ABSTRACT
All children are born into, and grow up within, particular societies. Each of these societies contains many different institutions and is regulated by some kind of common economic, political, and legal systems. These societal institutions and systems facilitate, shape, regulate, and constrain many of the activities and behaviours in which individuals engage throughout the course of their everyday lives. For the developing child, a crucial aspect of the process of growing up is to acquire an understanding of these societal institutions and systems, so that by the time adulthood is attained, he or she will be able to function appropriately within the particular society in which he or she lives, and can engage with and participate in (and possibly even change) the various societal institutions, systems, and processes that in¯uence and govern the lives of individuals within that society.
