Modernization theory revisited: a cross-cultural study of adolescent conformity to significant others in Mainland China, Taiwan, and the USA.

This paper examines modernization theory's explanation of adolescent conformity behavior to determine patterns in three different cultural settings. Questionnaire survey data were collected from college students in mainland China, Taiwan, and the U.S. LISREL models were used to analyze the data. It was fund that modernization theory was not well supported by the data. Analyses of the findings suggested that modernization theory tests with cross-cultural data should take into consideration cultural characteristics, since much of human behavior is culturally determined. Contrary to modernization theory's predictions, the social institution of education is less important, but religion is highly valued in American society, while the reverse was found in the two Chinese societies.