Introduction

The behaviour of children within ages defined in most countries without regard to biological maturity or social usefulness is often concentrated on their failure and the failure of their carers to conform to what their societies expect of them.

Children and Society

This study attempts to show that children and their carers are genetically and ethologically channelled into behaviour to support the small groups in which they live. For most of our known global history children have been seen as economic, social and status assets to these small groups and their value assessed in proportion to their eventual contribution as adults.

They are not taught to behave in contributory ways but are absorbed into their need to be useful in terms of all those with whom they associate.

Cultural Changes

Cross-culturally the growth of individualism and the decline of usefulness of children for their parents have led to prosocial behaviour being much reduced to immediate benefits to children and for the small group in which they spend less and less time.

Modern Society and Child Behaviour

Teaching children to be useful to an impersonal society in which they have little interest is an industry in modern states.

Conclusion

Perhaps our conclusion must be that children will only behave in ways that their society deems correct when they sense on their own that it is profitable to do so. The ethical values which have historically maintained the necessary unity of the small group have faded with the growth of survival through secondary employment and State welfare provisions.