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Cross-Cultural Comparison of Need Importance and Need Satisfaction during Adolescence: Turkey and the United States

Journal article by Nuran HortaÇsu; Journal of Genetic Psychology, Vol. 158, 1997

Journal Article Excerpt

Cross-Cultural Comparison of Need Importance and Need Satisfaction During Adolescence: Turkey and the United States NURAN HORTAÇSU Middle East Technical University Ankara, Turkey ABSTRACT. Turkish and U.S. adolescents' views concerning the importance of differ- ent needs and instrumentality of relationships with mothers, fathers, siblings, and same- sex friends for need satisfaction were examined and compared. Questionnaires covered needs related to crucial issues of adolescence, namely, relatedness and autonomy/indi- viduation. Participants were 12- to 17-year-old boys and girls from intact families. Cross-cultural differences in ascribed importance of needs related to some aspects of relatedness and autonomy/individuation emerged. Cross-cultural similarities in ascribed importance of needs related to feelings of basic acceptance and need for self-under- standing/development also emerged. Turkish adolescents perceived mothers as more instrumental for need satisfaction than did U.S. adolescents. Gender differences in importance ascribed to different needs also emerged. Cross-cultural differences were consistent with differences in predominant values and modal family dynamics of the respective countries. TURKISH AND U.S. ADOLESCENTS' views concerning the importance of dif- ferent needs and the instrumentality of different relationships with respect to need satisfaction were examined and compared in this study. Adolescence was chosen because it is a period of transition involving renegotiation of relationships with significant others and redefinition of self ( Sherif, 1984; Smetana, 1988). Needs included in this investigation were concerned with relatedness and autonomy/ individuation. Although these two issues seem contradictory, they are, in fact, complementary tasks of adolescence and early adulthood and are associated with ____________________ This research was partially supported by a Fulbright Research Grant for 1991-1992. The author thanks Aline M. Garrett for comments on the questionnaires and for collection of the U.S. data. The author also thanks Atiye Oral for entering data, editing, and printing the manuscript and Tülin Gençöz for commenting on an earlier version of the article. Address correspondence to Nuran Hortaçsu, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. -287-

a related set of needs ( Erikson, 1950; Kon, 1981). Needs for love/affection, trust, and understanding are associated with feelings of basic acceptance, a necessary condition for healthy functioning of individuals ( Rutter, 1979). Feelings of basic acceptance constitute one aspect of relatedness. Other aspects of relatedness include gaining information concerning the self and constructing normative expectations via social comparison and information exchange. Consultation and disclosure, respectively, are related to the aforementioned aspects of relatedness. Needs for instrumental help, money, and self-understanding/development are pri­ marily associated with the issue of autonomy/individuation. Having fun may serve the individualistic goal of hedonistic pleasure as well as that of relatedness through sharing of pleasant activities. Relationships with parents, same-sex siblings, and friends were explored in the study. Satisfactory relationships with parents are correlated with good peer relationships ( Adams, 1985). However, these relationships are structural­ ly different and serve somewhat different functions during adolescence. Parents are initial providers of love/affection and trust for most individuals, but par­ ent-child relationships are not based on volition for the child and involve a dimension of power dependency. Relationships with peers are based on relative equality and similarity, providing convenient contexts for self-evaluation via social comparison and information about norms of peer culture. Relationships with siblings and friends are similar with respect to relative equality, but they differ with respect to the dimension of volition and the possibility of competi­ tion for parental resources. Theorists of contextualist conceptualizations of individuals developing with­ in sociocultural milieus argue that human beings are capable of adaptation to a large range of cultural variations in pursuit of basic needs ( Scarr, 1992). Consis­ tent with Erikson's ( 1950) views, this approach acknowledges universalities in crucial human concerns as well as cultural variations in emphasis and in means for need satisfaction. Kağìtçìbaşì and Sunar ( 1992) cited cross-cultural differ­ ences supporting this view and argued that cultures in which individuals have to rely on primary groups for satisfaction of material needs (a) stress external con­ trol of individuals; (b) foster adherence to the values of obedience, loyalty, and interdependence; and (c) de-emphasize individualism. Turkey is a changing country. In urban areas, people pursue Western val­ ues and lifestyles; however, traditional values and family customs still pre­ dominate in rural areas and in first- or second-generation migrant populations in cities. Close relationships between generations are the norm. Over 15% of the families in cities include grandparents, and weekly visits with elders are reported by 50% of city dwellers ( Atalay, Kağìtçìbaşì, Beyazìt, & Madenoğlu, 1992). Age grouping exists in schools; informal groups focused on specific ...