Ethnotheories

In all cultures, parents have ideas about how children should behave and how to promote their learning and positive development. These are examples of ethnotheories: beliefs that are shared by members of a cultural group. Ethnotheories encompass a wide range of opinions about the natural, social, and supernatural worlds. Typically, they are not apparent to people who live in a given culture unless questioned or challenged. This entry explains how parents’ shared systems of meaning influence human development across the life span.