Reciprocal associations between connectedness and autonomy among Korean adolescents: Compatible or antithetical?

The primary goal of this study was to examine the longitudinal reciprocal relationships between connectedness to parents and autonomy among Korean adolescents using five annual waves of the Korea Youth Panel Survey. The sample consisted of 3,449 adolescents, whose mean age was 13.79 years at Wave 1. Contrary to the mainstream findings in individualistic societies that autonomy is not necessarily inimical to connectedness to parents, the present study convincingly suggested that Korean adolescents' pursuit of autonomy might conflict with the maintenance of connectedness with their parents. Similarly, unlike most studies conducted in Western countries, Korean adolescents' maintenance of connectedness with their parents was likely to undermine the attainment of autonomy. Results are discussed in terms of collectivistic cultural values emphasizing the developmental pathway of interdependence instead of the development of autonomy within the cultural context of Korea. © National Council on Family Relations, 2011.