28th International Congress of Psychology August 8 ... - U-netSURF

easoning increased with age. The boundaries and content of the personal domain among Chinese
youth are further explored in a recent study. Chinese adolescents and their parents from
upper-middle to lower-middle classes were individually interviewed on their conceptions of the
legitimacy of parental authority, in relation to their justifications for their daily life conflicts and
how the adolescents’ define the boundaries of the personal arena. The results add to our
understanding of the development of autonomy among Chinese youth.
5012.2 The role of cultural values in adolescents’ handling of disagreements with parents in
four American ethnic groups, J.S. Phinney, California State University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
This study examined the way in which cultural values influence responses of adolescents from
diverse American ethnic groups to disagreements with parents. Adolescents (N = 240) aged 14 to
22 years from 4 American ethnic groups (European American, Mexican American, Armenian
American, and Korean American) reported their projected actions (compliance, negotiation,
self-assertion) in response to 6 hypothetical adolescent-parent disagreements, and completed a
scale of the value of family interdependence. Ethnic groups differed on compliance, but family
interdependence predicted compliance (positively) better than did ethnic group membership.
Family interdependence also negatively predicted self-assertion.
5012.3 Differences between Korean and Korean American adolescents in response to
disagreements with parents, T. Kim-Jo, University of California, Pasadena CA, USA
This study examined the differences in conflict resolution between Korean (n=60) and Korean
American (n=60) adolescents, aged 14 to 22 years. Adolescents reported their projected responses
to hypothetical disagreements with parents. Responses were coded into three categories of conflict
resolution: compliance, negotiation, and self-assertion. As hypothesized, Korean American
adolescents were less self-assertive than Korean adolescents, suggesting that Korean American
adolescents may be culturally encapsulated within the cultural norms of a more traditional era in
the homeland, while values in Korea are becoming less traditional. Korean American adolescents
also negotiated more with parents than did Koreans, indicating that they have adopted some
behaviors from American culture.
5012.4 Self-assertion as a means of resolving parent-adolescent disagreements among Japanese
adolescents, K. Sugimura 1 , M. Yamazaki 2 , K. Takeo 3 , 1 Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan;
2 3
Waseda University, Yokohama, Japan; Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo, Japan
This study examined the ways in which Japanese adolescents handle disagreements with parents,
and the extent to which Japanese cultural values of family closeness predict adolescents' reported
handling of disagreements. Adolescents (N = 1029) aged 12 to 25 years reported their projected
actions in response to 6 hypothetical adolescent-parent disagreements, and completed a scale of
values of family closeness. Contrary to the common assumption that Japanese children attune
themselves to the wishes of their parents, self-assertion was the most common action, followed by
negotiation and compliance. Structural equation modeling showed that the values of family
closeness predicted adolescents' reported handling of disagreements.
5013 INVITED SYMPOSIUM
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