Concepts of deviance and disturbance in children and adolescents: A comparison between the United States and Japan

Fifth and eleventh graders in the United States (N = 169) and Japan (N = 166) were interviewed about their reactions to stories describing various forms of psychological deviance in hypothetical peers. For each story, students were asked if any of the protagonist's behaviours seemed strange or unusual; why these behaviours were strange or unusual; and why the protagonist acted the way he or she did. More Japanese than American students mentioned the psychological reasoning of the individual, and more American than Japanese students mentioned external influences and violation of social norms in explaining and conceptualizing deviant conduct, respectively. Few developmental or gender differences emerged. Results are discussed in terms of the individualism‐collectivism paradigm and cultural differences in attributions for success and failure.