Particular Forms of Independence and Interdependence Are Adapted to Particular Kinds of Sociodemographic Environment: Commentary on “Independence and Interdependence in Children’s Developmental Experiences”

Abstract

Abstract— In “Independence and Interdependence in Children’s Developmental Experiences,”C. Raeff (2010) sensitively depicts the interrelations of varying sorts of independence and interdependence within a given culture while showing the distinct ways in which these 2 overarching variables are structured across different cultures. Based on a new theory of social change and human development (P. M. Greenfield, 2009), the claim is that certain forms of interdependence and independence are well adapted to simple, small‐scale, relatively poor, subsistence‐based, isolated rural community settings in which lifelong extended family relations are central, large numbers of siblings are the norm, and education takes place informally at home, whereas other forms of interdependence and independence are well adapted to complex, large‐scale, relatively rich, commerce‐based, urbanized societies with multiple ties to the outside world, many opportunities for transitory relations with strangers, small families, and a highly developed system of formal education.