ABSTRACT
Between the ages of 5 and 7 years, almost all cultures send their children to community settings for large parts of the day. In Western cultures, this is school. This change in context is a powerful influence on children’s development, bringing (a) greater personal freedom, (b) protection by nonfamilial adults who stand in loco parentis, but who lack an affective attachment to the child and have different expectations than the child’s parents, and (c) substantial involvement with and influence from peers.
