Japanese Concepts of Child Development from the Mid-17th to Mid-19th Century

Abstract

This paper summarizes beliefs and values about child-rearing and education in Japan at a time when direct Western influence was minimal. The chief materials for the analysis are documents written by experts of those times for the general public. Japanese writers argued that children are innately good rather than evil; environmental factors rather than innate ones account for differences among children; and children are autonomous learning beings rather than passive to experience. Goals were related either to maintenance of harmonious human relationships or to faithful performance of one's assigned task. The basic method of training was to observe children's maturation and assign age-appropriate tasks to them. Young infants were conceived as competent beings in the sensory and perceptual domain, but they were also thought to be unstable and fragile. Observational learning and internal regulation of behavior by older children were emphasized. Up to the age of seven, adults did not deal with boys and girls differently; both sexes were treated permissively, even indulgently.

Inhibitory Control and Harsh Discipline as Predictors of Externalizing Problems in Young Children: A Comparative Study of U.S., Chinese, and Japanese Preschoolers

“…Historically, Japanese parents have strongly valued internalized self-regulation (e.g., Kojima 1986). Socialization of self-regulation in young Japanese children is thought to reflect the influence of a close, emotionally supportive mother-child relationship (Lebra 1994).…”

Beyond Parental Control and Authoritarian Parenting Style: Understanding Chinese Parenting through the Cultural Notion of Training

“…Much of this child training literature involves perspectives or ideologies regarding child development and learning that combine a belief in the inherent goodness of the child with the role of the environment (Ho, 1986;Kojima, 1986). The significant others in the child's environment are responsible for early training by exposing the child to explicit examples of proper behavior and restricting exposure to examples of undesirable behaviors (Ho, 1986;Wu, 1985;Young, 1972).…”

“Who Is Sitting Across From Me?” Immigrant Mothers’ Knowledge of Parenting and Children’s Development

“…However, these comparison groups also differed on a number of psychologic, social, and historical dimensions: Japan and Latin America represent Eastern and Western cultures, respectively, that vary in terms of history, beliefs, and values. [23][24][25][26][27] For example, Japan was isolated from the rest of the world until relatively modern times and as a result developed insular and unique ways of thinking and learning. 18,28,29 In contrast, South America shares with North America a certain heritage and history that is not shared with Japan, in particular their colonization by Europeans, which has resulted in many common political, cultural, and religious beliefs and institutions.…”