The primary difference between individualist and collectivist cultures is that within the former, the concern for an individual and immediate family is prioritized. At the same time, within the latter, people focus on the well-being of the entire group (Stewart-Reiner, 2021). Collectivist parents would focus on their child’s dependence on the group, while individualists would prioritize self-sufficiency (Stewart-Reiner, 2021). Collectivists would expect the child’s role in a household to be contributory to the other members of the group. For example, teenagers would be expected to help grandparents or look after younger children. Individualists would expect teenagers to be self-sufficient and be able to take care of themselves, for example, prepare food for themselves.
Considering these issues, when the two families would swap households, the caregivers would face difficulties when interacting with children. During an infant age, the toddlers form a style of attachment, and with collectivist parents, one would expect children to create a strong emotional connection to their parents, as opposed to an individualist family. At the age of 8, children typically develop a sense of autonomy, trust, and shame in accordance with Erikson’s development stages (Panna, 2020). Hence, individualist parents would expect an eight-year-old to perform some tasks on their own, for example, prepare for school or clean their room, while a collectivist child would need support and guidance from their caregivers. Finally, teenagers develop a sense of intimacy as opposed to isolation during this age, and a person from individualized culture would learn to be self-sufficient and self-reliant during this age, while a collectivist would develop a closer bond with their parents (Panna, 2020).
The grandparent’s role in a collectivist family would be similar to that of parents, and they would be expected to help with the upbringing, and children would need to bey them. Grandparents in individualist cultures, on the other hand, are not an integral part of the upbringing, and parents do not view them as a source of wisdom and support. The apparent conflict between grandparents and parents would face when swapping households is the miscommunication about the input of the former into the upbringing because collectivist grandparents would expect caregivers to listen to their advice. Individualist grandparents, on the other hand, may choose to refuse to help with the upbringings, which may confuse the collectivist parents.
In terms of response to parenting, individualists would need to build a relationship where they can communicate with their child as an equal, meaning that they would explain certain decisions and ask for a child’s opinion, especially if the child is a teenager capable of making decisions on their own. Collectivists, on the other hand, would expect their child to obey their worlds and would not feel the need to explain the particular decision or discuss them.
I think that the outcome of the show will depend on the parent’s open-mindedness and their openness to a new experience. If both parties choose to ignore the specifics of the other family, the show will result in conflicts and misunderstandings between parents, children, and grandparents because the roles and expectations from each group differ in the two cultures. It is possible to change the cultural values of an individual since researchers in the field of human development have created several theories where cognitive or moral advancement occurs in stages, including Piaget and Kohlberg. Hence, at each stage, a child acquires new knowledge and behavior patterns, which means that their cultural values can change if they are exposed to a new environment.
References
Panna, Victoria. (2020). PSY123, chapter 8 – Human development. YouTube. Web.
Stewart-Reiner, C. C. (2021). Chapter 1 understanding cross cultural psychology. YouTube. Web.