Consumer socialization, parental style, and developmental timetables in the United States and Japan

In this article, the author examines consumer socialization, parental age expectations, and overall patterns of parent-child interactions in a cross-national context. Socialization is defined by a patient, maturational approach to parenting in Japan and by a greater emphasis on autonomy in the United States. Japanese mothers have late consumer-related developmental timetables and maintain greater control over their children's consumption than do American mothers, who encourage and expect the earlier development of independent consumption.