In a groundbreaking multi-national longitudinal study, researchers have unveiled fresh insights into how childhood experiences shape fundamental beliefs about the world—concepts known as primal world beliefs or "primals." These primals reflect an individual’s underlying perception of whether the world is inherently “Good,” “Safe,” “Enticing,” or otherwise. Spanning diverse cultural contexts across eight countries, the research, soon to be published in Child Development, offers an unprecedented window into the developmental origins of these pervasive worldviews.
The study, led by Dr. Jennifer Lansford, incoming president of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) and Research Professor at Duke University, draws on data gathered through Parenting Across Cultures, a large-scale international project examining family dynamics and child development. Beginning with children aged 8 to 16 and their parents, the research tracked how everyday childhood experiences correspond to the world beliefs young adults hold by age 22. Participants spanning Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States contributed a rich array of data points capturing parental warmth, socioeconomic status, neighborhood danger, and parenting styles.
An intriguing and somewhat counterintuitive finding emerged from this complex data matrix: among all the childhood variables examined, parental warmth stood out as a consistent and strong predictor of optimistic primal world beliefs in young adulthood. Young adults who experienced warm, supportive parenting were significantly more likely to view the world as good, safe, and abundant—ideas that underscore a hopeful and positive approach to life. In contrast, other factors traditionally linked to adversity, such as exposure to dangerous neighborhoods or harsh parenting practices, showed surprisingly weak associations with these core beliefs.
This insight challenges some preconceived notions in developmental psychology and social science. For decades, scholars have argued that harsh or threatening environments in childhood should invariably condition more pessimistic or wary worldviews. Yet, this international study found that while parental warmth fosters positive primals, higher neighborhood danger or low socioeconomic status during childhood did not inevitably translate to more negative beliefs about the world’s safety or goodness. How children interpret and internalize their environments appears to hinge upon the emotional climate fostered within the family more than external risk factors alone.
Deploying a rigorous longitudinal methodology, the research team collected data at two developmental stages. First, during the participants’ childhood and adolescence, caregivers and children provided reports on family and environmental factors. Then, a decade later, as these children reached early adulthood, they completed self-report questionnaires assessing their primal beliefs. These included items that gauged their perceptions of the world’s generosity, safety, and appeal—questions such as “The world is an abundant place with tons and tons to offer” and “I tend to see the world as pretty safe.”
The cross-national scope of the study adds a vital dimension to its findings. By including culturally and socioeconomically diverse settings, the researchers could examine whether these developmental patterns held true across different social and cultural contexts. Remarkably, the link between parental warmth and positive primal beliefs was robust across the heterogeneous sample, suggesting a universal psychological mechanism whereby nurturing caregiving promotes optimistic life frameworks regardless of external circumstances.
Despite these compelling findings, Dr. Lansford emphasizes important caveats regarding the study’s limitations. The samples, while culturally broad, were not nationally representative, meaning the results should not be generalized to entire countries or cultures without caution. Moreover, much of the data relied on self-report measures, which can introduce bias—especially since those with already positive worldviews might report their experiences differently. And because the data is correlational, the study stops short of claiming definitive causal pathways.
This research opens new avenues for exploring how primal world beliefs develop over time. Currently, the literature disproportionately focuses on adult perceptions, with less attention to how children and adolescents conceptualize the world around them. Future studies will ideally address this gap by tracking primals earlier in life, potentially unearthing critical windows when worldviews are most malleable. Understanding how youth from diverse backgrounds perceive concepts like safety and abundance could revolutionize interventions aiming to foster resilience and well-being.
From a practical perspective, the findings hold meaningful implications for parents, caregivers, and those invested in child welfare. While altering socioeconomic status or neighborhood safety on a broad scale presents enormous challenges, cultivating warmth and emotional support within the family emerges as a feasible and powerful route to nurturing hopeful worldviews. Encouraging parental warmth could thus be a strategic focus for programs aiming to improve long-term psychological outcomes.
For the broader scientific community, this work aligns with SRCD’s mission to promote rigorous, culturally diverse developmental science. Dr. Lansford highlighted during her interview with SRCD that understanding human development requires a deep appreciation for the cultural contexts where it unfolds. Promoting inclusive research that spans countries, disciplines, and developmental periods stands as a cornerstone objective for advancing the field and shaping policies informed by evidence.
Another exciting frontier lies in bridging research with policy through SRCD’s new Child Policy Hub, which fosters collaborations between researchers and policymakers to accelerate evidence-based decision-making. As the field embraces multidisciplinarity and cross-cultural collaboration, opportunities expand to translate research like Lansford’s into practical programs that enhance children’s developmental trajectories globally.
In essence, this study reframes how developmental science conceptualizes the origins of world beliefs by spotlighting the psychological impact of parental warmth amidst broader social variables. It underscores that despite external adversities, the internal emotional environment cultivated by caregivers can profoundly shape optimistic frameworks through which young people interpret their lives and futures. These insights bear profound significance—not only academically but for shaping a world where more children can hold the belief that their world is safe, enticing, and good.
Dr. Lansford and her colleagues’ research, funded by several prestigious institutions including the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Fogarty International Center, sets a new standard for multidisciplinary, culturally attuned inquiry. It invites the scientific community and society at large to consider how fostering familial warmth may serve as a crucial foundation on which more hopeful and resilient generations build their understanding of the world.
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Subject of Research: Developmental origins of primal world beliefs in young adults across diverse cultural contexts
Article Title: Predictors of Young Adults’ Primal World Beliefs in Eight Countries
News Publication Date: April 23, 2025
Web References: https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14233
References: Lansford, J.E., Gorla, L., Rothenberg, W.A., et al. (2025). Predictors of Young Adults’ Primal World Beliefs in Eight Countries. Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14233
Image Credits: Not provided
