ABSTRACT
The current conceptual approach has guided analyses of cultural contexts of development in ways that can advance our understanding of how independence and interdependence enter into human behavior and development. Thinking back to chapter 2, we may recall the basic claims of this conceptual approach. The current conceptual approach holds that independence and interdependence are constructs that refer to multifaceted and interrelated dimensions of activity that make up the cultural practices in which children participate. In addition, the current approach provides conceptual tools for analyzing activity dimensions of cultural practices by defining independence activity dimensions in terms of individuality, subjectivity, self-direction, and self-awareness/reflection, and by defining interdependence activity dimensions in terms of cultural interaction patterns, social relationships, social roles, and links to wider societal functioning. The current conceptual approach also holds that independence and interdependence are constructs that refer to multifaceted and interrelated cultural meanings regarding human separateness and human connectedness that are enacted as children participate in varied cultural practices.
