The question of how to promote children's well-being is one of the most critical questions facing society. Key to answering this question is elucidating the factors that lead children to internalize valued goals. The guiding premise of the proposed research is that children's inclusion of their relationships with their parents in their self-construals plays an important role. Such self-construals are expected to motivate children to nurture their relationships with their parents. This may heighten children's responsiveness to their parents' goals, which in turn may influence children's well-being as they internalize valued goals. Children's inclusion of their relationships with their parents in their self-construals will be examined in five studies using a variety of methods (e.g., daily checklists and behavioral observations). In Study 1, the implications of children's self-construals for their responsiveness to their parents' socialization attempts will be investigating by examining how sensitive children are to parents' daily practices among families of European, Chinese, and Mexican descent. The direct effects on children's well-being will be examined in Studies 2, 3, and 4. In Study 2, the role of children's self-construals in their investment in valued goals and consequent well-being will be studied in the United States, China, and Brazil. Study 3 investigates whether children's inclusion of their relationships with their parents in their self-construals promotes harmony in their interactions with their parents, thereby fostering well-being. Study 4 focuses on children's self-construals among African American children whose mothers were adolescents when they were born. The goal of Study 5 is to investigate how children come to construct views of themselves that include their relationships with their parents. The role of culture, parents, and children will be explored. Over the last several decades, great strides have been made in understanding the development of ill-being, such as depression. No doubt this has been important in designing prevention programs to protect children against the downward spiral that may be fostered by ill-being. If children's potential is to be maximized, however, more still needs to be learned about the development of well-being in children, particularly in diverse cultural contexts. The proposed research will add substantially to the endeavor of creating environments for children that promote their well-being and the upward spiral that may ensue.
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