Wednesday 22 July 14:05
- 15:35
Hall: 21 - Room 18
Chair and Presenter:
Fülöp Márta
Division: Division 3: Psychology and Societal Development
Across diverse cultural contexts, these five studies explore how parents and educators socialize children to navigate competition, cooperation, and structural inequalities.
The first study, set in the United States, highlights how racial, ethnic, and immigrant parents use culturally grounded socialization practices to buffer children against the psychological and developmental harms of structural racism. By fostering cultural pride, resilience, and awareness of discrimination, parents enhance their children's self-esteem, academic achievement, and mental health.
The second study, focusing on Mexican mothers across rural, semi-urban, and urban contexts, reveals both continuity and change in socialization values. Rural mothers prioritize cooperation and community well-being, semi-urban mothers balance collectivist and individualist goals, and urban mothers increasingly emphasize personal achievement and self-development, reflecting the influence of modernization and social change.
The third study examines Chinese American mothers' guidance on learning and competition. Through longitudinal analyses of mother-child conversations, it finds that many mothers promote "self-developmental competition" — competing to grow and learn rather than to defeat others — often encouraging mutual peer support. These practices were more prevalent among middle-class families and strengthened over time.
In contrast, Hungarian parents demonstrate ambivalence toward competition, recalling stressful and unfair experiences. They prefer non-competitive school environments that promote emotional safety, reflecting a tension between protecting children from harm and preparing them for a competitive society. Preventive socialization strategies were more common than proactive encouragement.
Finally, Chinese teachers describe an intensely competitive educational system but emphasize maintaining "healthy competition" that motivates effort without fostering anxiety. They view competition and cooperation as compatible, using group contests to teach teamwork and resilience.
Together, these studies illuminate how cultural, structural, and socioecological forces shape parents' and educators' strategies for balancing competition and well-being in children's development and how parents and teachers work on to prepare young people to cope with societal challenges.
