| The Japanese self-concept is said to be interdependent (Markus and Kitayama, 1991; Cross, 2000), situational (Hallpile, 1979; Luria, 1974/1976, Werner & Kaplan, 1956, Cousins, 1989; Cross, 2000), and collective (Hofstede, 1980). However, modern Japanese history reveals that social values have changed rapidly as the culture has undergone a transition amid the rapid cultural shifts of globalization. This study used a semi-structured interview to explore 18 Japanese teenagers' Sense of Self in an effort to understand the effects of this dramatic cultural transition on the Japanese self-concept.;The findings suggest that the conflict between individualistic and collectivistic values creates intense social anxieties that can contribute to ijime (bullying). At the same time, the results showed that their self-concepts could retain adaptive flexibility which can help them deal with such intense social anxiety. Clinical implication might be that acknowledging their inner conflict between independent and interdependent needs, trying to reframe ambivalence to resilience may help them to foster a healthy sense of self and inner strength which they need to deal with intense social anxiety without feelings of helplessness and shame.;The grounded theory approach used to analyze the data revealed significant inter-participant commonalities of self-concept with respect to this cultural transition: first, their self-concept showed strong characteristics of a collective and interdependent self; second, their self-concepts had not only interdependent, situational and collective aspects, but also independent, individualistic aspects. Conflicted areas of the self were experienced both in relation to emotional expression and in their value systems, where endorsements of both independence and group harmony led to inner and social conflicts. |
