Amae Information

Amae ( Japanese 甘 え, about: Anlehnung) is a term from the Nihonjinron (Japanese 日本人 論). It is a central term in the work of Takeo Doi, who has shaped and popularized it. Amae denotes the simultaneous desire for security and dependence. In other words, the phenomenon denotes the urge to "crumple into the arms of a loved one to be coddled and comforted." Takeo Doi defines amae as "an emotion that takes the other person's love for granted." ^[1]

Amae in childhood

Amae is a need for dependence between mother and child. Due to the child's need for protection, there is a natural dependence on the mother. The moment the child recognizes the mother as a separate individual, it develops the need to be loved by the mother. ^[2]

Amae in adults

According to Takeo Doi, adult Japanese and Western individuals differ in their interaction with one another through a different need for Amae. This different need arises from differences in society and education.

The differences leads Takeo Doi back to the stronger yearning of the Japanese for Amae. While individual freedom is a high priority in Western societies, Japanese society is shaped by the individual's desire for security in each group (Japanese uchi 内, such as: Inside ) and differentiation from other groups (Japanese soto 外, such as: Outside ). ^[3]

The cause of these differences are social developments that go back millennia:

• In Japanese society: The superior of a group (for example, the Tennō or the boss of a company) depends on the support of the members of the group (e.g., the counselors , the people, the employees of the company). The support is repaid by assuming responsibility by the higher-being (jap. Hohitsu, 輔弼, such as: Support ). ^[4]
• In Western societies: Christianity's strong appreciation of the individual and personal responsibility for one's actions against God. ^[5]

Takeo Doi sees Amae as an explanation for many of the characteristics of Japanese society: ^[6]

• There is a high sense of responsibility towards members of your own group, for example B. the family or the company.
• Thanks and appreciation in your own group are a matter of course. There is a high degree of confidence in the appreciation of the members of the own group, even if this is not explicitly stated.
• Individuals who are outside their own group are ignored.
• Gifts or donations to outsiders lead to obligations.

Literature

• Takeo Doi: Amae - freedom in security. On the structure of the Japanese psyche. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt 1982, ISBN 3-518-11128-0.
• Takeo Doi: The Anatomy of Dependence. Kodansha, New York 2014, ISBN 978-1-56836-551-0.
• Takeo Doi: Amae: A Key Concept for Understanding the Japanese Personality Structure. In: Ulrich Menzel (ed.): In the Shadow of the Winner: Japan. Volume 1: Culture and Society. Frankfurt on the Main 1989, pp. 98-110.
• Kazuo Kato: "Functions and structure of amae: personality-social, cognitive, and cultural psychological approaches." Kyushu 2005.

See also

• Affectionate current
• Self-object

References

Self-object Information

• Hanna Segal (2018). Introduction to the Work of Melanie Klein. Taylor & Francis. ISBN  978-0-429-91519-2.
• Smith, S. (2007). Exploring the relationship between selfobject needs and parental bonding.
• Peter A. Lessem (2005). Self Psychology: An Introduction. Jason Aronson, Incorporated. ISBN  978-1-4616-3064-7.
• Allen M. Siegel (2008). Heinz Kohut and the Psychology of the Self. Routledge. ISBN  978-1-134-88392-9.
• Marshall L. Silverstein (1999). Self Psychology and Diagnostic Assessment: Identifying Selfobject Functions Through Psychological Testing. Routledge. ISBN  978-1-135-69036-6.
• Eda Goldstein (2010). Object Relations Theory and Self Psychology in Soc. Simon and Schuster. pp. 79–. ISBN  978-1-4516-0318-7.
• Douglas Detrick; Susan Detrick; Arnold Goldberg (2014). Self Psychology: Comparisons and Contrasts. Taylor & Francis. pp. 67–. ISBN  978-1-317-77164-7.