culture has an enormous impact on developmental processes. It interacts with the environment to shape the mind and behavior in all developmental stages (Chiao, 2018). This portrays culture as a critical tool that affects how individuals build their mental and behavioral experiences. The vital cultural elements that hamper growth and development include language, religion, ethics, and values. Each culture has a set of attributes that determine how individuals develop personalities, temperament, and cognitive thinking. For example, language and religion can affect how a person views others. A person speaking a different language or aligned to a particular religious norm different from others can develop a temperament or negative perception towards other groups. This is especially evident among young people who often do not understand collectivism. Also, as children grow up, they learn respective cultural norms that determine their personalities and cognitive thinking processes. They will likely portray emotions and feelings passed during their growth and development.

Cultures influence personalities, temperament, and cognitive thinking differently. For example, in the North American culture, children grow up valuing analytical thinking processes. Shimizu, Senzaki, and Cowell (2021) reveal that the culture is always keen on making appropriate differentiation, as evidenced by the analytical thinking approach. This means that children can engage in cognitive thinking processes because their culture has passed a similar values as they grew up. In the East Asian culture, populations are disregarded for remembering their own experiences (Chen, 2018). This means that as children and adults develop, they are more likely to build positive personalities and emotions based on the disregard the adverse experiences they have encountered in their lives. It highlights culture’s role in developmental processes across all life stages. Overall, cultural factors have a significant impact on elements such as personality, temperament, and cognitive thought processes.

References

Chen, X. (2018). Culture, temperament, and social and psychological adjustment. Developmental Review, 50, 42-53.

Chiao, J. Y. (2018). Developmental aspects in cultural neuroscience. Developmental Review, 50, 77-89. DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2018.06.005

Shimizu, Y., Senzaki, S., & Cowell, J. M. (2021). Cultural Similarities and Differences in the Development of Sociomoral Judgments: An eye-tracking study. Cognitive development, 57, 100974.