• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.11 no.spc
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• pp.21-55
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• 2005

The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of trust in Korean culture using the indigenous psychological analysis. First, this paper raises central questions that arise in Korean families, schools, companies and society: 1) Why are some Korean families disintegrating? 2) What core values do Korean schools teach? 3) What are the goals that Korean companies pursue? 4) Does trust exist in Korean society? Second, this paper reviews a series of empirical studies conducted using the indigenous psychology approach. The results indicate the following three major themes: 1) trust is based on relational culture and ingroup identity; 2) emotional attachment and bond provide the basis of trust; 3) the emphasis on cultivation of virtue through constant self-cultivation rather than ability and the control of the environment. Third, this paper raises central issues that need to be addressed: 1) the extension and expansion of trust beyond the narrow confines of the family and ingroup to include outgroup members; 2) recognition and balance of public rationality and private emotions and relations in society; 3) the achievement of balance between self-regulation and the control of the environment.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.105-135
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• 2002

The purpose of this study is to examine the experience of stress, coping and social support among students and their parents after Korea recovered from the recent economic crisis. A total of 634 students(primary school=135, junior high school=118, senior high school=168, and university=213) and 842 parents (fathers=421, mothers= 421), for a total of 1,476 participants, completed an open-ended questionnaire developed by the present researchers. For students, the most painful experience was related to problems in academic life, followed by problems in relationship. For father, the most painful experience was financial problems and for mothers, it was conflicts in the family. In stress situations, self-regulation was the most frequently adopted coping style by both students and adults. The second most frequently reported coping style was avoidance. In terms of social support, students reported receiving most support from friends, and the importance of friends became greater for the older students. Parents reported receiving most social support from their spouse. As for the type of social support, around half of students and parents reported receiving emotional support. Emotional support was viewed as being very important in reducing the stress experience related to academic life, problems in relationships, family conflict, and financial difficulties. The results of the present study will be compared to similar studies conducted before and during the economic crisis and the implications of these studies, as well as the importance of the indigenous Korean psychology, will be discussed.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.9 no.spc
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• pp.89-105
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• 2003

The purpose of this paper is to explore Korean adolescents' understanding of safety using the indigenous psychologies approach. This paper examines Korean adolescents' experience of the type of accidents they were involved in, what they perceived to be the cause of the accident, the type of social support received after the accident, and the prevention needed to avoid future accidents. The indigenous understanding of accidents is examined according to the grade level of the students, gender, and safety efficacy beliefs. Second, to examine the changes in the safety efficacy beliefs, the differences across primary, junior high, and senior high school students are examined. Third, the relationship between safety efficacy belief and attitudes toward preventing future accidents is explored. Third, the parental influence on adolescents' safety efficacy belief is examined by analyzing the influence of their socio-economic status and their safety efficacy belief on their children's safety efficacy belief and behavior. The review of the results can be summarized into the following five main points: (1) decrease in safety efficacy belief with increasing age, (2) positive relationship between safety efficacy belief and behavior, (3) the utility of the indigenous psychologies approach, (4) the parental influence on their children's safety efficacy beliefs and behavior, and (5) the need to further explore, promote, and educate the importance of human life and quality of life by preventing accidents and promoting safety consciousness and behavior in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.127-164
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• 2003

This study investigates how Korean children and adolescents perceive their parents using the indigenous psychological approach. An open-ended questionnaire was developed by the first two authors to investigate reasons why children and adolescents feel grateful, respect, indebted, close, conflict, and distance with their parents. A total of 763 participants (212 grade three students, 267 grade eight students, and 284 grade eleven students) completed the questionnaire. The results can be summarized into three main points. First, the vast majority of children and adolescents feel grateful, respect, and indebted to their parents. They feel grateful, respect and indebted for the sacrifice and suffering they experience looking after the family. Moreover, they respects their parents because of their sincerity, blood relationship, benevolence, guidance and educational support. They feel indebted since they did not obey them, were not able to meet their expectations, and were not diligent in their schoolwork. They felt especially close to their mother. The conflict they felt was due to generational gap and in their academic performance. Second, age affects how they perceive their parents. The parent-child conflict increases with age. The feeling of indebtedness also increase with age. However, the feeling of gratefulness and respects decreases with age. The feeling of closeness with father also decreases with age. Third, socio-economic status and educational achievement of children and adolescent affect the perception of their parents. Those with higher academic grade and socio-economic status are more likely to feel respect and indebtedness and less likely to feel conflict and distance.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.103-137
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• 2004

This study examines the basis of trust in relationships by adolescents and their parents using the indigenous psychological approach. Using the indigenous methodology, adolescents were asked the reasons why they trusted their mother, father, friends, and teachers. Parents were asked why they trusted their children, spouse and their children's teachers. A total of 1,737 participants completed an open-ended survey: 579 adolescents (274 middle school and 305 high school students) and their parents (579 fathers) and (579 mothers). The results indicate that adolescents trust their parents because of their sacrifice, followed by consanguinity (i.e., blood relationship), respect, their trust in me, dependability, and their advice and counseling. The reasons why adolescents trust their teachers is because of the academic guidance they provide, unconditional trust of teachers, their concern and care, respect for teachers, advice and counseling they provide, they are like parents, and because of their sacrifice for the students. The reasons for trusting their friends are as follows: Dependability, closeness, unconditional trust of friends, their understanding of me, and their emotional support. The reasons why parents trust their children are: Children's sincerity, honesty, consanguinity, parents' expectation and communication with the children, children's obedience, and since they are diligent in their schoolwork. The reasons for trusting one's spouse are reported to be sincerity, their sacrifice for the family, honesty, unconditional trust of a spouse, and because of mutual support. The reasons why parents trust their children's teachers are reported as follows: Unconditional trust of teachers, their sacrifice for the students, and their sincerity. There were no significant differences across the type of school and academic grades in terms of trust of parents. However, middle school students are more likely to trust their teachers, and high school students are more likely trust their friends. The male students rather than female students and those students with higher academic grades are more likely to trust their parents, friends, and teachers. For parents, there were no significant differences across age, sex, and educational status concerning the trust of their children, spouse, and children's teachers. There was a positive correlations between parents' trust of their spouse and children and their children's trust of their parents. There was also a positive correlations of mothers' trust of children's teachers and the children's trust of their teachers.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.103-139
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• 2002

Korean society has significantly changed with the onset of a dramatic economic crisis in 1998. From 2000, however, the Korean economy has recovered and currently Korea is enjoying a similar standard of living and economic growth as the pre-1998 levels. This study is a follow-up analysis, comparing the results examining the success attribution of Korean students and adults in 2001 with the results obtained before the economic crisis in 1997. Using the indigenous psychological approach, this study compares the similarities and differences in Korean students and adults' attribution of their personal success before and after the economic crisis. A total of 988 participants, consisting of 481 primary, junior high, senior high and university students and 507 adults (236 fathers and 271 mothers of the students) completed the questionnaire developed by Kim and Park (1998). The results indicate that students perceived their academic achievement and adults perceived successful family life as their most proud achievement. Successful family life included items such as academic success of children, healthy development of their children, and harmonious family life. The person who provided the most significant support for students were parents and for adults, it was their spouse. For students, the importance of friends' social support increased during the high school years. In terms of type of social support, emotional support was reported to be the most important for both students and adults. As for the reason for their success, majority of students and men reported self-regulation and for women, supportive family environment was reported as being the most important. Comparing 2001 results with the 1997 results, the importance of family increased after the economic crisis. Even with the dramatic economic crisis, however, some of the underlying pattern remain strong (such as importance of academic achievement for students, family life for adults, the importance of social support, especially emotional social support from family members, and believing that self-regulation would lead to success). The similar pattern of results obtain before and after the economic crisis indicate that the above results reflect a fundamental values and belief system deeply imbedded in Korean mentality.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.143-181
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• 2005

This article examines factors that influence health and quality of life. In addition to the symptomatology and physiological functioning, the influence of the psychological functioning and interpersonal relationship on the overall health and quality of life are also investigated. Using a case-study approach, a total of 70 patients suffering from allergy or asthma were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire developed by the present authors. It assessed the following six areas: Cause and onset of illness, psychological functioning, health management, trust, social support received and overall health and quality of life. Based on the transactional model (Bandura, 1997; Kim & Park, 2005), the results of the case studies have been integrated and divided into three aspects: (1) Cause and onset of illness that includes physiological and environment factors; (2) mediating influences that includes psychological functioning, health management, interpersonal relationship and social support received; and (3) outcome factor that includes symptomatology, health and quality of life. The psychological functioning includes self-efficacy (self-regulated efficacy, efficacy for enlisting social support, efficacy for managing the environment, and efficacy for overcoming difficulties), positive outlook, life goals, experience of stress, and proxy control. Interpersonal relationship includes trust of family members and the physician. Health management includes receiving proper health assessment, following the advice and prescription given by the physicians, control of the environment and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The results indicate that physiological, psychological, relational and environment factors interact with each other and affect individual's overall health and quality of life. Self-efficacy, social support received from family members, trust of physicians, and the health care system are key factors promoting healthy lifestyle and quality of life. The results indicate the need for further interdisciplinary, indigenous and cultural psychological research.