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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