Abstract
Relationships between reported parental behavior and depressive tendencies, self-esteem, and ego development were studied in young women in India (N = 53) and America (N = 50). It was expected that the more family-centered Indian culture would yield different results from the more centripetal American culture both in the characteristics ascribed to parents and the inter correlations among the measures. Compared to American, Indian women described both parents as more caring and less protective. Across both cultures, the Maternal Weak Bonding and Optimal Bonding groups differed on self-critical depressive tendencies and ego development. Maternal Affectionless Control was accompained by less dependency among Indians, and by higher dependency among Americans. Somewhat unexpectedly, high Maternal Caring accompanied lower levels of ego development. The results are discussed in terms of differing patterns of transmitting expectations to daughters in the two cultures.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 186-202 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 1993 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Cultural Studies
- Anthropology