Culture and human development : the selected papers of John Whiting / edited by Eleanor Hollenberg Chasdi ; [Roy G. D'Andrade ... [et al.]]

By:

Whiting, John Wesley Mayhew

Contributor(s):

Series: Publications of the Society for Psychological Anthropology ; 6Publication details: Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1994Edition: 1st edDescription: xiv, 358 pISBN:

0521435153

Summary: This volume contains selections from the work of John W. M. Whiting, an important anthropologist of our time, a leading figure in the field of psychological anthropology, and one of the pioneers in the development of systematic cross-cultural research. At the core of his work is a commitment to the search for general principles to help explain human behavior. In this endeavor, he draws mainly upon the disciplines of anthropology, psychoanalysis, learning and behavior theory, and human development. In addition to his interdisciplinary approach, he is committed to the scientific method of testing hypotheses. He believes that hunches, generalizations, and explanations about human behavior can arise from many sources, but in order to establish their validity, they must be evaluated according to commonly accepted scientific criteria. And lastly, John Whiting is a firm believer in the positive value of collaborative research. An examination of his publications reveals that more than half of them have been written jointly with colleagues. The idea for this book carne to me a few years ago when I was asked to teach a new graduate course at Wheelock College dealing with human development in cross-cultural perspective. As I outlined the topics and began to gather suitable readings, I had a difficult time locating John Whiting's work. One of his books was in m y bookcase; only a few of his reprints were in my files. I realized that his work was widely scattered. There were studies reported in diverse journals and numerous articles in edited collections, some in volumes that are now out of print. Fifty years of publication, outstanding recognition for creativity and innovation in his field, a coherent point of view that I wished to introduce to my students, and no organized materials or book with which to work. Consequently, this volume was created. It begins with an introductory essay by the anthropologist Roy D'Andrade, who assesses the contributions of John Whiting and attempts to locate his work within the currents and the context of the field of anthropology. This is followed by the reflections of John Whiting himself, "Fifty years as a behavioral scientist: autobiographical notes." In this piece, he discusses the development of his ideas over the course of his career, including some of his relevant personal experiences. As can be seen in the Table of Contents, these Notes are followed by thirteen of his articles, divided into five thematic sections. These articles were chosen because, (1) they represent major areas of Whiting's research, (2) they lend themselves to thematic groupings, and (3) they would appeal to scholars, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students in fields such as psychological or cultural anthropology, child or life-span development, psychology, cross-cultural studies, comparative family studies, and related areas in the social sciences. The thematic sections are: (1) Theory and methods, (2) Environment and history, (3) Moral development, (4) Gender development, and (5) The development of social behavior. For each section, 1 have written a short introduction for the reader, briefly describing the articles included, emphasizing the main issues discussed, and, when feasible, relating the articles to each other. (Font: Prefaci)

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Holdings
Item type	Current library	Collection	Call number	Copy number	Status	Date due	Barcode
Book	Centre d' Informació i Documentació del CERC Sala	General	S 02048	1	Available (Disponible)		1900003250

List of figures -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: John Whiting and anthropology / Roy G. D'Andrade -- Fifty years as a behavioral scientist: autobiographical notes / John W. M. Whiting -- I. Theory and methods: Introduction ; 1. Contributions of anthropology to the methods of studying child rearing with B. B. Whiting ; 2. The cross-cultural method -- 3. A model for psychocultural research -- II. Environment and history: Introduction ; 4. Environmental constraints on infant care practices ; 5. The learning of values with E. H. Chasdi, H. F. Antonovsky, and B. C. Ayres -- III. Moral development: Introduction ; 6. Sorcery, sin, and the superego: a cross-cultural study of some mechanisms of social control ; 7. Resource mediation and learning by identification -- IV. Gender development: Introduction ; 8. The absent father and cross-sex identity with R. V. Burton ; 9. Effects of climate on certain cultural practices ; 10. Male sex-role resolutions with R. L. Munroe and R. H. Munroe -- V. Development of social behavior: Introduction ; 11. Altruistic and egoistic behavior in six cultures with B. B. Whiting ; 12. The duration of maidenhood across cultures with V. K. Burbank and M. S. Ratner ; 13. Social change in adolescent sexual behavior, mate selection, and premarital pregnancy rates in a Kikuyu community with C. M. Worthman -- Bibliography -- Complete bibliography of John W. M. Whiting's work

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