Universal Needs, Unique Expressions: Cross-Cultural Insights on Raising Kids

In Japan, children are taught to empathize with others from a young age by role-playing conflict resolution with vegetables. Meanwhile, in India, toilet training often takes places as early as one month old. These practices can seem bizarre or even concerning to Western eyes. But beneath these surface differences lies a fascinating truth: human development follows universal principles, even when its expression varies dramatically across cultures.

“Universality Without Uniformity”

Research by Mesman et al. (2017) introduces the concept of “universality without uniformity.” Their research highlights the ways in which the goals of parenting and caregiving are remarkably consistent across cultures. Cultural practices align with universal developmental needs but adapt to local norms, values, and resources.

Take responsive interactions, often called “serve and return”, as an example of a universally important factor in child development. It refers to the back-and-forth exchanges that occur between children and adults in early childhood that are critical for building neural connections in a child’s brain. These interactions support language, social skills, and emotional development. The process also helps establish a secure attachment, fostering trust and resilience.

In Western cultures, parents often engage face-to-face with their babies, cooing and making eye contact. In other cultures, such as among the Gusii in Kenya, these interactions often happen skin-to-skin, with the mother carrying her baby while working and responding immediately to distress through contact. The mechanism—responsive interaction—is the same, but the expression varies.

Robert LeVine, a renowned anthropologist who studied cross-cultural parenting styles, observed the following:

In Western contexts, fostering independence may look like encouraging children to sleep in their own room. In contrast, co-sleeping is common in many non-Western cultures, emphasizing familial closeness. Despite these differences, both practices aim to create a secure, supportive environment for children.

To learn more, I recommend this fascinating article where Robert Levine and his wife Sarah were interviewed about their experiences of parenting styles around the world:

My insights: Unpacking the Layers of Culture

What strikes me about this research is how it challenges our assumptions about "right" ways to raise children. Often, judgments and assumptions about parenting—even within our own culture—focus on surface-level differences that, in reality, may have little impact. To truly understand these differences, we must go deeper, examining the underlying mechanisms of human development. Culture, after all, can be understood as having three distinct layers:

• Surface Culture: Observable practices, like food, clothing, and customs (e.g., how children greet elders).

• Shallow Culture: Unspoken rules, such as norms around discipline or emotional expression.

• Deep Culture: Fundamental worldviews, such as the role of the individual versus the collective.

The existence of universal threads in human development is both fascinating and full of potential for the development of products and programs at scale. How these threads are woven into the fabric of diverse cultures creates the rich and beautiful tapestry of human experience. We will continue to explore these universal throughlines of human development, but here are some that have uncovered so far. How do you see cultural affecting the expression of these factors?:

• Epigenetics

• Sensitive periods

• Developmental pathways

• Resilience

• Curiosity

Key Takeaways

1. Celebrate Diversity in Practices

   • Acknowledge that different methods can achieve the same developmental goals.

   • Avoid viewing Western practices as the “gold standard.”

   • Tailor educational materials to reflect both local values and universal principles.

2. Challenge WEIRD Assumptions

   • Recognize that most child development research comes from WEIRD societies, which represent only a fraction of global experiences.

   • Expand our understanding by integrating research and practices from non-WEIRD contexts.

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Invitation to Reflect

Understanding our own cultural lens helps us see both the universality and beautiful diversity in how children develop.

• What cultural practices shaped your own early childhood?

• Which of these practices do you carry forward, and which do you choose to do differently?

• What assumptions about "normal" development did you hold before reading this?

Thank you for being an integral part of this journey. I’m excited to continue this exploration with you.

Tanyella Allison Leta

Glossary

• Surface Culture: Observable cultural elements like food, language, and traditions.

• Shallow Culture: Norms and unspoken rules that influence behavior and relationships.

• Deep Culture: Core beliefs and values that shape a worldview.

• WEIRD: An acronym for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic societies, which dominate much of psychological and educational research.