Research shows that some adolescents experience positive psychological changes resulting from highly stressful life events. Because “positive change” is a value-laden concept, there may be cross-cultural differences in this conception of growth. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively and quantitatively assess different perceptions of personal growth across cultures. Adolescents from Japan (n = 288, Mage = 16.16) and the United States (n = 155, Mage = 16.21) completed demographic information and wrote three words describing their perception of personal growth. Results showed 443 different words generated, which were condensed into 12 categories. The types of words generated differed between nationalities, with Japanese adolescents generating more words related to social connection, and adolescents in the United States generating words related to change. Gender differences were found in physical change and age differences in the knowledge categories. Results demonstrate cross-cultural differences as well as similarities in the conceptualization of personal growth. Future research may examine how adolescents change the meaning of personal growth after experiencing personal growth resulting from a stressful life event.

中文翻译：

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青少年个人成长认知的文化差异

研究表明，一些青少年因高度压力​​的生活事件而经历积极的心理变化。因为“积极的改变”是一个充满价值的概念，这种增长概念可能存在跨文化差异。本研究的目的是定性和定量地评估跨文化对个人成长的不同看法。来自日本（n = 288，Mage = 16.16）和美国（n = 155，Mage = 16.21）的青少年完成了人口统计信息并写了三个词来描述他们对个人成长的看法。结果显示生成了 443 个不同的单词，它们被压缩为 12 个类别。不同国籍产生的词汇类型不同，日本青少年产生更多与社会关系相关的词汇，和美国青少年产生与变化有关的词。在知识类别的物理变化和年龄差异中发现了性别差异。结果证明了跨文化差异以及个人成长概念化的相似性。未来的研究可能会研究青少年在经历了压力生活事件导致的个人成长后如何改变个人成长的意义。