All the Striving archetypes were raised in developing countries, characterised by:
- Economy: Moderate to high growth with emerging industries and increasing urbanisation. There is more diversity in economic sectors (industry, services, etc.), but significant gaps remain.
- Standard of Living: Many people have access to basic services, though inequalities exist. Living standards are improving, but poverty rates can still be high.
- Social Indicators: Expanding middle class, improving literacy rates, and increasing access to healthcare, though challenges remain in governance and infrastructure.
EXAMPLES OF THE CHALLENGES THEY MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED GROWING UP IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY
- Unequal Access to Resources: Children may experience a mix of adequate and poor access to healthcare, nutrition, and education, depending on socioeconomic status.
- Environmental Hazards: Industrialization may expose children to pollution, overcrowding, and unsafe living conditions.
- Growth Gaps: Some children may experience malnutrition or inconsistent access to clean water and healthcare.
- Infrastructure Gaps: Physical infrastructure, like safe schools and healthcare facilities, may be lacking in some areas, causing uneven development.
- Education Inequality: While education systems may exist, access and quality can vary widely, leading to cognitive disparities.
- Adapting to Change: Rapid societal or economic changes can create confusion or stress as children navigate between traditional and modern expectations.
- Pressure to Succeed: In emerging economies, children may face high expectations to succeed academically in order to escape poverty.
- Mental Health Stigma: Mental health issues may be stigmatized or ignored, leading to untreated anxiety, depression, or trauma.
- Emotional Instability: Economic and political instability may create fluctuating emotional experiences, from hope to fear and anxiety.
- Strained Family Dynamics: Parents may be working long hours or absent, leaving children without consistent emotional support.
- Cultural Identity Confusion: Children may face confusion between their traditional cultural values and more modern influences, impacting their emotional development.
- Pressure to Contribute: Children may feel an emotional burden to help their families, sacrificing their own emotional needs.
- Cultural and Spiritual Conflicts: Children may struggle to reconcile traditional beliefs with more global or modern spiritual ideas.
- Uncertainty and Faith: Developing countries may be places of both hope and uncertainty, which can either strengthen or challenge a child’s sense of spirituality.
- Searching for Meaning: Children may seek meaning in a rapidly changing environment, grappling with questions of purpose and belonging.
- Emerging Spiritual Awareness: Exposure to a mix of traditional and modern ideas may provide an opportunity to explore different spiritual perspectives.