The purpose of this book is to present the argument that parents' thoughts about childrearing, and the ways in which they interact with children to achieve particular parenting or developmental goals, are culturally determined. Within any culture, children are shaped by the physical and social settings within which they live, culturally regulated customs and childrearing practices, and culturally based belief systems. The psychological meaning attributed to any given social behavior is, in large part, a function of the ecological niche within which it is produced. Clearly, it is the case that...