Abstract
This study examined the ways in which Japanese adolescents handle disagreements with parents, and the extent to which the cultural values of emotional bonds within the family predict adolescents' reported handling of disagreements. Adolescents (N = 1029), aged 12 to 25 years, reported their projected actions in response to six hypothetical adolescent—parent disagreements, and completed a scale of values of emotional bonds in the family. As hypothesized, self-assertion was the most common action, followed by negotiation and compliance. Although generally self-assertion and negotiation were higher and compliance lower with increasing age, adolescents' actions also varied depending on the situation. The values of emotional bonds predicted adolescents' reported handling of disagreements, as examined using structural equation modeling. Implications of these findings for the adolescent—parent relationship and adolescent development in Japanese cultural contexts are discussed.
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