An Empirical Study on Values of Japanese Office Workers : In Comparison with Youth Culture

众所周知，“私利”和“偏爱”是当代日本年轻人的两大价值观，尤其是在大学生中。大学生大多将成为上班族，他们是个人主义的，因为他们寻找机会赚更多的钱，获得更高的社会地位，也因为他们渴望享受生活。另一方面，日本企业被认为是相当集体主义的。该公司需要员工为公司的成功做出很大贡献。奇怪的是，办公室职员似乎接受了这一要求，并心甘情愿地努力工作。大学生个人主义与前大学生上班族的集体主义有很大的不同。大学生如何能如此迅速地转变自己？为了弄清日本年轻人快速自我转变的过程，我们采访了几名上班族和十几名大学生，并进行了问卷调查，对关西地区一所大学的633名大四学生进行了问卷调查。调查结果如下：1.大学俱乐部是当代日本大学生的主要关注点，他们在三年级之前从不考虑自己未来的人生道路。2大三后，他们的关注点转移到了找工作上。在这种情况下，从自身利益出发采取行动意味着要符合公司的要求。因为如果他们不顺从，他们就会失去机会。这种从众会持续数年，直到他们逐渐形成集体主义态度。

As is well known, 'self-interest' , and 'preference' are the two dominant values among contemporary Japanese youth, especially among college students. College students, most of whom will become office workers, are individualistic in that they are looking for opportunities to earn more money and to attain higher social status, and also in that they are eager to enjoy themselves. On the other hand, Japanese companies are said to be rather collectivistic. The company requires its workers to contribute largely to the company's success. And oddly enough, office workers seem to accept the requirement and to work hard willingly. There is a great difference between the college students' individualism and the ex-college students office workers' collectivism. How can college students transform themselves so quickly?To clarify the process of the quick self-transformation of the Japanese youth, we interviewed several office workers and a dozen of college students, and also conducted a survery research, which asked 633 senior students of a college in Kansai area. Findings are as follows.1 College clubs are a primary focus for contemporary Japanese college students, who never think of their future life course until they become junior.2 Being junior, their focus moves to getting a job. Their activities come to be detaermined by self-interest.3 In the circumstances, to act from self-interest means to conform to the company's demands. For if they don't conform, they lose their chances. The conformity lasts for years, until they come to acquire collectivistic attitudes.