Explores the origins of Japanese psychology through the contributions of pioneering individuals, charting cross-cultural connections, commonalities, and the changing definition of human nature

This study reveals the complex combination of cultural particularity and modern universality that underlies the reality of contemporary Japan. The work uses sources such as popular works of art, song, best-selling books and the advice columns of newspapers to draw a striking portrait of the Japanese public. Focussing on the four main phases of modernizing and modernized Japan beginning in the nineteenth century and continuing to today’s postmodern society, this groundbreaking work uses quantitative and qualitative data to show that the processes of modernization brought a coexistence of generational variation imbued with tensions, conflicts and synergies, that, taken together, provide the key to understanding the structure and dynamism of contemporary Japan.

Through a focus on the contributions of pioneers such as Motora Yujiro (1858–1912) and Matsumoto Matataro (1865–1943), this book explores the origins of Japanese psychology, charting cross-cultural connections, commonalities, and the transition from religious–moralistic to secular–scientific definitions of human nature. Emerging at the intersection of philosophy, pedagogy, physiology, and physics, psychology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries confronted the pressures of industrialization and became allied with attempts to integrate individual subjectivities into larger institutions and organizations. Such social management was accomplished through Japan's establishment of a schooling system that incorporated psychological research, making educational practices both products of and the driving force behind changing notions of selfhood. In response to new forms of labor and loyalty, applied psychology led to or became implicated in personality tests, personnel selection, therapy, counseling, military science, colonial policies, and “national spirit.” The birth of Japanese psychology, however, was more than a mere adaptation to the challenges of modernity: it heralded a transformation of the very mental processes it claimed to be exploring. With detailed appendices, tables and charts to provide readers with a meticulous and thorough exploration of the subject and adopting a truly comparative perspective, The History of Japanese Psychology is a unique study that will be valuable to students and scholars of Japanese intellectual history and the history of psychology.

A challenging examination of Japanese war crimes during World War II offers a fresh perspective on the Pacific War-and a better understanding of reasons for the wartime use of extreme mass violence. The 1937 Rape of Nanjing has become a symbol of Japanese violence during the Second World War, but it was not the only event during which the Japanese used extreme force. This thought-provoking book analyzes Japan's actions during the war, without blaming Japan, helping readers understand what led to those eruptions. In fact, the author specifically disputes the idea that the forms of extreme violence used in the Pacific War were particularly Japanese. The volume starts by examining the Rape of Nanjing, then goes on to address Japan's acts of individual and collective violence throughout the conflict. Unlike other works on the subject, it combines historical, sociological, and psychological perspectives on violence with a specific study of the Japanese army, seeking to define the reasons for the use of extreme violence in each particular case. Both a historical survey and an explanation of Japanese warfare, the book scrutinizes incidents of violence perpetrated by the Japanese vis-à-vis theories that explore the use of violence as part of human nature. In doing so, it provides far-reaching insights into the use of collective violence and torture in war overall, as well as motivations for committing atrocities. Finally, the author discusses current political implications stemming from Japan's continued refusal to acknowledge its war-time actions as war crimes.

"This book addresses a fundamental question - the universality of human nature ... Drawing upon work with patients and therapists in both India and Japan, he describes the profound difference between the Western individualized self and the familial self so central to Asian culture ... Of particular value is Roland's sensitive treatment of the evolving identity of women in the two cultures, as well as his exploration of the deeply significant spiritual self, a topic that is largely neglected in Western theory and practice."--Choice.

The science and practice of psychology has evolved around the world on different trajectories and timelines, yet with a convergence on the recognition of the need for a human science that can confront the challenges facing the world today. Few would argue that the standard narrative of the history of psychology has emphasized European and American traditions over others, but in today's global culture, there is a greater need in psychology for international understanding. This volume describes the historical development of psychology in countries throughout the world. Contributors provide narratives that examine the political and socioeconomic forces that have shaped their nations' psychologies. Each unique story adds another element to our understanding of the history of psychology. The chapters in this volume remind us that there are unique contexts and circumstances that influence the ways in which the science and practice of psychology are assimilated into our daily lives. Making these contexts and circumstances explicit through historical research and writing provides some promise of greater international insight, as well as a better understanding of the human condition.

This book examines the phenomenon of social withdrawal in Japan, which ranges from school non-attendance to extreme forms of isolation and confinement, known as hikikomori. Based on extensive original research including interview research with a range of practitioners involved in dealing with the phenomenon, the book outlines how hikikomori expresses itself, how it is treated and dealt with and how it has been perceived and regarded in Japan over time. The author, a clinical psychologist with extensive experience of practice, argues that the phenomenon although socially unacceptable is not homogenous, and can be viewed not as a mental disorder, but as an idiom of distress, a passive and effective way of resisting the many great pressures of Japanese schooling and of Japanese society more widely. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781351260800, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CCBY-NC-ND) licence.

* When and under what influences did scientific psychology originate in different parts of the world? * What are the intra- and international/regional sources of influence that have affected its development into the present form? These questions were applied to three regions and three countries, which were as follows (the names of the authors in charge are in parentheses): Latin American countries (Juan Jose Sanchez-Soza, Mexico), Scandinavian countries (Ingvar Lundberg, Sweden), German-speaking countries (Lothar Sprung, Germany), Spain (Helio Carpintero, Spain), China (Qicheng Jing and Fu Xiaolan, China), and Japan (Tadasu Oyama, Japan). Visual presentations, including maps of these regions/countries, tables showing the pedigrees of scientific psychology, and chronological tables with names of psychologists and affiliations, illustrate the stream of influences both temporally and spatially. These figures and tables are also used to look forward to the psychology of the 21st century. This special issue is based on the symposium held at XXVII International Congress of Psychology in Stockholm in 2000.logy of the 21st century. This special issue is based on the symposium held at XXVII International Congress of Psychology in Stockholm in 2000.

The abstracts of the XXX International Congress of Psychology (July 2012, Cape Town) are published as a supplement to Volume 47 of the International Journal of Psychology. The published volume includes the abstracts of the invited addresses, symposia, oral and poster presentations, numbering over 5,000 separate contributions and creating an invaluable overview of the discipline of psychological science around the world today.