Lack of dream-capital among Korean youths: Rationally chosen or culturally forbidden?

• Main Authors: KIM, Seokho, KIM, Hongjung, LEE, Sangkyu, KIM, Eunji, GOWEN, Ohjae
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2018
• Subjects: Korean youth; dream; dream-capital; penetration; rational aspects of dreaming; hope; imagination; optimism; resilience; Asian Studies; Family, Life Course, and Society; Social Psychology and Interaction
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/4104; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/5363/viewcontent/02_Seokho_Kim_pvoa.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This paper attempts to provide empirical evidence in understanding the ways that contemporary youth pursue their dreams in Korea. This paper examines the rational aspect of "dreaming" or "non-dreaming" by employing two concepts: dream-capital and penetration. In this paper, dream-capital is conceptualized as a seed that facilitates the accumulation of other capitals. It is the total capacity to dream and is composed of four dimensions: imagination, hope, optimism and resilience. Penetration is defined as the "cognitive judgment about the (un)realizability of dream." It refers to the discrepancy that exists between judgment about the capacity, condition and qualification required to fulfill ones dream and judgment about the extent to which one thinks she is equipped with that capacity, condition and qualification. Penetration consists of four factors: individual traits, ascribed status, individual qualifications, and national/social conditions. By analyzing the "Korean Youth Values Survey" data, this paper first examines how the general level of dream-capital is influenced by the total penetration score. And then, it also investigates the effects of four types of penetration on four dimensions of dream-capital. The results confirm that dream-capital is strongly affected by penetration. The ability to penetrate insufficient resources in pursuing dreams leads to lowering of dream-capital. Second, penetration on ascribed status and societal factors are found to be important predictors of dream-capital. These results reveal that for youth, the judgment made on their ascribed status rather than judgements made on individual trait or qualification plays a more important role in promoting dream-capital. The results imply that dreams are pursued and formed in close relation to rational cognitions among Korean youth. Korean youth are more likely to have dreams for long-term future when they believe that those dreams can be realized. Dreams are then rationalized fantasies.