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A Different Pathway to Adulthood? Relationships Between Identity Formation and Positive Psychological Outcomes in Japanese Adolescents and Emerging Adults

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Book cover Well-Being of Youth and Emerging Adults across Cultures

Part of the book series: Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology ((CAPP,volume 12))

Abstract

This chapter addresses whether and how identity formation is associated with positive psychological outcomes in Japanese youth by reviewing research on identity formation and its relationships with well-being. In Japan, there has been an emerging form of “individualistic collectivism,” in which young people enjoy individuality within a collectivistic society. If contemporary Japanese society frames the need to develop both individualism and collectivism, how is identity formation – a Western individualistic project – associated with well-being? To answer this question, we first highlight that identity plays an important role in the Western individualistic conceptualization of well-being but less so in the non-Western conceptualization of well-being among Japanese youth. We then provide evidence that the successful school-to-work transition in Japanese youth is based on a complex identity configuration compared to Western youth. These results provide new insights into the role of identity formation in well-being and lead to discover what a successful transition to adulthood means in Japan.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Education, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan

    Kazumi Sugimura

  2. Development Center for Higher Education, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan

    Kai Hatano

Authors
  1. Kazumi Sugimura
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  2. Kai Hatano
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Correspondence to Kazumi Sugimura .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Radosveta Dimitrova

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Sugimura, K., Hatano, K. (2017). A Different Pathway to Adulthood? Relationships Between Identity Formation and Positive Psychological Outcomes in Japanese Adolescents and Emerging Adults. In: Dimitrova, R. (eds) Well-Being of Youth and Emerging Adults across Cultures . Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68363-8_4

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