Two different cultures compare their parenting styles

Parenting across Cultures: Asian versus Western
Name
Institution

Abstract
There are different meanings attached to the family, all of which have a historical and cultural origin. The most notable difference in the family orientation is seen between Western and Asian cultures because the Western culture is engulfed with the self while in the Asian culture the self is interdependent with others (family, friends, and the community at large). This concept is the platform for neo-Confucianism, which emphasis on the need for collectivism to ensure harmony and peace prevail within a family and the community at large. Children are meant to exercise filial piety, and the parents should treat their children with kindness; hence, it is apparent that there are clear boundaries that are not present in the Western cultures. In Canada and related Western cultures, children share a different kind of relationship that condones free will and autonomy. In this way, children are precise and clear when expressing themselves. Also, during treatment, the same kind of interaction is eminent. Thereby, the difference in cultural orientation between the Western and Asian societies is an interesting topic worth examining.
Keywords: Cultural difference, Asian, Western, Chinese, Canada
The family institution is important for every individual because it lays the foundation for self-identity and the values that one possesses. However, the family unit in different societies is shaped by the cultural values that define that society.

Hence, the Asian society has a different family orientation from the Western society, and subsequently, different parenting styles. The family unit is very important to Asian societies, and each is designated specific roles to ensure harmony and peaceful coexistence of extended families are achieved. On a different note, the family unit is more individualized in the West and nuclear in nature. The Asian cultures are similar in a wide array of content, but there are some differences that call for selected focus on specific cultures. Therefore, this paper extends this topic to give a detailed account of how the Chinese culture and Canadian culture differ in an array of ways including parenting, communication, treatment, and one’s approach to these cultures.
Confucianism is the main principle that guides the belief system of most Asian societies like India, Japan, and China in as far as family relationships and interactions are concerned. Hence, how individuals relate or treat other members of their families is guided by this concept of Confucianism. In East Asia, family interactions have explicit lines of “authority, respect for others, and subordination of the self for the good of the family” (Chuang & Su, 2009, p. 331). During the advent of neo-Confucianism, filial piety was fundamental as the building block for socialization in China. This concept of filial piety involves the review of one’s behavior to ensure it brings honor and not disgrace to a family. Children are expected to be obedient and devoted to the wishes of their parents and rules of intergenerational conduct are well-defined. Thereby, neo-Confucianism’s filial piety dictates that adults have authority over children and the elders have authority over their juniors. However, both cultures promote discipline their children based on the guiding values of the different cultures. However, the Chinese are more controlling than the Canadian parents because they associate their worth with their children’s performances.
Given the parenting approaches mentioned above, communication in Asian cultures compared to that of Canadian culture differ markedly. It is no wonder that communication in the different cultures takes on different approaches; high context communication prevails in Asian cultures while low context communication is evident in Western cultures. Communication within the family and with other individuals is guided by the concept of collectivism, which envisages Confucianism, in the Asian culture. The child communicates to his or her parents ensuring that respect is enhanced and the parent showers the child with kindness; this kind of relationship does not condone self-expression. Even when showing disapproval, this is communicated in an ambiguous manner to ensure that harmony is preserved and emotional expression is suppressed (Nagayama, Hong, Zane, & Meyer, 2011). On a different note, the American parents and their children communicate without any set boundaries, and the children are free to express their ideas as a way of promoting personal development and autonomy (Lizhi, 2015).
Asians tend to be mindful of the other person’s reactions and feelings; hence, they are reserved and indirect while communicating, unlike the Canadians who are direct, open, and precise. The Canadians have no regard to group harmony or the physical and interpersonal contexts in which information is relayed (Nagayama et al., 2011). Communication is meant to strengthen harmony within a family; hence, the Asians are reluctant and indirect when passing information to avoid misinterpretation and rudeness. Social status and the kind of relationships one shares with another determines how individuals communicate with each other. In this context of parenting, the parent is required to make most of the inferences from the communication context and the child will only make implicit expressions and statements.
Family cultural patterns between the Asians and Canadians are distinct because the Asian culture is embedded in interdependence, which is integral in treatment, as described above. Therefore, parents will provide their children with everything, and in old age, it is considered a blessing when parents obtain similar kind of care from their children. On a different note, the Canadians are only concerned about the self, resulting in a culture defined by individualism and independence.
Considering the Asian view of respect and strong attachment to human virtues, the treatment methods deemed effective for families integrate Asian philosophies of mindfulness, acceptance, and context. Due to the growing number of Asians in the Western world, Asian philosophies of mindfulness, context, and attention have been integrated into the domain of health care for the Asians. Even though the philosophies are the same, they differ in their application because the Western view of these philosophies is centered on the self; the active role of the individual in defining the environment and surrounding events and phenomenon. Also, it incorporates emotions and lacks integration of social norms. Also, these methods should possess culturally-relevant factors such as spirituality and interdependence (Nagayama et al., 2011). Mindfulness takes into account an individual’s present situation and integrates all that they do while acceptance entails the willingness of an individual to acknowledge the existence of events and context involves an individual’s interpretation of the surrounding phenomenon and events based on the Western psychotherapy treatment methods. Conversely, the Buddhist interpretation of these philosophies dictate that individual recognizes and appreciate the existence of phenomenon and events in their natural form without altering them, but learn how to accept the natural course of events without striving to change them.
The Asian society defined by its Asian philosophies requires an individual to be well-acquainted with the relevant cultural values to avoid conflict when working with individuals from this society in various ways. Kramer, Kwong, Lee, and Chung (2002) stipulate that it is important for an individual to involve the family members so that they can share their cultural views regarding the cause of problems, coping strategies used in the past, health care-seeking behaviors, and their expectations from treatment, in the context of health care. Governed by the principle of Confucianism, if the physician does not create an ideal environment, the patients and family members will provide inaccurate information: what the physician would want to hear because they consider the physician as an authoritative figure. Also, the Asians will not raise issues, and this places the physician in a dilemma as he or she might not obtain the correct information required to make a sound judgment. A suitable model, for example, that adopted from Kleinman’s seminal work: the health explanatory belief model can be used to encourage patients to talk about their problems (Kramer et al., 2009). The physician should review past adaptation and cope techniques to integrate the support systems in the treatment process.
Whereas the Asian treatment methods are not objective in that the involvement of others is not neglected, the converse is true for Canadian treatment methods where the self is more pronounced. The interdependence of the self with others is the backbone for Asian identity in all spheres and a health care provider should learn to integrate the family into the treatment process. The family unit is fundamental in decision-making processes and caring for an individual is collective; hence, given the collectivist approach that is apparent in the Chinese culture, patients focus on the harmony and needs of others help individuals to combat their stress. On a different note, such an approach is seen to harbor and escalate distress.
In conclusion, there is a distinct comparison of parenting, family systems, and treatment methods between the Asian and Western cultures, more precisely, Chinese and Canadian cultures. First, parenting in the Chinese culture is more reinforced because the performance of children is trickled down to the family and acts as the basis for parents’ worth. Therefore, children are taught from a very young stage to embrace social norms that focus on the self as interconnected with others and whatever one does can either ruin or enhance the harmony and peace in the family. This concept of self-vis-a-vis others prevails on other facets of life, such as during treatment as individuals utilize implicit support from family members while suppressing their needs and pain to avoid overburdening the others and disrupting the prevailing harmony. The happiness in the family exudes to the individual as he or she uses it as strength to fight his or her battles in the facet of health.

References
Chuang, S. S., & Su, Y. (2009). Do we see eye to eye? Chinese mothers’ and fathers’ parenting beliefs and values for toddlers in Canada and China. Journal of Family Psychology, 23(3), 331-341.
Kramer, E. J., Kwong, K., Lee, E., & Chung, H. (2002). Cultural factors influencing the mental health of Asian Americans. Western Journal of Medicine, 176(4), 227–231.
Lizhi, S. (2015). Differences between Chinese and American family values in pushing hands. Cross-Cultural Communication, 11(5), 50-53.
Nagayama Hall, G. C., Hong, J. J., Zane, N. W. S., & Meyer, O. L. (2011). Culturally-Competent Treatments for Asian Americans: The Relevance of Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Psychotherapies. Clinical Psychology : A Publication of the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association, 18(3), 215–231.