Psychological vulnerabilities and environment influences are the most powerful forces shaping the behavior and choices of students to use harmful substances. This book employs computer-assisted Associative Group Analysis technology of comparative imaging and cognitive mapping to identify these factors and offers new perspectives for more comprehensive risk assessments and effective prevention.

Based on a comparative analysis of Chinese and American students, this unique study offers insights into the contemporary views and values developed in three different socio-political settings-the post-modern, industrial environment of the United States; the socialistic environment of the People's Republic of China; and the developing free market of Taiwan. Empirical data reveal previously uncharted dimensions of cultural similarities, differences, and the effects of different economic and social systems on people's perceptions of their world and major contemporary problems.