Abstract
This chapter intends to provide insights into the specific challenges for identity formation in the contexts of East Asian societies where individualism has been increasingly emphasized, while some collectivistic values have been maintained. We first demonstrate that, due to the cultural emphasis on collectivism, the process of identity formation among youth in East Asia has been characterized by a greater concern for others. Second, we argue that, as traditional collectivist norms are merged with modern individualist ones, young people in East Asia are seeking new ways of balancing between self and others in their sense of identity. Finally, we explore what developmental antecedents are relevant to these features of identity formation in this region, from the viewpoints of personality development theory and attachment theory. Overall, our chapter adds important knowledge on identity development in contemporary East Asian countries where both collectivism and, to an increasing extent, individualism are valued.
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Sugimura, K., Umemura, T., Nelson, L.J. (2021). Identity Development in East Asia. In: Adams, B.G., van de Vijver, F.J.R. (eds) Non-Western Identity. Identity in a Changing World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77242-0_3
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