A review of prior studies showing that Koreans see self-regulation — effort and will — as the key to achievement, while they perceive ability as closer to luck and fate.
An Indigenous Psychological Analysis of Koreans' Achievement Consciousness and Attributional Style
한국인의 성취의식과 귀인양식에 대한 토착심리학적 분석
QUESTION
Through a synthesis of indigenous-psychology research, what distinctive psychological and behavioral traits do Koreans show in their achievement consciousness and attributional style?
FINDINGS
Koreans think self-regulation — effort, will, perseverance — is the most important factor for success in life.
한국 사람들이 인생에서의 성공 을 위해 자기조절을 가장 중요한 요소로 생각한다는 사실이다…the fact that Koreans regard self-regulation as the most important factor for success in life.p5노력이나 의지력 및 인내와 같은 개념들이 핵심적인 의미를 구성하고 있다…concepts such as effort, willpower, and perseverance make up its core meaning.p7Regardless of age or gender, academic achievement served as a crucial yardstick for success or failure in life.
남녀노소를 불문하고 학업에서의 성취는 인생의 성공이나 실패를 결정하는 매우 중요한 기준 으로 작용하고 있음을 알 수 있다…for Koreans, regardless of sex or age, academic achievement works as a very important criterion that determines success or failure in life.p10Unlike in Western theory, Koreans saw “ability” not as an internal factor like effort but as something beyond one's control, like fate or luck.
능력귀인은 노력귀인과 동일한 속성의 내부귀 인이라기 보다 운명이나 운귀인과 같은 통제불가능한 원인으로서의 개념적 속성을 갖고 있고…ability attribution has the conceptual properties not of an internal attribution of the same kind as effort attribution, but of an uncontrollable cause like fate or luck attribution…p21노력 과 능력이 서양의 귀인이론에서 는의되고 있는 바와 같이 내부귀인으로서 동질적인 속성을 지니고 있다기 보다는…rather than effort and ability sharing the same nature as internal attributions, as discussed in Western attribution theory…p24Honor scholarship students attributed their academic success to other people's help more than students on academic probation did.
성적우수 장학생이 학사경고자보다 학 업에서의 성공을 더욱 타인의 도움에 귀인하였으며Honor scholarship students attributed academic success more to the help of others than students on academic probation did…p22IN DAILY LIFE
When intergenerational conflict arises, adolescents, adults, and older people alike most often grit their teeth and swallow it, or try to manage their own mood.
꾹 참고 속 으로 삭힌다든가 자기의 기분을 조절하려고 노력하는…such as gritting one's teeth and swallowing it inside, or trying to control one's own mood…p8청소년이든 성인이든 노 인이든 세대갈등에 대한 대처양식으로서…whether adolescents, adults, or the elderly, as a way of coping with generational conflict…p8자기조절적인 방식을 다른 대처방식보다도 가장 많이 사용하였다…used self-regulatory ways more than any other coping style.p8Feeling “sorry” (joesong, 죄송) when falling short of parents' or teachers' expectations.
기가 부모의 교사 등 의미있는 타인의 기대에 미치지 못하였을 때, 죄송한 마음을 갖는 경향이 보인다…when they fall short of the expectations of significant others such as parents and teachers, they tend to feel sorry.p23In depth
This paper, more closely — every sentence carries an original quote and page number.
Background
The study starts from the view that not only uniquely Korean concepts like jeong (정), han (한), and chemyeon (체면), but also general psychological concepts like achievement and stress, should be re-examined with indigenous-psychology premises and methods.
보편적으로 심리학에서 다루는 개념들(psychologicai concept)을 토착심리학적인 전제와 방법으로 다루는 것도 중요하다고 보았다…held that it is also important to treat the concepts psychology generally deals with using indigenous-psychological premises and methods.p5정, 한, 체면과 같은 토 착적인 개념(ind:genous concept)을 연구하는 것이 기본 적으로 중요하지만…studying indigenous concepts such as jeong, han, and chemyeon is basically important, but…p5성취, 스트레스, 지기(se坳와 같이 심리학에서 일반적으로 다루고 있는 개념들…concepts generally dealt with in psychology, such as achievement, stress, and the self…p5Attribution theory, which began in the West and developed into a theory of how people attribute academic success and failure, has accepted without question that ability and effort are both “internal” causes.
능력과 노력이 내부귀인으로 포함되는 것은 의문없이 수용되어 왔다…that ability and effort are included as internal attributions has been accepted without question.p19그동안 서양에서 출발한 귀인이론은 교육심리학 분야에서 학업성취에 대한 성패귀인이론으로 발전하 였으며Attribution theory, which began in the West, developed in educational psychology into a theory of success–failure attributions for academic achievement…p19Method
Not an empirical study collecting new data, but a review synthesizing the literature, centered on the author's own indigenous-psychology studies.
경험과학적인 자료수집 과 분석을 시도한 실증연구가 아니며, 관련 문헌들올 중심으로 검토하고 분석하였다…is not an empirical study attempting empirical data collection and analysis, but reviewed and analyzed the relevant literature.p25최근에 필자가 한국인의 토착 심리와 관련하여 관심을 갖고 다양한 주제로 연구한 결과들을 종합적으로 정리하여…comprehensively organized the results of studies the author recently conducted on various topics related to Korean indigenous psychology…p25최근에 토착심리학적 접근을 통해 분석 한 한국인의 성공의식 실패의식 미래성취의식에 관한 결과를 중심으로 선행연구 결과를 종합하므로써…by synthesizing prior research centered on recent indigenous-psychology analyses of Koreans' sense of success, failure, and future achievement…p23이 연구에서는 귀인양식의 개념 구조와 발달에 대한 분석 및 귀인과 성취에 관련된 선행연구들을 정리하였다…this study reviewed analyses of the conceptual structure and development of attributional style and prior studies on attribution and achievement.p24이러한 반응경향성은 학생이 나 성인, 남자나 여자 모두 동일하였다This response tendency was the same for students and adults, men and women.p7Detailed findings
The self-regulation Koreans speak of is a concept represented by effort and will.
자기조절이란 노력과 의지로 대표되는 개념임을 알 수 있다…we can see that self-regulation is a concept represented by effort and will.p7Self-regulation was named the most important factor not only for study but also for career success, good relationships, self-development, and leisure.
직업에서의 성공, 성공적인 인간관 계, 만족스러운 자기개발 및 여가활동을 위해서도 자 기조절은 가장 중요한 요인이었다…self-regulation was the most important factor also for success at work, successful relationships, and satisfying self-development and leisure.p7성취 영역별로도 일관성있게 나타났다. 즉 학업성취를 위 해서 뿐만 아니라…appeared consistently across achievement domains as well: not only for academic achievement but…p7Although stress experiences differed greatly before and after the IMF crisis, students and adults consistently coped through self-regulation, such as enduring and accepting.
IMF시대 전후에 한국 인의 스트레스와 관련된 경험이 매우 다름에도 불구 하고, 한국 학생과 성인은 일관된 대처방식을 나타내 었다Although Koreans' stress-related experiences were very different before and after the IMF era, Korean students and adults showed a consistent coping style.p7즉 기분전환을 위해 노력한다든가, 참고 수용하…such as trying to change one's mood or enduring and accepting…p7About 4 in 10 Koreans named poor grades in school or failing university entrance as the most painful failure of their lives.
한국 사람 들 10명 중의 약 4명 정도는 인생에서 가장 고통스러 운 실패로 학창시절의 나쁜 성적이나 대학입학에서의 실패를 인식한다…about 4 out of 10 Koreans perceive poor grades in school or failure in university entrance as the most painful failure in life.p10Both students (34.9%) and adults (27.1%) most often named their parents as the people who most helped their achievements.
학생(34.9%)과 성인(27.1%) 모 두 부모를 가장 많이 지적하였다Both students (34.9%) and adults (27.1%) pointed to parents most often.p12그동안 살아오면서 개인의 성취에 가장 도움이 된 사람으로서As the person who most helped their achievement over the course of their lives…p12Whether for past or future achievement, Koreans valued emotional support — encouragement, praise, comfort — most among the help they receive from others.
과거의 성취결과이 든 미래의 성취를 위해서든 한국 사람들은 사희적 지 원으로 정서적 지원을 가장 중요하게 생각하고 있음…whether for past achievement or future achievement, Koreans regard emotional support as the most important social support.p13그동안의 성취를 위해 다른 사람에게 받은 도움의 내용으로As the kind of help received from others for past achievements…p13격 려와 칭찬(11.1%), 정신적 도움(9.3%), 자신감을 심어 줌(4.2%), 사랑(3.8%), 위안/위로…encouragement and praise (11.1%), mental support (9.3%), instilling confidence (4.2%), love (3.8%), comfort/consolation…p13For Korean adults, a successful family life is closely tied to their children's achievement; they tend to think of family as centered on the parent–child relationship, pouring energy into children, rather than on the marriage.
가정을 배우자와의 부 부관계를 중심으로 생각하기 보다는 자녀에 대해 많 은 에너지를 투자하는 부모자녀관계 중심으로 생각하 는 경향…a tendency to think of the family as centered on the parent–child relationship, investing much energy in children, rather than on the marital relationship with one's spouse.p15그런데 여기에서 성공적인 가정생활은 자녀의 성공적 인 성취와 밀접히 관련되어 있다는 사실에 주목할 필 요가 있다Here it should be noted that a successful family life is closely tied to the children's successful achievement.p15From elementary school to university, effort attribution fell and ability and luck attributions rose, yet effort attribution remained the highest consistently across school levels.
학교수준별 집단에 따른 변화에도 불구하고 노력귀인이 가장 높은 값을 나타내는 현상이 일관되게 나타났다Despite these changes across school levels, the phenomenon of effort attribution showing the highest value appeared consistently.p17학생들의 능력귀인은 초 중등학생에서 고등학생 대학생으로 됨에 따라 증가하는 경향이며…students' ability attribution tends to increase from elementary and middle school to high school and university…p17또한 초등학생에서 대학생으로 될 수록 운이나 운명에 대한 귀인이 증가하였다Also, from elementary school to university, attributions to luck and fate increased.p17초등학생에서 대학생으로 연령이 증 가함에 따라 노력귀인이나 내적통제신념은 하강적인 변화를 보였고…as age increased from elementary school to university, effort attribution and internal locus of control showed a downward change…p17Authors’ interpretation
Koreans' emphasis on emotional support for achievement and coping appears closely tied to Korean simjeong (심정) psychology.
의미있는 타인으로부터의 정서적 지원을 중요 하게 인식하는 결과는, 한국인의 심정심리와도 밀접 히 관련되는 것으로 보인다The finding that Koreans regard emotional support from significant others as important appears closely related to Koreans' simjeong psychology.p13이와 같은 정서적 지원의 중요성은 성취관련 상황 에서 뿐만 아니라 스트레스 상황에서도 동일한 것으 로 확인되있다This importance of emotional support was confirmed not only in achievement situations but also in stressful situations.p13That high achievers credit success more to external causes like other people contradicts a general assumption of success–failure attribution theory and calls for a cultural explanation.
높은 성취자가 성공을 타인과 같은 외부귀(인에 더욱 귀인한다는 결 과는 성패귀인이론의 일반적인 가정과 불일치하는 것The finding that high achievers attribute success more to external causes such as others is inconsistent with the general assumptions of success–failure attribution theory.p22이며, 문화적인 시각에서 설명-도떠야 할 필요가 있다…and needs to be explained from a cultural perspective.p22Citing prior work (Park and Kim), the author notes that self-regulation drove Korea's remarkable development, yet its overemphasis was also named a decisive factor in the IMF bailout crisis.
결정적인 요인으 로 자기조절에 대한 지나친 강조를 들었다…cited excessive emphasis on self-regulation as a decisive factor.p24park과 YGm(1999)은 한국사회가 이렇게 놀라운 발 전이 가능했던 이유로, 자기조절이 가장 중요한 심리 적 요인임을 지적하였다Park and Kim (1999) pointed out self-regulation as the most important psychological factor behind Korea's remarkable development.p241997년 12월부터 시작한 11vF구제금융을 받을 수 밖에 없었 던 국가적 위기 상황…the national crisis that forced Korea to take the IMF bailout starting in December 1997…p24Limits the authors note
The review could not comprehensively cover all studies on Koreans' achievement consciousness and attributional style.
국인의 성취의식과 귀인양식과 관련된 모든 연구들을 종합적으로 정리하지 못한 점은, 이 연구의 제한점으 로 남아 있다Not having comprehensively organized all studies related to Koreans' achievement consciousness and attributional style remains a limitation of this study.p25The analysis is only a starting point that synthesizes a few studies; more empirical data are needed to revise its conclusions.
분석은 그동안의 몇몇 연구를 종합하는 하나의 출발 에 불과하다The analysis here is merely a starting point that synthesizes a few studies.p25앞으로 한국인의 성취의식과 귀인양식 에 관련된 더 많은 실증적 자료의 누적과 더불어In the future, along with accumulating more empirical data on Koreans' sense of achievement and attributional style…p25연구에서 분석한 결과들을 수정하고 누적해 나가는 작업이 계속적으로 요구된다…the work of revising and accumulating the results analyzed in this study is continually required.p26Key terms
Self-regulation (jagi-jojeol, 자기조절) A concept grouping effort, willpower, and perseverance — what Koreans name as causes of success, failure, and future achievement.
노력이나 의지력 및 인내와 같은 개념들이 핵심적인 의미를 구성하고 있다…concepts such as effort, willpower, and perseverance make up its core meaning.p7과거의 성공이 나 실패의 원인으로서 또한 미래성취를 위한 요인으 로서 자기조절은Self-regulation, as a cause of past success or failure and as a factor for future achievement…p7Uncontrollable factor (tongje-bulga yoin, 통제불가요인) A factor grouping attributions — ability, fate, luck, others' influence — that share the trait of being beyond an individual's control.
이들 변인들의 공통점은 개인의 통제 가 불가능한 속성을 지니고 있다고 할 수 있다What these variables have in common can be said to be the property of being uncontrollable by the individual.p21반면에 능력은 의집단영향 내집단지 원 외적통제신념 운 운명과 동일한 요인에 부하되었 다By contrast, ability loaded on the same factor as out-group influence, in-group support, external locus of control, luck, and fate.p21따라서 전자를 자기조절요인, 후자를 통제불가 요인으로 명명하는 것이 가능하다Thus the former can be named the self-regulation factor and the latter the uncontrollable factor.p21Education fever (gyoyungnyeol, 교육열) A concept covering both the aspiration for education and the actual investment made in it (following the definition by Kim Young-hwa and colleagues).
교육에 대해 가지고 있는 열망과 실제로 교육을 위해 투입하 는 행위…the aspiration one holds toward education and the actions actually invested for education.p12김영화 이인효와 박현정(1993)은 교육열을Kim Young-hwa, Lee In-hyo, and Park Hyun-jung (1993) defined education fever…p12