Development Under Stress

Growing up in a world driven by increasing economic competition, how do youth learn to compete and bond with others in the context of school? How is the process shaped by cultural beliefs of competition and institutional structures of education? My dissertation addresses these questions by studying the Chinese culture of academic competition from historical, sociological and psychological perspectives, tracing its ideological roots, unpacking its institutional driving forces, and examining its impact on Chinese adolescents' psychosocial experience in friendship. Based on thematic analysis of journal articles, I first explore the ideological roots of the culture of academic competition by analyzing how educational scholars and practitioners conceptualized competition and perceived its promotion in secondary education across the 20 years from 1988 to 2008. 1 then rely on original empirical evidence from Shanghai to demonstrate how individualistically oriented competition promoted in Chinese schools creates external conflicts and internal tension between adolescents. motivation to outperform others and their need to be socially engaged in friendships. My findings suggest that this culture structurally deprives adolescents of the social opportunities to form and maintain friendships and challenges their skills and strength to make social decisions that are mutually beneficial. Finally, I examine whether new educational policies aimed at softening academic competition have effectively changed disparities among schools in resources, and teachers' practices and parental attitudes that contribute to intense academic competition based on test scores.

This study contributes to psychological research on how individualistically oriented competition, when promoted in a rather extreme sociocultural and educational environment, affects adolescents' psychosocial experience. Second, my study draws links between the conflicts and tension in adolescents' day-to-day experience in interpersonal relationships and the dynamics of broader ideological and institutional forces in Chinese society. It thus contributes to sociological literature on how the Capitalist ideology of competition and its institutional apparatus impact individuals' personal relationships. Third, my documentation of adolescents' experience of the tension between competition and friendship and the contextual factors that exacerbate the tension may be useful for Chinese parents, educators, and policy-makers in their decision-making regarding how to promote adolescent academic and social development.