Mental health and Identity of Japanese living abroad

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24730598
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Clinical psychology
• Research Institution: Japan Lutheran College
• Principal Investigator: Uematsu Akiko ルーテル学院大学, 総合人間学部, 准教授 (90614694)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 異文化接触 / 自我アイデンティティ / 民族アイデンティティ / 縦断調査 / 比較研究

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The puroose of this research is to explore the influence of ego identity by cross-cultural contact for Japanese adolescents, centering on the relationship between ego identity and ethnic identity as one aspect of group identity. For this purpose, the group of Japanese students abroad was compared with other group of Japanese residens abroad who are "a group of adulthood" and "a group of returning students", and also compared with adolescents living in Japan. As a result, cross-cultural contact would become a "crisis" in the development of ego identity, suggesting that it would also be developmentally promotional factors , but risks of identity diffusion. Especially from the longitudinal study conducted on adolescent group and adulthood group, it was shown that adolescents may be impacted by cross-cultural contacts in overseas compared to adulthoods.

Free Research Field

発達心理学、臨床心理学