Individualism, collectivism, and Chinese adolescents' aggression: intracultural variations

Yan Li, Mo Wang, Cixin Wang, Junqi Shi

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103 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study examined the relations between cultural values (i.e., individualism and collectivism) and aggression among 460 (234 girls) Chinese adolescents. Conflict level and social status insecurity were examined as potential explaining mechanisms for these relations. The results showed that adolescents' endorsement of collectivism was negatively related to their use of overt and relational aggression as reported by teachers and peers, whereas positive associations were found between the endorsement of individualism and adolescent aggression. Adolescents' conflict level and social status insecurity accounted for a significant part of these associations. Findings of this study demonstrate the importance of examining intracultural variations of cultural values in relation to adolescent aggression as well as the process variables in explaining the relations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)187-194
Number of pages8
JournalAggressive Behavior
Volume36
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2010
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Chinese adolescents
  • Collectivism
  • Conflict level
  • Cultural value
  • Individualism
  • Overt aggression
  • Relational aggression
  • Social status insecurity

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