Preface

Summary

This volume contains selections from the work of John W. M. Whiting, an important anthropologist of our time, a leading figure in the field of psychological anthropology, and one of the pioneers in the development of systematic cross-cultural research. At the core of his work is a commitment to the search for general principles to help explain human behavior. In this endeavor, he draws mainly upon the disciplines of anthropology, psychoanalysis, learning and behavior theory, and human development. In addition to his interdisciplinary approach, he is committed to the scientific method of testing hypotheses. He believes that hunches, generalizations, and explanations about human behavior can arise from many sources, but in order to establish their validity, they must be evaluated according to commonly accepted scientific criteria. And lastly, John Whiting is a firm believer in the positive value of collaborative research. An examination of his publications reveals that more than half of them have been written jointly with colleagues.

The idea for this book came to me a few years ago when I was asked to teach a new graduate course at Wheelock College dealing with human development in cross-cultural perspective. As I outlined the topics and began to gather suitable readings, I had a difficult time locating John Whiting's work. One of his books was in my bookcase; only a few of his reprints were in my files. I realized that his work was widely scattered. There were studies reported in diverse journals and numerous articles in edited collections, some in volumes that are now out of print.