Second Flight

Japanese sociological and psychological phenomena really interest me. Most of our psychological disorders are measured through Western views and culture, which is fairly individualistic. For example, some theories stem from the idea that people seek to individualize themselves from the norm. Could this be applied to Asian cultures as well? Most Asian cultures value conformity and collectivistic values, so I doubt those theories would work too well when applied.

Psychology has a prejudice towards Western thoughts and ideas. I suppose this is because most of the major theorists in psychology come from a Western background. And, as I've learned, most of theories are made within the framework of their environment. For example, Freud based a lot of his ideas due to the circumstances of his life. The same goes with behaviorism, in that its influences come from Darwin and his theory of evolution. Recently, the human brain has been compared to a computer, thus leading to studies in cognitive psychology. Psychology is highly influenced by the zeitgeist of the time.

I guess my point is that current psychological theories are not enough to accommodate the needs of other cultures. In looking at hikikimori and taijin kyofusho, such things as humanism or psycho-analysis might not be enough. We need to look at things through a cultural perspective, acknowledging that culture defines a large part of our identity and deeper mental processes. By applying a cultural perspective to existing psychological theories, what kind of effect would it have?

I do wonder if this would apply to everyone though. What about those that claim they have no culture? Is it possible to have no culture at all?

The field of cultural psychology is fairly recent, and I'm interested in doing research in the field. Maybe one day.