Japanese Selves : Dynamics of Integration and Contradiction

本研究旨在从理论和实证两方面探讨日本人自我的本质，特别强调日本人自我有两个看似矛盾的方面的可能性。首先，我们提出了一个自我的集体建构理论，这表明许多不同的社会和文化中的每一个都在历史上构建和共享了一个关于人或自我的模型。这种自我的文化模式影响了文化中常见的世俗社会情境的具体特征。因为构成每个人自我的心理过程和结构是通过他或她积极努力适应由此构建的日常情境而形成的，所以这些心理过程和结构与自我的文化模式之间应该出现一定程度的对应。运用这一理论框架分析了日本人自我二重性的历史根源。因此，有人建议， ...更多信息 对自我的坚强和对他人的温柔，最好从日本本土的意识形态和气候，以及从亚洲大陆引进的思想和实践，如儒家和佛教（第一章）。其次，对这两种心理倾向进行了实证检验。结果表明，日本人倾向于过分强调自己的缺点和熟人的可取之处（第二章）。此外，我们指出，对他人的温柔的心是最好的同情的概念，然后，用这个概念来检查日本自我的人际功能。我们开发了一个旨在测量每个人的同情心理倾向的量表（第3章），并报告了同情心理倾向是参与相互同情的社会关系的一个方面的证据（第4章）。具体来说，我们发现，富有同情心的人不仅会给予可以被理解为同情的帮助和支持，而且他们也会从他人那里获得这种帮助和支持。少

This research project aimed to explore both theoretically and empirically the nature of Japanese selves, with a special emphasis on the possibility that Japanese selves have two seemingly contradictory aspects. First, we proposed a collective construction theory of the self, which suggests that each of many diverse societies and cultures has historically constructed and shared a model about the person or the self. Such a cultural model of the self influences specific characteristics of mundane social situations commonly available in the culture. Because psychological processes and structures that constitute each person's self are shaped through his or her active effort to adapt to the daily situations thus constructed, there should emerge a degree of correspondence between these psychological processes and structures and the cultural model of the self. This theoretical framework was used to analyze the historical origin of the dualistic nature of Japanese selves. Thus, it was suggested … More that both tough-mindedness to the self and tender-heartedness to others are best understood in terms of indigenous Japanese ideology and climate, as well as ideas and practices imported from the Asian continent such as Confucianism and Buddhism (Chapter 1). Next, these two psychological tendencies were empriically examined. It was demonstrated that Japanese subjects tend to over-emphasize both their own shortcomings their acquaintances' desirable attributes (Chapter 2). Further, we pointed out that the tender-heartedness to others is best captured by the notion of sympathy and, then, used this notion to examine interpersonal functions of the Japanese self. We developed a scale designed to measure each person's sympathetic psychological tendency (Chapter 3), and reported evidence that sympathetic psychological tendency is one aspect of participation in mutually sympathetic social relations (Chapter 4). Specifically, we showed that sympathetic individuals do not only give help and support that can be construed to be an expression of sympathy, but do they also receive such help and support from others. Less