Multiple and Inseparable: Conceptualizing the Development of Independence and Interdependence

Based on the position that cultural ideologies shape child development, many developmental analyses have focused on analyzing cultural conceptions of independence and interdependence. Less attention has been paid to charting the developmental sequences of children’s independent and interdependent behavior that are ostensibly shaped by cultural conceptions of independence and interdependence. Taking a systems view, this paper offers a theoretical framework for conceptualizing independence and interdependence as individual behavioral processes that recognizes the simultaneous separateness and connectedness of all human beings, as well as cultural variability in conceptions of human separateness and connectedness. It is also argued that development involves the increasing differentiation and integration of multiple and inseparable independence and interdependence processes. The theory is illustrated empirically with a consideration of attachment formation during infancy. This approach provides a cohesive framework for guiding developmental analyses of the complexities of children’s independent and interdependent behavior in varied cultures.