CROSS-CULTURAL-COMPARISON OF NEED IMPORTANCE AND NEED SATISFACTION DURING ADOLESCENCE - TURKEY AND THE UNITED-STATES

Turkish and U.S. adolescents' views concerning the importance of diffe rent needs and instrumentality of relationships with mothers, fathers, siblings, and same-sex friends for need satisfaction were examined an d compared. Questionnaires covered needs related to crucial issues of adolescence, namely, relatedness and autonomy/individuation. Participa nts were 12- to 17-year-old boys and girls from intact families. Cross -cultural differences in ascribed importance of needs related to some aspects of relatedness and autonomy/individuation emerged. Cross-cultu ral similarities in ascribed importance of needs related to feelings o f basic acceptance and need for self-understanding/development also em erged. Turkish adolescents perceived mothers as more instrumental for need satisfaction than did U.S. adolescents. Gender differences in imp ortance ascribed to different needs also emerged. Cross-cultural diffe rences were consistent with differences in predominant values and moda l family dynamics of the respective countries.