[Culture and the concept of friendships: how do Japanese children resolve a conflict between their best friend and a newcomer?].
This study examined how Japanese children resolve a conflict between their best friend and a newly-arrived transfer student; and whether their concepts of friendship and promise developed as those of Western children. A total of 125 children and college students, seven to 24 year old, of both genders were individually asked to report their moral understanding of friendship in a semi-structured interview. A Selman-type friendship dilemma of positing a conflict between a newcomer and their best friend was used. As expected, the average developmental stages scores, indicating understanding of the meaning of "friend" increased with the participant's age, in much the same way as in Western children. However, many resolved the conflict through a different strategy from those of their Western counterparts. They made an inference regarding the newcomer's emotion, seriously took into consideration, and expressed preference to solve the problem through the three playing together. The role of social representation mediating culture effects on social behavior discussed.
Hirai
Mika
M
University of the Sacred Heart, Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8938.
Takahashi
Keiko
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male