The Teenage World: Adolescents’ Self-Image in Ten Countries

268 Pages·1988·4.73 MB·English

by  Daniel Offer M.D.

The Teenage World
Adolescents' Self-Image
in Ten Countries
The Teenage World
Adolescents' Self-Image
in Ten Countries
Daniel Offer, M.D.
Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center
and Pritzker School of Medicine
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Eric Ostrov, J.D., Ph.D.
Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center
Chicago, Illinois
Kenneth I. Howard, Ph.D.
Northwestern University and
Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center
Chicago, Illinois
and
Robert Atkinson, Ph.D.
University of Southern Maine
Gorham, Maine
With the collaboration of
Enrico de Vito, M.D. (Italy) Peter W. Musgrave, Ph.D. (Australia)
Muhammad NazmuI Haq (Bangladesh) Sadao Ohshima, Ph.D. Uapan)
Banu ina~, Ph.D. (Turkey) Amiram Raviv, Ph.D. (Israel)
Maria Kertesz, M.D. (Hungary) Rachel Seginer, Ph.D. (Israel)
Shiroe Miura, M.D. Uapan) Hans-Christoph Steinhausen, M.D. (West Germany:
Yukuhiko Miyoshi, P.S.W. Uapan) Sara Turner, M.A. (U.S.A.)
and with a commentary by
Harry C. Triandis, Ph.D.
Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
The Teenage world: adolescents' self-image in ten countries / Daniel Offer...
[etal.].
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Self-perception in teenagers. I. Offer, Daniel.
BF724.3.S35T44 1988
155.5-dc19 88-4127
CIP
First Printing-April 1988
Second Printing-June 1989
ISBN 978-1-4899-0767-7 ISBN 978-1-4899-0765-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4899-0765-3
© Springer Science+Business Media New York 1988
Originally published by Plenum Press, New York in 1988
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1998
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
To Marjorie, Phyllis, and April
for the gift of love
... Dan, Eric, and Ken
International Collaborators
Enrico de Vito, M.D. Yukuhiko Miyoshi, P.S.W.
Research Coordinator Teacher of High School
Provincia di Milano Katoh-Gakuen High School
Centro di Psicologia Clinic a 1979 Ohoka-Jiyugaoka
V. Ie Piceno, 60 Numazu- city
Italy Shizuoka Prefecture
Japan
Muhammad Nazmul Haq
Lecturer Peter W. Musgrave, Ph.D.
Mymensing Teachers' Training Professor of Education
College Monash University
Mymensing Clayton, Victoria 3168
Bangladesh Australia
Sadao Ohshima, Ph.D.
Banu inan~, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology and
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Psychology
<;ukurova University
University of Meiji-Gakuin
Balcali-Adana
1-2-37 Shirogane-dai
Turkey
Minato-ku
Tokyo
Maria Kertesz, M.D.
Japan
Specialist for Pediatrics and
Adolescent Medicine Amiram Raviv, Ph.D.
Ors6-utca 53 Professor of Psychology
Budapest 1026 Tel Aviv University
Hungary Ramat Aviv
Tel Aviv 69978
Shiroe Miura, M.D. Israel
Chairman, Department of
Psychiatry Rachel Seginer, Ph.D.
Tokyo Medical College Assistant Professor of Education
6-7-1 Nishishinjuko University of Haifa
Suginami-Ku Mount Carmel
Tokyo Haifa 31999
Japan Israel
vii
viii INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATORS
Hans-Christoph Steinhausen, Sara Turner, M.A.
M.D. Professor of Sociology
Acting Chairman, Department of Humboldt State University
Child Psychiatry Arcata, California 95521
Freie Universitat Berlin (Taiwan research)
Psychiatrische u. Neurologische
Klinik und Poliklinik
Platanenallee 23
D-1000 Berlin 19
West Germany
Acknowledgments
This study would not have been possible without the enthusiastic help
of our collaborators, their students, and cooperating high schools. We
thank them all, and hope that the results of our study will help us to
better understand the citizens of tomorrow's world.
We are indebted to Ellen Mercer from the American Psychiatric
Association, who helped us continuously and encouraged us during
difficult days. Professor Marvin Zonis of the University of Chicago
helped us in better understanding the vicissitudes of cross-cultural
research. The following individuals helped us in back-translating the
Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ) to English: Dr. K. Lau, Dr. S.
Contro, Dr. H. Kisisel, Dr. I. Kisisel, Ms. Pninah Zucker, Ms. Shiaomay
Young, and Dr. M. Csikszentmihalyi.
The adolescent research fellows at Michael Reese Hospital have
listened to results at different stages of the project and have given us
excellent feedback and constructive criticism. We thank them all.
We also wish to thank the following individuals who read various
chapters of the book and offered us most helpful comments: Ms. T.
Offer, Mr. R. Offer, Dr. T. Brown, Dr. M. Sabshin, Dr. D. Hawkins, Dr. P.
Barglow, Dr. M. Schaefer, and Dr. C. Strozier.
A number of individuals have been helpful in the analysis of the
data: Ms. Sandra Wisniewski, Dr. Marc Zola, and Mr. Bruce Briscoe.
Ms. Marie Allison helped with typing and organizing, and our research
secretary, Ms. Merry Wilson, has been a tower of strength, patience,
and understanding. We are indebted to all of them.
Mr. Irving B. Harris has been a most generous supporter of our
project. He believed in us and through his financial help has made it
possible for us to undertake this study. We are deeply grateful.
Daniel Offer
Eric Ostrov
Kenneth I. Howard
Robert Atkinson
Chicago, Illinois
ix
Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction: A Cross-National Study of
Adolescent Self-Image 1
Chapter 2. Adolescents: Self and Culture 9
The Adolescent Self ......................................... 9
William James: The "I" and the "Me" .................... 9
The Psychodynamic Adolescent Self................ ...... 12
The Adolescent as Authentic Self ........................ 14
The Adolescent as Social Learner. . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . .. 15
The Adolescent as Philosopher: Stages and Cross-Cultural
Perspectives .......................................... 16
Summary of the Adolescent Self. . ..................' ...... 22
Toward Studying Adolescents across Cultures ................. 23
Definitions ............................................. 24
Cross-Cultural Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 24
Comparative Studies versus Cultural Relativism ........... 26
Benefits of Comparative Studies .......................... 26
Difficulties of Comparative Studies ....................... 28
Comparative Studies Reconsidered ....................... 33
Chapter 3. Design and Procedure 35
Description of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire. . . . . . . . . . . . .. 36
Sampling and Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 41
Description of Countries and Samples Studied. . . . . . . . . . . .. 42
Data Analysis ........................................... 56
Assuring Comparability of Translations of the OSIQ ... 56
Analysis of the OSIQ ................................ 58
xi
xii CONTENTS
Chapter 4. Results of Data Analysis: A Study of 5938 Adolescents in
Ten Countries 63
Universal Aspects of the Adolescent Experience ............... 63
Familial Self. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 63
Social Self . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 65
Coping Self ............................................. 65
Gender Differences in Adolescent Self-Image .................. 67
Psychological Self Differences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 67
Sexual Self Differences .................................. 70
Social Self Differences ................................... 70
Age Differences in Adolescent Self-Image. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Cross-National Scale and Item Differences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Psychological Self ...................................... , 77
Social Self. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 81
Sexual Self ............................................. 83
Familial Self . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 85
Coping Self ............................................. 87
Conclusion ............................................. 92
Depression or Quiet Disturbance among Adolescents .. . . . . . . . .. 92
Rates of Psychological Disturbance· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 93
Data Analysis ........................................... 98
Results.... .... .. . . .. .. . . . . .... . . . . .... . ... . . .... .... . .. 98
Demography, the Economy, and Adolescent Self-Image ........ , 101
Results ................................................. 102
Chapter 5. Discussion: Becoming an Adult in the World 109
The "Universal Adolescent" ................................. 110
The Emergence of a "Global Village" ......................... 113
The Influence of Media ...................................... 115
Gender, Age, and National Differences ........................ 117
Toward a Common Developmental Psychology of
Adolescents .............................................. 121
Epilogue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 123
Commentary by Harry C. Triandis 127