Unveiling the Heterogeneity of Sensation Seeking and Collectivism Development in Chinese Adolescents.

Objective: Understanding the impact of sociocultural tendencies on the personality development of adolescents represents a critical theoretical and practical issue in the field of adolescent development. In the context of China's collectivist culture, the developmental trajectories of and the interaction between sensation seeking and collectivism among adolescents remain largely unknown.

Method: This study examined the heterogeneity of the joint growth patterns of sensation seeking and collectivism and their interactions across distinct latent trajectory classes. We collected 3-year longitudinal data from 20,225 Chinese adolescents (60.45% male).

Results: We identified four unique joint developmental trajectories. Contrary to the traditional view that collectivism inherently suppresses sensation seeking, most adolescents (89.52%) exhibited synchronous growth of both dimensions. The development of adolescent sensation-seeking behavior was significantly influenced by their alignment with societal contribution-driven happiness and an unquestioning prioritization of collective interests.

Conclusions: Our findings underscore the nuanced interplay and commonalities between sensation seeking and collectivism development among Chinese adolescents.