Culture and the Child: A Guide for Professionals in Child Care and Development

This, the first book in the Wiley Series in Culture and Professional Practice, is designed as a practical guide for professionals who work with children from differing cultural backgrounds. It relates cultural differences in development to the problems and practice of child care with a special contribution from cross–cultural psychology. The book includes the main issues which professionals are likely to encounter, for example: how individual differences in temperament and behaviour interact with cultural traditions how a sense of mixed identity develops and how this conflict affects many young people in different cultural settings how the anxieties and motivations of children are influenced by their cultural backgrounds The book draws upon a theoretical and research base in cross–cultural psychology but presents the issues in practical terms leading to appropriate action. This book is unique with its focus on promoting the well–being of the children and those who care for them. Theory and practice are combined in a convenient volume intended for everyday use by professionals in the field, including pre–school teachers, child care workers and psychologists working with children and adolescents in multicultural environments. Culture and the Child concludes with a discussion of the effects of multicultural interaction and cultural change into the 21st century.

The Role of Culture in Child Development.

Temperamental and Behavioural Differences.

The Family and the Child.

Social Interactions.

The Development of Concepts of Cultural Identity.

Cultural Factors in Children′s Motivations and Anxieties.

Multicultural Interaction and Cultural Change.

References.

Indexes.