Parenting attitudes are thought to differ across cultures, and values are diverse even within one culture in modern times. The present study examined the combined effects of cultural values and individual parenting attitudes, considering the strength of parents’ desire for success in their children’s achievements. We conducted a survey of mothers from two collectivistic (Japan and China) and two individualistic cultures (the United States and Germany) wherein we assessed the types of extra-curricular activities they emphasized, their parenting attitudes, degree of success/victory-orientation, and their stress levels, amongst others. The results indicated differences between these cultures. In collectivistic cultures, the more receptive parenting attitudes are, the lower the stress levels. In contrast, in individualistic countries, controlling parenting attitudes with high success/victory-orientation were associated with higher stress levels. These results are discussed from the perspective of differences between social values and individual parenting attitudes.
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