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Written By: Agencies | Published : May 20, 2014 12:33 PM IST
Asian-American 'tiger mothers' may be better at motivating their children to complete difficult tasks, but children raised in the US by European-American mothers could be described as more independent. Those are some of the findings of a new study that builds on the conversation started in 2011 when self-proclaimed tiger mom Amy Chua penned a controversial parenting memoir, 'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,' which was criticized for typecasting Asian mothers as unforgivingly strict and demanding. For their study, published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, researchers from Stanford University asked high school students to describe their relationships with their mothers and challenged them to a series of tasks that were designed to make the students fail. The objective was to test the kids' levels of motivation and perseverance.
When instructed to think about their mothers, students of Asian-American moms were observed to be more motivated to complete a task despite experiencing failure, compared to students born to Western or European-American moms. In fact, these students performed better when prompted to think about themselves during the exercises. The fundamental difference: Children of Asian-American kids draw on their connectedness to their mothers to overcome difficulties, while children of Western moms view themselves as independent. (Read: Physically active mothers may have positive impact on kids)
'In European American contexts, overcoming failure is a personal project not a group project,' researchers said. Another notable finding: While children of Western moms considered the pressure they get from their mothers as negative, interestingly, students of Asian-American moms said they still feel supported by their mothers regardless of the pressure they experienced. Researchers also say their findings extend beyond the home, as kids from Asian-American mothers are more likely to observe hierarchy and respect the authority of a teacher than European-American students. (Read: How your mother helps you differentiate between right and wrong)
It's the latest study to come from the 'tiger mom' controversy. Findings out of Michigan State University found that high-achieving Chinese students were more depressed and anxious than their white peers. The 2012 study emphasized the importance of rearing happy children more than academic scholars. (Read: Tips for working mothers: How to spend more time with your child)
Source: AFP
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