Chinese Youth’s Reported Social and Moral Transgressions and Strategies for Self-Correction

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore Chinese adolescent’s social and moral transgressions and strategies for self-correction. For this study, following protocols that have been approved by an Institutional Review Board, 61 Chinese adolescents living in Guangzhou—distributed across three age groups: 10- to 11-year-olds ( N = 21, Mage = 11.03 years, SD = 0.43 years), 12- to 13-year-olds ( N = 20, Mage = 12.92 years, SD = 0.35 years), and 15- to 16-year-olds ( N = 20, Mage = 16.15 years, SD = 0.30 years)—participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The study employed a deductive analytical approach based on prior social domain research on children’s and adolescents’ transgressions and strategies for self-correction. This study found that Chinese youth reported conventional transgression events more frequently than any other domain. Moreover, many of adolescents’ transgressions involved academic considerations, suggesting that how adolescents’ time is organized and the social expectations for adolescent behavior influence the types of transgressions and justifications adolescents will make. Furthermore, participants reported developing self-correcting strategies following 73.6% of events, while 74.5% of strategies were reported to be developed by the adolescents themselves. Therefore, the findings suggest that there is room for adults to collaborate with adolescents in developing strategies to prevent future misbehavior and to encourage youth to not only be “good” or “moral” but also to be and do better.

I just don’t agree with my parents: Why Chinese adolescents keep secrets

“…The finding that adolescents in this study often referenced keeping secret activities in direct response to parental expectations that their time be spent on academics, is in keeping with prior research that has shown that academic study permeates many aspects of Chinese children’s and adolescents’ life. For example, Liu and Midgette (2022) found that academic considerations were infused throughout students’ experiences and justifications for their social transgressions at home and at schools. Research also revealed that schoolwork was a major source of adolescent-parent conflicts in Mainland China; while American adolescents mainly had conflicts with their parents over housework (Cao & Tam, 2021).…”

If it Bothers Someone it’s a Mistake! How Chinese College Students Conceptualize Transgressions

“…Recent studies have highlighted the importance of investigating how across development individuals come to identify and make sense of their social and moral transgressions (Liu & Midgette, 2022; Midgette, 2018). In particular, this line of work highlights the value of investigating what individuals are indeed learning “from their mistakes” (i.e., transgressions they themselves consider transgressive; Liu & Midgette, 2022, p. 21) by investigating why they consider it problematic, as this may inform educational interventions to best support their developing moral agency (e.g., help them to self-correct in the future). However, prior initial research has been limited to studying children’s and adolescents’ experiences.…”

“…In contrast, conventional transgressions concern violation of social rules and norms, and their rightness or wrongness is dependent on social agreement and/or authority dictates. Moreover, personal transgressions would involve only violation of one’s own personal expectations or preferences (e.g., Liu & Midgette, 2022; Midgette, 2018). This domain distinction has been found to occur cross-culturally (Chen-Gaddini, 2012; Hasebe et al, 2004; Neff, 2001; Smetana, 2006; Yau & Smetana, 2003).…”

“…This domain distinction has been found to occur cross-culturally (Chen-Gaddini, 2012; Hasebe et al, 2004; Neff, 2001; Smetana, 2006; Yau & Smetana, 2003). Recent studies have investigated transgressor’s evaluations and reports of behaviors they themselves consider to be transgressive, rather than that of outside observers (Liu & Midgette, 2022; Midgette, 2018). These studies found that children and adolescents report transgressions that include moral, conventional, and personal transgressions, although the frequency differed by domain and age.…”

“…Prior studies suggest that children, adolescents, and undergraduate students not only transgress but take actions to either repair or self-correct following making such mistakes (Leighton et al, 2018; Liu & Midgette 2022; Midgette, 2018). For instance, in both the US and China studies have shown that children and adolescents actively engage in generating strategies to correct their misconduct and compensate for their perceived personal shortcomings (Liu & Midgette, 2022; Midgette, 2018).…”