Identity Around the World (PDF)

Examine the structure and context of identity development in anumber of different countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany,Sweden, Italy, China, and Japan.

While some identity development proceeds in much the sameway across national contexts, this issue suggests that there areimportant nuances in the ways in which identity unfolds in eachcountry. Macrocultural forces, such as permissiveness in Sweden,collective guilt in Germany, and filial piety in China, direct theidentity development process in important ways.

Expectations regarding obligations and ties to family alsodirect the identity development process differently in many of thecountries included in this volume--such as extendedco-residence with parents in Italy, lifelong obligations to followparents' wishes in China, and democratic independence in Sweden.The various countries are compared and contrasted against theUnited States, where much of the early identity research wasconducted.

The volume also reviews specific identity challenges facingimmigrant and ethnic-minority individuals in countries that receivelarge numbers of immigrants--Germany, Sweden, Belgium, theNetherlands, and Italy--and suggests many future directionsfor identity research in various parts of the world.

This is the 138th volume in this series. Its missionis to provide scientific and scholarly presentations on cuttingedge issues and concepts in child and adolescent development. Eachvolume focuses on a specific new direction or research topic and isedited by experts on that topic.