When speaking of "Chinese parents," words like controlling, strict, and authoritarian usually come to mind, thanks in part to Amy Chua, a Yale law professor, who wrote about how she educated her two daughters as a "Tiger Mother" almost two years ago.
But why are Chinese parents, and perhaps parents in East Asian countries as well, so controlling? Scientists are trying to unravel the cultural and psychological reasons behind it.
A study by psychologists proposes that the reason why Chinese parents are more controlling probably lies in the fact that they are more likely to associate their children's performance, in school and in life, with their own worth. But social pressure, tradition of obedience may also play a part.
The research paper, entitled "Why Are Chinese Mothers More Controlling Than American Mothers?" surveyed 215 mothers and children in China and the US six years ago and the results were published in the recent issue of Child Development Journal.
Parents and children were surveyed twice over a year to indicate the extent to which the parents used psychological controlling practices, which usually involved emotional punishment, such as inducing guilt. For instance, if a child does something the parents don't like, parents may act less friendly toward it or tell the child that they should feel guilty.
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