COPING WITH CONTROL-FAILURE IN JAPANESE AND SWISS ADOLESCENTS

Two hundred and eighty-five Japanese and 278 Swiss adolescents aged 15 to 16 completed a questionnaire about likely reactions after control- failure as well as several personality questionnaires. The Swiss subje cts showed a stronger tendency towards repeated attempts at primary co ntrol and indirect control after control-failure, while the Japanese s ubjects tended to react more strongly with a renunciation of control. Contrary to some suggestions in the recent literature, Japanese subjec ts were not more prone to secondary control than the Swiss subjects. I n the light of the recent literature on group-centered cultures, it is suggested that Japanese (as possible representatives of group-centere d cultures) are not less likely to circumvent control-failures than th e Swiss, but instead are more ready than Swiss to renounce personal co ntrol, possibly in favor of their group. Nevertheless, both Japanese a nd Swiss were equally affected by the negative effects of control renu nciation.