Rothbaum F, Weisz J, Pott M, Miyake K, Morelli G
Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA.
Am Psychol. 2000 Oct;55(10):1093-104. doi: 10.1037//0003-066x.55.10.1093.
Attachment theorists maintain that cultural differences are relatively minor, and they focus on universals. Here the authors highlight evidence of cultural variations and note ways in which attachment theory is laden with Western values and meaning. Comparisons of the United States and Japan highlight the cultural relativity of 3 core hypotheses of attachment theory: that caregiver sensitivity leads to secure attachment, that secure attachment leads to later social competence, and that children who are securely attached use the primary caregiver as a secure base for exploring the external world. Attachment theorists use measures of sensitivity, competence, and secure base that are biased toward Western ways of thinking: The measures emphasize the child's autonomy, individuation, and exploration. In Japan, sensitivity, competence, and secure base are viewed very differently, calling into question the universality of fundamental tenets of attachment theory. The authors call for an indigenous approach to the psychology of attachment.
依恋理论学家认为文化差异相对较小，他们关注的是普遍性。在此，作者强调了文化差异的证据，并指出依恋理论如何充满了西方价值观和意义。美国和日本的比较凸显了依恋理论三个核心假设的文化相对性：照顾者的敏感性会导致安全依恋，安全依恋会导致日后的社会能力，以及安全依恋的儿童将主要照顾者作为探索外部世界的安全基地。依恋理论学家使用的敏感性、能力和安全基地的测量方法偏向于西方的思维方式：这些测量方法强调儿童的自主性、个性化和探索。在日本，对敏感性、能力和安全基地的看法截然不同，这对依恋理论基本信条的普遍性提出了质疑。作者呼吁采用本土方法研究依恋心理学。
