Theorizing the benefits and costs of adaptive cultures for development.

Abstract

Child socialization and development are, in part, products of adapting cultural systems. These systems evolve from the combined influence of collective history and current environmental affordances. They permeate family systems, shaping child development via numerous mechanisms, including structures and roles; values, beliefs, and goals; and parenting-to name a few. Recent growth in the study of child development among racial, ethnic, and cultural minority groups, which has been supported by important cultural-developmental theoretical advances, sheds essential light on the ways in which adapting cultural systems permeate child socialization and development in all families. Across this scholarship, there are numerous examples of the effectiveness of adapting cultural systems for promoting developmental competencies. There are also examples, however, in which adapting cultural systems either fail to promote developmental competencies or undermine the development of competencies. To address these theoretical and empirical tensions, we advance a set of propositions. Together, the propositions situate the developmental consequences of adapting cultural systems within multiple scientific traditions, including psychological, ecological, family systems, developmental, and biological perspectives. These propositions can support scientific inquiries aimed at identifying both the benefits and costs of adaptive cultures for development among diverse groups. (PsycINFO Database Record

Neighborhood structural characteristics and Mexican-origin adolescents’ development

“…Finally, neighborhood effects research may benefit from incorporating the fourth major guideline, namely, examining the interplay of biology (Causadias, 2013). Consistent with broad notions about the benefits of socially organized, consonant, and supportive environments for development (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006), alongside models that recognize how adapting cultural systems of socialization work to promote development vis-à-vis opportunities and constraints encoun-tered by bounded groups and communities (White, Nair, et al, 2018), we found substantial evidence that predominantly Latino neighborhoods help to structure Mexican-ori-gin adolescents' community participation and engagement in ways that promote adaptive and mitigate maladaptive functioning.…”

“…Dire (helping in emergencies), emotional (helping in emotionally evocative situations), and compliant (helping when asked) prosocial behaviors are especially promoted within Mexican-origin families and communities, particularly those with stronger heritage orientations (Calderón-Tena, Knight, Carlo, Mahrer, & Davis, 2016). Viewed within recent conceptual and theoretical advances (White, Nair, et al, 2018), such findings suggest that systems of socialization within Mexican-origin communities may be especially likely to support the development of these particular types of prosocial behaviors. Thus, though work on neighborhood structural characteristics and prosocial behaviors is limited, especially in the United States, we expected that neighborhood Latino concentration would be associated with higher dire, emotional, and compliant prosocial behaviors.…”

Familism values across the transition to adolescent motherhood: Links to family functioning and Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ adjustment

“…The adaptive culture is the result of both culture of origin influences and contextual circumstances and demands; the adaptive culture also has implications for family life, including family interaction patterns, support systems, and routines, and for youth development and adjustment (García Coll et al, 1996). White et al (2018) expanded on the concept of adaptive culture by introducing the notion of "adapting cultural systems" (p. 3) to reflect the idea that cultural systems are transactional and they evolve via continuous interactions between culture of origin influences (i.e., defined by a group's history and cultural traditions, beliefs, and practices) and current contextual circumstances. White et al (2018) proposes that adapting cultural systems are not universally advantageous to youth, but instead may lead to benefits, costs, or both depending on a complex set of factors, such as the particular developmental outcome or competency under consideration, family structures and roles, individual characteristics, contextual demands, and developmental timing.…”

“…White et al (2018) expanded on the concept of adaptive culture by introducing the notion of "adapting cultural systems" (p. 3) to reflect the idea that cultural systems are transactional and they evolve via continuous interactions between culture of origin influences (i.e., defined by a group's history and cultural traditions, beliefs, and practices) and current contextual circumstances. White et al (2018) proposes that adapting cultural systems are not universally advantageous to youth, but instead may lead to benefits, costs, or both depending on a complex set of factors, such as the particular developmental outcome or competency under consideration, family structures and roles, individual characteristics, contextual demands, and developmental timing. Applied to the current study, adolescents' familism values were conceptualized as one important feature of their larger adapting cultural systems that were mutually informed by adolescents' culture of origin and their current circumstances.…”

“…Yet, we know little about the progression of familism values within this context or about how intraindividual change in familism values are associated with other adaptive or maladaptive processes that may have cascading implications for adolescents and their young children's long-term adjustment. The second and third goals of this study address these associations and are theoretically situated within the integrative model for minority children's development (García Coll et al, 1996) and White, Nair, and Bradley's (2018) elaboration of the adaptive culture framework (White, Nair, & Bradley, 2018). Adolescents’ familism values are part of their adaptive culture, specifically “a social system defined by sets of goals, values, and attitudes that differ from the dominant culture” (García Coll et al, 1996, p. 1896).…”