Studies on adolescent egocentrism in Hong Kong : a review

Abstract

Based on a systematic review of scientific databases and reports by non-governmental organizations, this paper outlines the contour of studies on adolescent egocentrism in Hong Kong. Results showed that research on adolescent egocentrism in Hong Kong is almost non-existent, with only a total of four papers including three empirical papers and one conceptual paper. Several observations can be highlighted from the review. First, the studies failed to cover a wide array of topics on egocentrism. Second, all empirical studies adopted a cross-sectional design and there was no longitudinal study in the local context. Third, the sample size in the empirical studies was generally large and comparable to Western studies. Fourth, the age range of research participants in the reviewed studies was generally broad. The fifth observation was that quantitative methods were predominately used and there was a lack of use of qualitative and mixed methods approaches. Sixth, most of the studies used indigenous scales and there is a need to develop scales for Chinese adolescents. Lastly, interventions aiming at reducing adolescent egocentrism were sparse. Future research directions are discussed.