Asian Parenting: Meanings, Characteristics, and Implications

Asian Parenting provides a comprehensive and scholarly discussion of the distinct features, meanings, and implications for human development of contemporary Asian parenting, beyond Western theoretical frameworks. It explores how cultural beliefs and values shape socialization goals and practices and guide parent-child interactions. Edited by Xinyin Chen, contributions from leading scholars discuss key topics including conceptual and methodological issues in the study of Asian parenting; the role of social circumstances and cultural values in shaping Asian parenting; culturally prescribed socialization processes; the influence of Asian parenting on children’s socioemotional functioning, learning and academic achievement, and psychological wellbeing; and the impact of social, economic, and cultural changes in Asian societies on parenting beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.

Asian Parenting is an essential text for students and scholars of psychology, sociology, cultural anthropology, education, and family studies who are interested in culture and human development. It will also guide interventions on the parts of governmental and nongovernmental organizations operating in Asian societies.

Xinyin Chen is Professor of Psychology at the Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania. His research interest is mainly in children’s and adolescents’ socioemotional functioning (e.g., shyness-inhibition, social competence, depression), social relationships, and family processes from a cultural-contextual perspective. With international collaborators, he has conducted a series of large-scale, longitudinal projects in Brazil, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, and the United States. His recent work has tapped the implications of macro-level societal changes for human development in Asian societies.