How does culture influence the expression of the psychosocial crisis of autonomy versus shame and doubt?

Explanation

The psychosocial crisis of toddlerhood is autonomy versus shame and doubt. Autonomy refers to children's ability to be independent by practicing self-control, initiating tasks, and working out solutions to problems on their own. By gaining autonomy, children learn to feel positive about themselves and increase self-confidence. On the other hand, if children feel great negativity about their own behaviors—often accompanied by experiences of ridicule, embarrassment and feelings of inferiority—they feel shame and lose confidence in themselves. Shame is often associated with the sense of doubt, which is children's feelings of inferiority that make them expect failure instead of success whenever they attempt to do something.

Verified Answer

Each culture has its own defining characteristics for autonomy and shame. The following are ways that culture is implicated in the psychosocial conflict of toddlerhood:

Most cultures share the same belief that autonomy is important for children to carry out daily tasks without assistance to become functioning members of society.
Individualist and collectivist cultures differ in their view of autonomy's objective. Individualists believe that autonomy is for children to learn independence and become self-sustaining. Collectivists highlight interdependence and that children's autonomy should be for the betterment of their family and social group.
Some cultures use shame as a way to control behavior. By introducing shame followed by a corrective experience, children learn at an early stage the value of following rules and penalties when rules are violated, and children learn not to disobey.