Reference:
Coming of Age in Samoa
Margaret Mead
1928 Harper Perennial
Summary:
Before the age of 7, Samoan children typically only interact with peers within their own household. When they reach this age, they begin to socialize with larger groups of children their own age, though not with members of the opposite sex. As they age, these large groups fracture into smaller groups. While the boys form groups regardless of relation, the girls will withdraw into groups made up of family members.
Discussion:
The most interesting thing to me in this chapter was the similarities and differences between Samoan age groups and American age groups. I remember as a kid how all the kids in school were friends with one another, leading to things like massive birthday parties. As I grew, however, I found myself hanging out with a handful of closer friends, and the big group no longer seemed important. For girls, however, I think the experience is different than what was described in the book. Modern girls seem to follow a similar trend, but rather than withdrawing into a closely knit family group as the Samoans did, they remain social with a multitude of people. I'll admit that this is coming from an outsider's perspective, so if this generalization is incorrect than feel free to let me know.
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