HOW DO AMERICANS INTERACT WITH THEIR PARENTS?

DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES WITH KOREAN REALITY

Parenting cognitions include attributions, perceptions, goals, expectations, attitudes,

and knowledge of child development but these cognitions change due self- perception
and culture. As we know families are different due a lot of factors and culture plays an
important role on its meaning, formation, and relationship, so it's not difficult to identify
the differences and similarities existing between American and Korean cultures and
parenting.

For Americans, individualism influences many family dynamics. There is a permeating

cultural idea that “you are what you make of yourself and who you choose to be”.
Therefore, parents expect their child to be self-reliant and personally responsible for
their choices, being relatively common for them to a emphasize a child’s independence
and support their pursuit of personal aspirations, and even though American parenting
style looks out for child to be self- sufficient they still raise them in a cozy environment
praising and showing physical affection.

On the other hand, collectivism is responsible for influencing Korean Family dynamics
with parents taking a place as decision makers valuing obedience and respect. For
most Korean parents an ultimate goal is to see their child be more educated and
prosperous than themselves. As such, most Korean parents are utterly devoted to their
children’s success. This is often expressed in a way that puts heavy expectations on
the child to excel to reach their parent’s aspirations that’s why many Korean youths are
put under immense pressure in their education and career. Unlike American parents,
this parenting involves low expression of affection but it doesn´t mean that they don´t
love their child, they only show affection in other ways.

However, as expected, these cultures also have similarities when it comes to

parenting, although American and Korean parents have different attitudes and
expectations of child development both aim the same goal of raising their children to
succeed in their life choices whether they are professional or personal reaching their
greatest goals.