The relationship between individualistic, collectivistic, and transitional cultural value orientations and adolescents' autonomy and identity status.
In an effort to validate the use of a Western model of adolescent development with Asian youth, 781 urban and rural Taiwanese high school students (56% female) completed questionnaires about their development. Adolescents were first divided into cultural value orientations (i.e. collectivistic, individualistic, or transitional) and compared geographically. There were statistically significant differences in cultural value orientations only for rural youth. Identity statuses and levels of cognitive autonomy were then compared according to cultural value orientations and gender. Adolescents who self-identified as collectivistic were significantly more likely to self-identify as achieved rather than diffused compared to transitional adolescents. Gender, more than cultural value identifications, significantly differentiated these youth in regard to issues of cognitive autonomy measured in this study (i.e. evaluative thinking, voicing opinions, making decisions, self-assessing, and comparative validation). Taken in whole, these findings support the use of a Western model of adolescent development for Taiwanese youth.
Lee
Chien-Ti
CT
Department of Family, Consumer, and Human Development, Utah State University, 2905 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-2905, USA.
Beckert
Troy E
TE
Goodrich
Thane R
TR
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012649:Self Concept; D012933:Social Identification; D012938:Social Perception; D012945:Social Values; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data