Cultural life scripts of Japanese adolescents

Abstract

SummaryA life script develops from adolescence and is influenced by culture. However, few cultural differences have been identified previously, and only a few studies have investigated the life scripts of adolescents. This is the first study to examine the life scripts of Japanese junior high and high school students. Our results identified some characteristically Japanese life events that were shared by the students, such as the “high school entrance exam,” “falling out with friends or family,” “club activities,” and the “Seijinshiki ceremony.” Peaks for particular life events in particular age groups were observed in all groups for events with “mixed” valence; these had never have been reported by previous studies. Some gender‐specific and developmental differences were also identified.