Introduction to the Psychological Well-Being of East Asian Youth: The Transition from Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood

Abstract

Over the last few decades, rapid social change in East Asia has led researchers to focus on familial, educational, and political transformations in the region. An important component of this social change that has received relatively less attention is the adaptation and unconventional life patterns of future generations. Scholars have shown that, compared with previous generations, the growth trajectory of the next generation in East Asia will occur in an entirely different context because of the dual effects of traditional versus modern values and the accompanying conservative versus liberal practices. However, the extant empirical research on this generation remains seriously inadequate. Therefore, this book provides an overall picture of the developmental trajectory of East Asian youth in the current social setting. Because most studies of youth in the West have focused primarily on subjects such as educational and occupational trajectories, parental and peer influences, deviant behaviors, leaving home, and mental health (Furstenberg 2004), this book will incorporate a variety of similar issues as well as subjects of particular importance for East Asian youth. The research time frame will begin with early adolescence (an average age of 13 years old) and move through young adulthood (to 22 years old). Extending the period of investigation from adolescence to young adulthood allows the application of the life course perspective to explain various developmental patterns among East Asian youth. Further, although most youth research focuses on educational achievement and psychological well-being as two distinct outcomes, this book argues that for a typical East Asian adolescent, mental health is closely linked to and intertwined with educational performance. Hence, I use individual psychological well-being defined broadly to represent the final outcome of the developmental process during this important transitional portion of the life course.