Origins of Human Competence: A Cultural-Ecological Perspective

TLDR

The paper examines how cultural imperatives shape the development of instrumental competencies across diverse groups, noting that U.S. white middle‑class and minority populations differ in these expectations. The essay argues that early child‑rearing and adolescent socialization are designed to develop competencies needed for adult economic, political, and social roles. The authors propose a non‑ethnocentric cultural‑ecological model that grounds cross‑cultural competence research in contextual data, enabling appropriate intergroup comparisons.

Abstract

OGBU, JOHN U. Origins of Human Competence: A Cultural-Ecological Perspective. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1981, 52, 413-429. In this essay it is argued that child rearing in the family and similar micro settings in the early years of life and subsequent adolescent socialization are geared toward the development of instrumental competencies required for adult economic, political, and social roles. These cultural imperatives vary from 1 cultural group to another as do the required competencies. In the United States they are different for the white middle class and for minority groups like urban ghetto blacks. It follows that the conventional research approach which used white middle-class child-rearing practices and children's competencies as standards is not useful in understanding minority groups' child rearing and competencies. Rather, for cross-cultural research, a cultural-ecological model is proposed which is not ethnocentric and studies competence in the context of the cultural imperatives in a given population. Cross-cultural or intergroup comparison is appropriate if based on data from such contextual studies.