Drawing on cross-cultural research data and related findings, this book presents a comparative examination of the socialization process in the Soviet Union and the United States, and relates the findings to the present and future societies at large. It begins with descriptive facts, examines their implications in light of data and theory from the social sciences, and ends with a blueprint for change within our own society. The socialization process is analyzed as it occurs in a series of social contexts beginning with the family, then proceeding to other settings such as preschool centers, children's groups, classrooms, neighborhoods, communities, and the nation as a whole. In terms of socialization, the major difference between the two cultures lies in the contrast between a collective centered and family-centered system of child rearing. The first chapters consider the role of family and collective settings in the Soviet Union and their psychological implications. The remainder of the book considers American approaches to socialization, identifying and describing the major environmental influences on the behavior and development of children, and their increasing importance. The author concludes that the rather different Soviet approach to socialization has significance for our own problems. (Author/JLB)