BackHome
Refresh: OffView Personal Schedule
Session Submission Summary
Share...

Direct link:

3-079 - Navigating the Adolescent Years in China

Sat, March 21, 9:55 to 11:25am, Marriott, Floor: Level 4, Franklin Hall 6

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Although the issue of how culture shapes adolescence has long been of interest, much of our knowledge about this phase of development comes from research conducted in the West. Focusing on Chinese Societies, the current set of presentations addresses the issue of whether adolescence in China is similar to adolescence in the West, as well as other regions.

The initial two presentations focus on ideas about fulfilling obligations to the family. Using a longitudinal design, the first investigates early adolescents’ conceptions of adolescence, with a focus on the implications of conceptions about family obligation during adolescence for children’s adjustment in Mainland China compared to the United States and more westernized Hong Kong. The second presentation examines children’, mothers’, and fathers’ expectations about family obligation during childhood and early adolescence in two Chinese cities along with eight other countries. The last two presentations focus on peer relations. The first of these evaluates the extent to which the adjustment of popular Chinese adolescents is similar to that documented in prior research in the United States. The final presentation looks at the effects of shyness, which is highly valued in traditional Chinese society; key is how shyness during elementary school sets the foundation for children’s adjustment as they enter adolescence.

Together the four presentations move the field toward identifying the unique and common features of adolescence in China compared to the West, as well as other regions, thereby providing the ground for future theory, research, and applications targeting Chinese adolescence.

Sub Unit

Chairs

Individual Presentations