28th International Congress of Psychology August 8 ... - U-netSURF

Kingston, Canada
This paper briefly outlines the Ecocultural Framework, and shows how it can be used to examine
family structure and function within cultures (the indigenous perspective), and then for
cross-cultural comparative use (the universal perspective). The framework seeks to understand the
development of behaviour as adaptations to ecological press, and to culture contact and change. A
central element in linking ecology to culture to behaviour is the role of “cultural transmission”.
This process involves the family as the basic vehicle for ensuring that developing children acquire
the cultural knowledge and skills of their parents, and of others in their society
1027.2 A theoretical orientation to the family, C. Kagitcibasi, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey
The great complexity of the family globally makes it difficult to distinguish possible threads of
commonality or diversity. Theoretical conceptualizations are therefore useful in making sense of
this complexity and in shedding light on the family in ecocultural context -- its structure and
dynamics, intergenerational and gender relations, and the changes in these through social change
and development. The 30-Culture Study of Family Structure and Function, which is the basis of
this symposium, and the recent 30-year follow up of the Value of Children Study provide evidence
that supports a Model of Family Change (Kagitcibasi) from an Eco-Cultural Framework.
1027.3 Balancing cross-cultural invariance and variations in functions and roles of families,
Y.H. Poortinga, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Everywhere families have important functions for the upbringing of children, economic
subsistence and social cohesion. A distinction will be made at each of three levels between
constraints which lead to cross-cultural invariance, and opportunities or affordances which allow
for variations across cultures. The three levels are: (i) the functions of families considered as
species-wide characteristics (ii) variations in external conditions related to economic factors that
impose systematic differences in constraints on functions and roles of families (iii) the
socio-cultural realization of specific patterns of family life. Findings from the project on the
family by Georgas and colleagues will illustrate various points.
1027.4 A cross-cultural analysis of the family, F. van de Vijver, Tilburg University, Tilburg,
The Netherlands
The presentation addresses the comparative analyses of the project on the basis of three questions.
The first one concerns the comparability of the data across countries. A plan of analysis is outlined
and applied. Based on the results of this analysis, the second question is addressed: Which
cross-cultural differences and similarities in family roles and functioning can be found? Finally,
the question is examined whether these cross-cultural differences are related to other country
characteristics (e.g., GNP), as defined in the ecocultural framework (Georgas & Berry, 1995).
1027.5 Implications of the findings regarding family change in different cultures, J. Georgas,
University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Family roles were found be explained by two universal factors across countries: emotional and
material interdependencies. At the country level, affluence and religion were related to these
family roles across countries, often in contrasting ways, and also to psychological variables. At the
individual level, family roles were also related to some psychological variables, dependent on the
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