PEDIATRICS Vol. 83 No. 2 February 1989, pp. A72
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DEVELOPMENT OF THE MY-COUNTRY-RIGHT-OR-WRONG IDEA?

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From the drawings and comments of children in Germany, the United States, Central America, and Samoa, Hesse showed that by age five a child understands the idea of an enemy, which he or she will depict as whatever in the culture seems most immediately fearful or threatening—a monster, wild animal, or bad man. By age eight a child understands that "the idea of the enemy" has to do with an unfriendly relationship. But this idea does not usually become cast in political terms until age ten to twelve. It is noteworthy that Hesse's research children, including the older ones, tend not to see their own country as bad or responsible for bad actions.