Work

Why Are Chinese Mothers More Controlling Than American Mothers? “My Child Is My Report Card”

Year: 2013

Type: article

Abstract: Chinese parents exert more control over children than do American parents. The current research examined whether this is due in part to Chinese parents' feelings of worth being more contingent on children's performance. Twice over a year, 215 mothers and children (Mage = 12.86 years) in China and the United States (European and African American) reported on psychologically controlling parenting. Mothers also indicated the extent to which their worth is contingent on children's performance. Psychologically controlling parenting was higher among Chinese than American mothers, particularly European (vs. African) American mothers. Chinese (vs. American) mothers' feelings of worth were more contingent on children's performance, with this contributing to their heightened psychological control relative to American mothers.

Source: Child Development

DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12102

Authors: Florrie Fei-Yin Ng, Eva M Pomerantz, Ciping Deng

Institutions: Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, East China Normal University

Language: English

Topic: Cultural Differences and Values

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute of Mental Health

Awards: The Role of Self-Construals in Well-Being, G7187885046