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Human Autonomy in Cross-Cultural Context pp 241–256Cite as

The Development of Conceptions of Personal Autonomy, Rights, and Democracy, and Their Relation to Psychological Well-Being

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Part of the book series: Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology ((CAPP,volume 1))

Abstract

Children in a variety of cultural contexts have been shown to develop concerns with personal autonomy and rights, and these conceptions not only place limits on the forms of social organization seen as legitimate but also have relevance for children’s psychological well-being, consistent with self-determination theory. Although many current psychological theories relegate freedoms, rights, and democracy to products of Western intellectual traditions or cultural settings, a body of new and emerging psychological evidence, conducted in a variety of cultural settings, both Eastern and Western, and from a variety of theoretical perspectives, including self-determination theory, suggests otherwise. Areas of personal jurisdiction, choice, and participation are claimed by children and adolescents themselves as they develop explicit conceptions of their own autonomy and reflect on the different types of social rules and structures that they experience in their daily lives. These conceptions of autonomy and democracy have been shown to have functional significance for the realization of individuals’ psychological well-being in diverse cultural settings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S 3G3

    Charles C. Helwig & Justin McNeil

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  1. Charles C. Helwig
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  2. Justin McNeil
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Correspondence to Charles C. Helwig .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, Campus Drive 9, Saskatoon, S7N 5A5, Saskatchewan, Canada

    Valery I. Chirkov

  2. Dept. Psychology,, Psychiatry & Education, University of Rochester, Rochester, 14627, New York, USA

    Richard M. Ryan

  3. Dept. Psychology, University of Missouri, McAlester Hall 112, Columbia, 65211, Missouri, USA

    Kennon M. Sheldon

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Helwig, C.C., McNeil, J. (2011). The Development of Conceptions of Personal Autonomy, Rights, and Democracy, and Their Relation to Psychological Well-Being. In: Chirkov, V., Ryan, R., Sheldon, K. (eds) Human Autonomy in Cross-Cultural Context. Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9667-8_11

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