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European American and Mainland Chinese mothers’ responses to aggression and social withdrawal in preschoolers

The purpose of the present study was to examine European American and Mainland Chinese mothers’ responses to preschoolers’ social behaviours (aggression and social withdrawal) within a cultural framework. Participants were 103 European American mothers from Washington DC, and 100 Mainland Chinese mothers from Beijing and Baoding cities, China. The maternal emotional reactions, causal attributions, socialisation strategies, and socialisation goals that were endorsed in response to these behaviours were targeted. Both groups of mothers reacted with negative emotions to aggression and withdrawal. Consistent with Confucian ideology on child socialisation, Chinese mothers endorsed more external causal attributions, directive socialisation strategies, and child socialisation goals focused on instilling long-term values and group-focused collectivistic ideals. In contrast, European American mothers focused on internal attributions and the more immediate psychological state of the child. The findings were discussed with regard to the importance of distinguishing shy, cautious behaviour from that of the consistent display of social withdrawal among familiar others, and the significance of cultural norms and conventions in the perception and evaluation of social behaviours.