REVIEWS

Filial Piety and the Development of Teenagers: From the Perspective of Dual Filial Piety

  • XU Ning ,
  • YU Lin
Expand
  • Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
*YU Lin, yulin@swu.edu.cn

Online published: 2026-10-23

Abstract

Filial piety, as a core value in Chinese culture, exerts a profound influence on adolescent development. The prevailing theoretical framework in current research—the dual filial piety model—proposes that traditional filial piety consists of two distinct dimensions: reciprocal filial piety and authoritarian filial piety.However, whether these two forms of filial piety exert similar effects on adolescent development remains an open question.This paper aims to comprehensively review existing research on the impact of dual filial piety on adolescent development and to reveal the differential effects of reciprocal and authoritarian filial piety and their possible underlying causes. The findings indicate that reciprocal filial piety significantly promotes adolescents' psychological well-being and academic achievement, primarily through enhancing adolescents' perceived emotional support, facilitating parent-child interaction, and increasing academic autonomy. Authoritarian filial piety, in contrast, exhibits a complex dual influence on adolescent development. On the one hand, it can exert a protective effect by strengthening adolescents' sense of family responsibility. On the other hand, the perceived excessively high authority expectations may suppress adolescents' autonomy, leading to psychological distress and behavioral problems. Future research should expand sample diversity, employ longitudinal designs, and conduct more nuanced analyses of multivariate interactions and mediating mechanisms to further elucidate the impact and psychological pathways of dual filial piety on adolescent development. Such efforts will contribute to optimizing filial piety education practices and fostering the holistic development of young individuals.

Cite this article

XU Ning , YU Lin . Filial Piety and the Development of Teenagers: From the Perspective of Dual Filial Piety[J]. Psychological Communications, 2026 , 9(1) : 41 -49 . DOI: 10.12100/j.issn.2096-5494.226008

References

[1] 白洁. (2021). 青少年父母教养方式与抑郁症状的关系 (硕士学位论文). 华中师范大学, 武汉.
[2] 陈丽香. (2007). 中学生对孝道的态度与家庭亲密度的相关研究 (硕士学位论文).西南大学, 重庆.
[3] 崔慧旭. (2016). 大学生孝道信念与幸福感的关系研究:亲子关系的中介作用 (硕士学位论文). 东北师范大学, 长春.
[4] 郭筱琳, 秦欢, 罗良. (2021). 父母孝道信念与小学生孝道信念的关系:父母教育卷入的中介作用及家庭结构的差异.心理与行为研究, 19(2), 258.
[5] 郭筱琳, 张艺凡, 关岳琳, 罗良. (2025). 亲子孝道观念冲突与青少年子女抑郁的关系.心理学报, 57(1), 58-70.
[6] 金灿灿, 邹泓, 余益兵. (2011). 中学生孝道信念的特点及其与亲子依恋和人际适应的关系.心理发展与教育, 27(6), 619-624. doi:10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2011.06.001.
[7] 李启明, 陈志霞, 徐海燕. (2016). 父母的教养方式及性别对孝道代际传递的影响.心理学探新, 36(4), 358-364.
[8] 杨子硕, 孙配贞. (2022). 青少年双元孝道信念与情绪行为问题的关系.校园心理, 20(1), 59-61. doi:10.19521/j.cnki.1673-1662.2022.01.011
[9] 姚金娟, 韦雪艳, 耿庆岭, 孙晓培, 许慧, 戚亚慧. (2016). 中学生的社交自我知觉与自尊在双元孝道与生活满意度的中介效应.中国心理卫生杂志, 30(8), 593-599.
[10] 余益兵, 贡翀, 于家伟. (2023). 家庭孝道传统对农村青少年积极情绪适应的链式中介模型——基于变量中心和个体中心的分析视角.集美大学学报(教育科学版), 24(6), 35-49.
[11] Azizy, A. H., & Febriani, A. (2024). Pathways to filial piety from perceived parental authoritarianism:Perceived behavioral and psychological control as mediators.Curr Psychol, 43(24), 21046-21056.
[12] Bedford, O., & Yeh, K. H. (2021). Evolution of the conceptualization of filial piety in the global context:From skin to skeleton.Front Psychol, 12, 570547. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.570547
[13] Bengtson, V. L., & Roberts, R. E. (1991). Intergenerational solidarity in aging families:An example of formal theory construction.J Marriage Fam, 53, 856-870.
[14] Camras L. A., Sun K., Fraumeni B. R., & Li Y. (2017). Interpretations of parenting by Mainland Chinese and U.S. American children.Parenting, 17(4), 262-280. doi:10.1080/15295192.2017.1369330
[15] Chao, R. K. (1994). Beyond parental control and authoritarian parenting style:Understanding Chinese parenting through the cultural notion of training.Child Dev, 65(4), 1111-1119. doi:10.2307/1131308
[16] Chao, R. K. (2000). The parenting of immigrant Chinese and European American mothers:Relations between parenting styles, socialization goals, and parental practices.J Appl Dev Psychol, 21(2), 233-248. doi:10.1016/S0193-3973(99)00037-4
[17] Chen, W. W. (2014). The relationship between perceived parenting style, filial piety, and life satisfaction in Hong Kong.J Fam Psychol, 28(3), 308-314. doi:10.1037/a0036819
[18] Chen, W. W., & Ho, H. Z. (2012). The relation between perceived parental involvement and academic achievement:The roles of Taiwanese students' academic beliefs and filial piety.Int J Psychol, 47(4), 315-324. doi:10.1080/00207594.2011.630004
[19] Chen, W. W., & Wong, Y. L. (2014). What my parents make me believe in learning:The role of filial piety in Hong Kong students' motivation and academic achievement.Int J Psychol, 49(4), 249-256.
[20] Chen W. W., Wu C. W., & Yeh K. H. (2016). How parenting and filial piety influence happiness, parent-child relationships and quality of family life in Taiwanese adult children.J Fam Stud, 22(1), 80-96. doi:10.1080/13229400.2015.1027154
[21] Chen W. W., Wu C. W., Zhou Y., & Lo Y. J. (2020). A within-cultural comparison of filial piety beliefs among college students in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.Fam Relat Soc, 9(3), 361-381. doi:10.1332/204674319X15615536876902
[22] Chen W. W., Yan J. J., & Chen C. C. (2018). Lesson of emotions in the family:The role of emotional intelligence in the relation between filial piety and life satisfaction among Taiwanese college students.Asian J Soc Psychol, 21(1-2), 74-82. doi:10.1111/ajsp.12207
[23] Chow, S. S. Y., & Chu, M. H. T. (2007). The impact of filial piety and parental involvement on academic achievement motivation in Chinese secondary school students.Asian J Couns, 14(1-2), 91-124.
[24] Crittenden, P. M., & Dallos, R. (2009). All in the family:Integrating attachment and family systems theories.Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry, 14(3), 389-409. doi:10.1177/1359104509104048
[25] Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits:Human needs and the self-determination of behavior.Psychol Inq, 11(4), 227-268. doi:10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
[26] Diener E., Emmons R. A., Larsen R. J., & Griffin S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale.J Pers Assess, 49(1), 71-75. doi:10.1097/HTR.0000000000000004
[27] Dong, X., & Xu, Y. (2016). Filial piety among global Chinese adult children:A systematic review. Res Rev J Soc Sci, 2(1), 1-10.
[28] Dweck, C. S. (1986). Motivational processes affecting learning.Am Psychol, 41(10), 1040-1048. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.41.10.1040
[29] Elliot, A. J., & McGregor, H. A. (2001). A 2 × 2 achievement goal framework.J Pers Soc Psychol, 80(3), 501-519. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.80.3.501
[30] Guo, M., & Cao, Y. (2024). The relationship of parents' filial piety beliefs to their children's filial piety beliefs and mathematics performance.Asia Pac Educ Rev. doi:10.1007/s12564-024-10020-3
[31] Guo M., Wang L., Day J., & Chen Y. (2021). The relations of parental autonomy support, parental control, and filial piety to Chinese adolescents' academic autonomous motivation:A mediation model.Front Psychol, 12, 724675. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.724675
[32] Guo X., Li J., Niu Y., & Luo L. (2022). The relationship between filial piety and the academic achievement and subjective wellbeing of Chinese early adolescents:The moderated mediation effect of educational expectations.Front Psychol, 13. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.747296
[33] Han, X., & Cheung, M. (2024). The relationship between dual filial piety and mental disorders and symptoms among adolescents:A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies.Adolesc Res Rev, 10(1), 31-45. doi:10.1007/s40894-024-00234-2
[34] Hashimoto A.,& Ikels, C. (2005). Filial piety in changing Asian societies. In M. L. Johnson (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of age and ageing (pp. 437-442). Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511610714.046
[35] Hui E. K. P., Sun R. C. F., Chow S. S., & Chu M. H. (2011). Explaining Chinese students' academic motivation:Filial piety and self-determination.Educ Psychol, 31(3), 377-392. doi:10.1080/01443410.2011.559309
[36] Ikels, C. (2004). Filial piety:Practice and discourse in contemporary East Asia. Stanford University Press.
[37] Jen C. H., Chen W. W., & Wu C. W. (2019). Flexible mindset in the family:Filial piety, cognitive flexibility, and general mental health.J Soc Pers Relat, 36(6), 1715-1730. doi:10.1177/0265407518770912
[38] Knight G. P., Gonzales N. A., Saenz D. S., Bonds D. D., Germán M., Deardorff J., Roosa M. W., & Updegraff K. A. (2010). The Mexican American cultural values scale for adolescents and adults.J Early Adolesc, 30(3), 444-481. doi:10.1177/0272431609338178
[39] Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer.
[40] Leck, W. Q. (2024). I feel good because I give my parents allowance:The association between filial piety and positive mental health in Singapore (Doctoral dissertation, University of Exeter).
[41] Leung A. N., Wong S. S., Wong I. W., & McBride-Chang C. (2010). Filial piety and psychosocial adjustment in Hong Kong Chinese early adolescents.J Early Adolesc, 30(5), 651-667. doi:10.1177/0272431609341046
[42] Leung, J. T. (2020). Perceived parental sacrifice, filial piety and hopelessness among Chinese adolescents:A cross-lagged panel study.J Adolesc, 81, 39-51.
[43] Leung, J. T. Y., & Shek, D. T. L. (2016). Family functioning, filial piety and adolescent psycho-social competence in Chinese single-mother families experiencing economic disadvantage:Implications for social work.Br J Soc Work, 46(6), 1809-1827. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcv119
[44] Leung, J. T. Y., & Shek, D. T. L. (2024). Filial responsibilities and psychological wellbeing among Chinese adolescents in poor single-mother families:Does parental warmth matter? Front Psychol, 15. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1341428
[45] Li X., Zou H., Liu Y., & Zhou Q. (2014). The relationships of family socioeconomic status, parent-adolescent conflict, and filial piety to adolescents' family functioning in Mainland China.J Child Fam Stud, 23(1), 29-38. doi:10.1007/s10826-012-9683-0
[46] Nainee S., Tan S. A., Tan C. S., Gan S. W., & Tan J. P. (2021). Asian “guan” parenting and life satisfaction among adolescents in Malaysia:The mediating role of filial piety.Front Psychol, 12, 746540. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.746540
[47] Pan, Y., & Tang, R. (2021). The effect of filial piety and cognitive development on the development of adolescents' depressive symptoms:A longitudinal study.Front Psychol, 12, 751064. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.751064
[48] Sun P., Yang Z., Pan M., & Chen S. (2022). The effects of dual filial piety on life satisfaction among adolescents:The mediating role of basic psychological need satisfaction.Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 30(3), 588-594.
[49] Rao N., McHale J. P., & Pearson E. (2003). Links between socialization goals and child-rearing practices in Chinese and Indian mothers.Infant Child Dev, 12(5), 475-492. doi:10.1002/icd.341
[50] Różycka-Tran J., Jurek P., Truong T. K., & Olech M. (2021). The implications of filial piety in study engagement and study satisfaction:A Polish-Vietnamese comparison.Front Psychol, 11, 525034.
[51] Sabogal F., Marín G., Otero-Sabogal R., Marín B. V., & Perez-Stable E. J. (1987). Hispanic familism and acculturation:What changes and what doesn't? Hisp J Behav Sci, 9(4), 397-412.
[52] Shin, D. C., & Johnson, D. M. (1978). Avowed happiness as an overall assessment of the quality of life.Soc Indic Res, 5, 475-492.
[53] Song, X. (2022). The influence of authoritative parental filial piety on the intergenerational transmission of reciprocal filial piety.Adv Soc Sci, 11(1), 67-73. doi:10.12677/ASS.2022.111011
[54] Suárez-Orozco C., Motti-Stefanidi F., Marks A., & Katsiaficas D. (2018). An integrative risk and resilience model for understanding the adaptation of immigrant-origin children and youth.Am Psychol, 73(6), 781-796. doi:10.1037/amp0000265
[55] Sun P., Fan X., Sun Y., Jiang H., & Wang L. (2019). Relations between dual filial piety and life satisfaction:The mediating roles of individuating autonomy and relating autonomy.Front Psychol, 10, 2549. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02549
[56] Sun P., Liu B., Jiang H., & Qian F. (2016). Filial piety and life satisfaction among Chinese students:Relationship harmony as mediator.Soc Behav Pers, 44(11), 1927-1936. doi:10.2224/sbp.2016.44.11.1927
[57] Sun P., Yang Z., Jiang H., Chen W., & Xu M. (2023). Filial piety and meaning in life among late adolescents:A moderated mediation model.Child Youth Serv Rev, 147, 106837. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.106837
[58] Sun, Y. (2017). Among a hundred good virtues, filial piety is the first:Contemporary moral discourses on filial piety in urban China.Anthropol Q, 90(3), 771-799. doi:10.1353/anq.2017.0043
[59] Vu-Augier de Montgrémier M., Chen J., Zhang F., & Moro M. R. (2017). Anorexie masculine en Chine:Psychopathologie, facteurs culturels et transculturels.Evol Psychiatr, 82(1), 63-74. doi:10.1016/j.evopsy.2015.12.004
[60] Wei H., Ding H., Liu M., & He A. (2023). The relationship between filial piety belief and cyberbullying perpetration among Chinese university students:A conditional process analysis.Curr Psychol, 42(28), 24707-24716. doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03518-9
[61] Wu, C., & Chen, W. (2021). Mediating role of regulatory focus in the relation between filial piety and youths' life satisfaction and psychological distress.Asian J Soc Psychol, 24(4), 499-510.
[62] Wu, C. W., & Yeh, K. H. (2021). Self-sacrifice is not the only way to practice filial piety for Chinese adolescents in conflict with their parents.Front Psychol, 12, 661335. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.661335
[63] Yeh, K., & Bedford, O. (2003). A test of the dual filial piety model.Asian J Soc Psychol, 6(3), 215-228. doi:10.1046/j.1467-839X.2003.00122.x
[64] Yeh, K. H. (2014). Filial piety and autonomous development of adolescents in the Taiwanese family. In D. L. Poston Jr., W. S. Yang, & D. N. Farris (Eds.), The family and social change in Chinese societies(pp. 29-38). Springer. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7445-2_2
[65] Yeh K. H., Yi C. C., Tsao W. C., & Wan P. S. (2013). Filial piety in contemporary Chinese societies:A comparative study of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China.Int Sociol, 28(3), 277-296. doi:10.1177/0268580913484345
[66] Zhang, J., & Liu, E. Y. (2012). Confucianism and youth suicide in rural China.Rev Relig Res, 54(1), 93-111. doi:10.1007/s13644-011-0027-0
[67] Zhou J., Guo Q., & Xu R. (2020). Reciprocal filial piety facilitates academic success via autonomy:Generalizing findings in Chinese society to a global context.Front Psychol, 11, 69. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00069
Outlines

/

〈 〉