This book discusses the characteristics of adolescence cross-culturally and examines the differences in the adolescent experience for males and females. Several relationships are tested in order to gain an understanding of cross-cultural patterns in adolescence.

This article tests hypotheses about the relationship between how the general anticipations of pain in develop in children and the formal belief systems of a society. The authors posit that beliefs in malevolent supernatural beings reflect punitive child rearing practices and beliefs in benevolent supernatural being relfect nurturing child rearing practices. Results generally support this hypothesis.

This study explores several correlates of interpersonal violence. Multiple regression analysis suggests that socialization for aggression in boys in late childhood is the strongest predictor of higher rates of homicide and assault. Path analysis suggests that socialization for aggression is a consequence, not a cause, of war.

An existing body of research has, based on Kohn's (1977) theory of values of conformity vs. self-reliance in children of blue -collar vs. white-collar working families, suggested that socialization which emphasizes conformity is more likely to employ coercive rather than inductive methods. However, the researchers' tests for correlation of emphasis on conformity with coercive, inductive, and overall parental control indicate that parents in societies which emphasize conformity utilize both methods equally, and exert more control overall over their children than those in societies which emphasize self-reliance. The authors also test for predictors of conformity and present path models of direct and indirect effects.

This study investigates cross-cultural determinants and consequences of parental affection and rejection. Findings indicate that accepted children are less hostile and dependent and have higher self-esteem in both childhood and adulthood. Additional findings suggest that children who experienced parental acceptance had higher emotional responsiveness, better world view, more emotional stability, generosity, and nurturance as adults.

How does the use of corporal punishment or physical discipline of children vary across hunter-gatherer and agro-pastoralist societies? Through a comparative analysis of 139 egalitarian and agrarian cultures, the author finds that 1. The use of corporal punishment against children is higher in agrarian societies than in hunter-gatherer societies, where it is absent or infrequently practiced, and 2. This difference in the use of corporal punishment is correlated with cultural parental attitudes, such as affection towards children, indulgence in children’s behavior, responsiveness to children’s needs, children’s autonomy, and father involvement. Low corporal punishment generally is related to more affection, higher indulgence, more autonomy of children, and higher father presence. The relationships are much stronger in agrarian societies.

The purpose of this book is to introduce a conceptual and methodological perspective called the "universalist approach," and to use this approach in exploring the pancultural antecedents and affects of parental acceptance-rejection of children,

This book examines population growth rate and its correlates by testing 274 hypotheses (derived from multiple theories) with an 18-society sample. Forty-one of these hypotheses were significant at the .05 level, leading the author to accept these relationships as reflective of the real world. The 274 hypotheses are grouped into 51 broader hypotheses, and marked by (*) where relationships are significant as designated by the author or by significance p < 0.05.

The author attempts to test the "Oedipus-complex" hypothesis--the psychoanalytic idea that under certain conditions (such as the long-post partum sex taboo) males are sexually attracted to their mothers and as a consequence certain fears and anxiety are generaated. The hypothesis is tested at the societal-level using ethnographic data.

The focus of this article is the frequency of violent crimes. Five fomative experiences that are correlated with frequent violent crime by individuals are presented. This study uses the same sample as Ember and Ember (1992).