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Relations of four family characteristics to four personality characteristics were ascertained from 1,686 high school students, their parents, and teachers in 7 communities (Hong Kong, Taipei, Osaka, Berlin, Winnipeg, Phoenix, and Canberra). Analyses based on the composite sample showed generally positive correlations between (each of) member satisfaction, nurturance, and permissiveness and (each of) self-esteem, emotional well-being, and interpersonal competence; and also generally positive correlations between parental punitiveness and children's hostility. The major exceptions were that parent-reported nurturance correlated negatively with the child's self-esteem and interpersonal competence. When sex, age, parents' education, and sample differences were included as additional predictors, the proportions of predicted variance in children's personality characteristics reported by children and parents were increased by 53%, on average, and the proportions of predicted variance in children's personality characteristics reported by teachers were increased 28.7%, on average. An attempt was made to interpret cross-cultural differences in children's personalities by substituting for sample designators in the regression equations mean sample scores on family characteristics that showed significant intrasample correlations with the respective dependent variables. These resulted in elimination of almost two-thirds of the significant intersample mean differences, thus "explaining" such differences in terms of the family characteristics investigated here as intracultural determinants of personality.

Globalization and national identity are two separate but important concepts in contemporary sociology; however, neither is well grounded. There is little consensus. Yet we need to establish a foundation for talking about globalization and national identity and the relationship between them. By reviewing literature, this paper presents many sides of the related controversies.  Globalization can be interpreted from many different perspectives: economic, social, psychological, political, even philosophical. There is little argument that globalization is now a major characteristic of our daily lives. Identity had its beginnings in psychology and was then superimposed upon social systems, thereby explicating local, regional and national identities: Who are we? We are like those people, but unlike those other people.  When considering complex concepts, we need to ask appropriate questions of both parents and their children (due to socialization). In the research study described in this paper, two sample data sets from Japan were used (N = 2,164), both employing an identical questionnaire: (a) a nationwide survey of parents and their children aged 15 through 17; and (b) a nationwide survey of adults. The two stage stratified sampling method was used.  The study revealed that Japanese children had more positive and open‐minded attitudes toward “others” than did their parents and older adult groups. One's generation has an important impact on national identity among the Japanese. The findings also indicate that Japan is not a nation‐state in which national identity plays a particularly significant role. The study also suggested numerous opportunities for future research.

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Language is an unquestionable prerequisite for human communication. As such the study of language is intrinsic to sociology. This paper explores briefly the importance of language study to sociology. The apparent dominance of English as the international language is discussed in some detail. The paper's principal focus is to examine cross-national attitudes about English as the international language of non-English language speaking peoples and of peoples who speak English only as a foreign language. Extensive empirical findings about these attitudes are examined in an effort to predict the future direction of the spread of English as international language. Though many of the findings suggest extraordinary levels of ambivalence about English as international language, the results suggest many opportunities for further study.