WHAT IS A BAD KID - ANSWERS OF ADOLESCENTS AND THEIR MOTHERS IN 3 CULTURES

This study examined the behaviors and personality traits attributed to a ''bad kid'' by a cross-national sample of 204 American high-school students and 204 American mothers, 237 Chinese students and 224 Chines e mothers, and 157 Japanese students and 167 Japanese mothers. Correla tes of students' responses were also examined, including the degree of valuing academics, level of academic achievement, level of psychologi cal adjustment, and quality of social relationships. The behaviors mos t frequently associated with a bad kid were lack of self-control (Amer ican), acts against society (Chinese), and disruptions of interpersona l harmony (Japanese). In addition, American students mentioned substan ce abuse as a feature of a bad kid more often than did their Chinese a nd Japanese peers. Disturbances in interpersonal harmony received the highest frequency of response from Chinese and Japanese students and s econd highest frequency of response from American students. Adolescent s and their mothers differed significantly in the frequency with which they mentioned the types of conduct attributed to a bad kid. Few asso ciations were found between students' own characteristics and their de scriptions of a bad kid.