Abstract

Game Involvement and Sex-Role Socialization in Arab Children SAGE Publications, Inc.1971DOI: 10.1177/002071527101200303 Muwaffak Al-Hamdani University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq Baha Abu-Laban University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada and THE SOCIAL psychological and anthropological literature shows that games are not regarded merely as pastime activities, but as modes of symbolic expression involving the exchange of roles and attitudes among the participants (Piaget, 1948; Strauss, 1956, p. 228). A recurrent theme in this literature is the important influence of games on the formation of individual and social character (Maccoby, Modiano, & Lander, 1964). Viewed in this way, play activities assume an important role in child socialization, even in the absence of close adult supervision. With the help of games, say Anderson and Moore (1960), "members of a society learn about and 'play at' the workings of their society." Some studies have attempted to relate games to child-rearing practices. The results of a recent cross-cultural investigation of fifty-six societies reveal a definite relationship between games of strategy and obedience; between games of chance and responsibility; and between games of physical skill and achievement (Roberts & Sutton-Smith, 1962). Sex differences in game involvement are clearly along the lines of responsibility and achievement, with