Japanese vs. American Psychology

Stephanie-san

Japanese Psychology

After reading about “Ikuji”, the Japanese idealogy behind parenting, the concept of Japanese psychology medicine became an area of interest. Psychology class has taught me that children develop in phases, and American parenting methodology is based around psychological studies.  I immediately became interested in how the perspectives on psychological science differed based on culture. American and Japanese psychologists base their studies on different premises due to the differences in culture.

The American Psychological Association’s homepage immediately provides links to the different psychological diseases that are most often diagnosed in the United States (APA). For example, the link for the “stress” condition pages leads to a fact sheet on how to cope with and how to avoid feeling stressed (APA).  Similarly, the link for “anger” leads to another link named “controlling anger before it controls you” (APA).  This promotes the theory that American medicine centers about the idea of preventative medicine as well as treatment of diagnosed disease. The Morita School of Japanese study suggests, “Western medicine is largely based on the control and elimination of symptoms defined as abnormal, undesirable, or disabling” (Morita School). American Medicine falls into this “Western” methodology. Japanese psychologists maintain a different perspective on psychological studies.

“Japanese Psychology differs from traditional Western approaches in how it conceptualizes health” (Morita School). Japanese society takes conditions that we deem undesirable, and categorize them as passages in life (Morita School). “Let’s use depression as an example. In anyone’s lifetime there is a good chance that they will experience some degree of depression” (Morita School). With this theory in mind, Japanese psychology critiques American ideas, asking, “…what is wrong with trying to control these unpleasant events? This approach to life sets up unrealistic change agendas that become problematic when we encounter events beyond our control.” (Morita School). The Morita School of Japanese Psychology supports that scientific evidence suggests that, “people’s change agenda is often at the root of the problem. The more we try to control the uncontrollable, the more our attention gets trapped” (Morita School). These psychologists believe that the fixation on what Western society diagnoses as an illness, is what prevents the afflicted person from recovering (The Morita School). “The more we try to control the uncontrollable, the more our attention gets trapped. We turn our attention away from the basic activities that sustain us (self-care, relationships, and responsibilities) to deal with our feelings” (Morita School). Furthermore, Japanese psychology seems to suggest that difficulty is a natural part of life, but suffering from difficulties is optional. Consequently, the fixation in Western society on treatment of natural feelings may be what leads people to drug-use, eating disorders, and other forms of “risky behavior” (The Morita School). The “Todo” Insitiute reinforces the idea of “Mindfulness and Attention”, as the foundation for the human psyche (Todo).

The Todo Institute elaborates on the idea that attention is of the utmost importance for a healthy mind. Efficient use of attention “can improve concentration, our intimate relationships, our spiritual practice, and our overall mental health” (Todo). Todo even goes as far as to say “What’s at stake is nothing less than our experience of life itself” (Todo). The difference in emphasis on varying aspects of mentality demonstrates the cultural differences present between the United States and Japan.

The more I read and learn about Japanese culture, the greater the difference between Japanese and American mentalities becomes. The sentiment of a spiritual emphasis in Japanese culture has become increasingly apparent with furthering research. Consequently, the American focus on scientific thought processes has become evident. Americans look for answers to what we deem problems, while the Japanese seem to keep faith in the idea that problems are a part of life and do not always require a concrete solution. These realizations are supported by my research of Ikuji, Japanese Medicine, and Psychology.

Discussion Points:

1. Would you consider either method more valid?

2. Does this mean science is less fact than assumed and more up to interpretation?

Works Cited

"About JPA." The Japanese Psychological Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. <http://www.psych.or.jp/english/index.html>.

"American Psychological Association (APA)." American Psychological Association (APA). N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. <http://www.apa.org/>.

"JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGY." ABOUT THE MORITA SCHOOL. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. <http://moritaschool.com/content/japanese-psychology>.

"Mindfulness & Attention." Attention and Mindfulness. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. <http://www.todoinstitute.org/mindfulness-attention.html>.