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During emerging adulthood, individuals' subjective well-being declines owing to challenges regarding identity, work, and romantic relationships. Although the relationships among personality traits, self-construal, and well-being have been examined, studies have focused on personal rather than relational subjective well-being. Furthermore, self-construal's moderating effect on the relationship between personality traits and subjective well-being remains unclear. Therefore, this study examined the relationships among the Big-five personality traits and subjective well-being (life satisfaction, happiness, and interdependent happiness) and the moderating effect of self-construal among 1548 Japanese emerging adults (Mage = 22.24, SD = 1.01). Regression analysis indicated that all aspects of subjective well-being were negatively associated with neuroticism and positively associated with extraversion, independent and interdependent self-construal. Further, agreeableness was positively associated with personal and relational well-being. Independent or interdependent self-construal can moderate the relationships between neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness and subjective well-being. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights for improving Japanese emerging adults' well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This study aimed to clarify the components related to midwifery care for pregnant women's continued self-care for relieving "hiesho" (sensitivity to cold) at birth centers. Methods In total, 129 midwives working at birth centers for at least five years, handling deliveries across the country, and who provided support for pregnant women's self-care for relieving hiesho at prenatal checkups were selected for this study. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted. The main method of analysis was an exploratory factor analysis of midwifery care for pregnant women's continued self-care to relieve hiesho. This study was approved by the Ethical Review Committee of Yokohama City University and followed all relevant ethical considerations (approval number: F221000004). Results In total, 95 valid questionnaire survey responses were received (valid response rate 92.2%). The two items that were "always implemented" (response rate of >95%) for midwifery care of pregnant women's continued self-care for relieving hiesho were "Interacting with pregnant women to be aware of the presence of the fetus" and "Interacting with pregnant women so that they can have the desire to give birth on their own." The four components of midwifery care were as follows: (1) Promoting awareness while understanding pregnant women's thoughts of continuing self-care for hiesho, (2) Motivating pregnant women to start with self-care for hiesho that they can do, (3) Creating opportunities for pregnant women to access information about self-care for hiesho themselves, and (4) Sharing information among midwives that leads to promote self-care for hiesho with respect for the individuality of pregnant women. Conclusion It was deemed important, in the context of midwifery care for pregnant women's continued self-care for relieving hiesho, to increase the intrinsic motivation of pregnant women for self-care, and related efforts were implemented at a high frequency. The four components of midwifery care extracted in this study encouraged pregnant women to continue self-care for relieving hiesho by motivating them to change their behavior, increasing their self-efficacy for self-care, creating opportunities for them to actively access information about self-care for hiesho, and implementing care that respects their individuality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Good communication skills facilitate successful interpersonal relationships. However, the specific communication skills (encoding and decoding) required for establishing friendships can vary depending on aspects of the social context. We conducted a two‐wave longitudinal study in Japan to investigate the adaptive value of communication skills in different socio‐ecological contexts (i.e., different stages of university life). New college students are immersed in a high‐level relational mobility environment, where they have a greater range of options for forming new relationships and leaving old ones. Conversely, students beyond their second year experience less relational mobility. Cross‐lagged analyses indicated a positive association between decoding skill and friendship satisfaction 3 months later for senior students, who are likely to be in an environment characterised by low relational mobility. However, for first‐year students in a high‐relational‐mobility environment, the association was negative, supporting our hypothesis. Conversely, encoding skill did not demonstrate an association with satisfaction 3 months later. However, it was positively associated with satisfaction at each time point. Another cross‐lagged analysis revealed that satisfying relationships helped improve encoding skills. We further explore the socio‐ecological aspects related to the adaptive value of communication skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In organ transplantation, there is a lack of ethical discussion about the recipient's right not to receive a transplant. Using the current situation of living organ transplantation and deceased organ transplantation in Japan as an example, we prospectively discussed to what extent the recipient's right not to receive a transplant is ethically acceptable. In directed transplantation from a living donor, a recipient may refuse organ donation from a particular donor. It is preferable that a recipient's request for organ donation from a donor occurs as part of a transparent process. In nondirected transplantation from a deceased donor, refusal of transplantation from a particular type of donor appears potentially justifiable. There are both moral and pragmatic considerations. Certain refusals based solely on belief are morally unacceptable, and refusal to transplant a recipient based on the donor's age jeopardizes the entire transplant system. When religious beliefs affect mental and physical health, individualized measures are required for transplant rejection. We also deductively developed a prospective argument based on the current status of donor–recipient communication in living organ transplantation in Japan and the 2010 amendment of the law allowing relatives to be given priority in organ transplantation from deceased donors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age‐related patterns of interdependent happiness were compared across general adult samples from Costa Rica, Japan, and the Netherlands using surveys. Interdependent happiness is the individual perception of one's degree of interpersonal harmony, quiescence, and ordinariness. Based on the available evidence concerning age‐related changes in well‐being, the authors predicted and found that interdependent happiness is positively correlated with age in Costa Rica and Japan, but not in the Netherlands. The cultural meaning of happiness and its life‐long nourishment are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Takano and Osaka (2018) tested the validity of the common view that Japanese are more collectivistic than Americans by reviewing empirical studies published mainly during recent two decades, and found that this common view was not supported by most of the reviewed studies. All the four commentaries on this review of ours shared with us the basic judgment that the common view is untenable. In this reply, we present arguments to resolve some doubts cast on our review, and then argue that situation is a key concept to investigate critical issues related to individualism and collectivism such as their dimensionality and distinction between societal level and individual level cultural difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Takano and Osaka's (1997, 1999) careful review of empirical research on individualism and collectivism in the US and Japan revealed a striking lack of support for the "common view" that Japanese individuals are typical collectivists whereas Americans are typical individualists. Two decades on, Takano and Osaka (2018) conclude that empirical studies have continued to fail to support the common view—and yet this view is stubbornly persistent in the literature. More is at stake here than the characterization of two national cultures. The common view epitomizes a widely adopted binary view of culture, which reduces the richness and complexity of global cultural diversity to an oversimplified contrast between individualist/ independent/ Western/ North American and collectivist/ interdependent/ Eastern/ East Asian categories. Unless cultural psychologists can move beyond binary thinking and research practices, correcting an inaccurate portrayal of American and Japanese cultures will be of limited benefit. Future progress might be fostered by (a) defining concepts more precisely, (b) more use of exploratory approaches, (c) wider sampling of cultural groups and contexts, (d) using available methodological guidance for cross‐cultural research, and (e) expanding research into cultural identities and stereotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Y. Takano and E. Osaka (2018, this issue) provide strong and irrefutable empirical evidence that the "common view"—that Japanese are typically collectivists whereas Americans are typically individualists—is not supported by data. Given other reviews in the past that have led to the same conclusion, in this commentary, I argue that now is the time for the field to take stock and reconsider this common view. This commentary briefly describes conceptual, empirical, and practical problems concerning the common view and offers suggestions to move beyond it. By moving beyond the common view, and other similar explanations of cross‐cultural differences, cross‐cultural researchers in particular can lead the way in facilitating a further evolution of research and theory about the link between cultures and individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been long believed that the Japanese are typical collectivists whereas Americans are typical individualists. To examine the validity of this common view, we formerly reviewed 15 empirical studies that compared Japanese and Americans regarding individualism/collectivism (I/C), and found that the overwhelming majority of those studies had not supported the common view (Takano & Osaka,). In this follow‐up, we reviewed 20 additional empirical studies (7 behavioral studies, 13 questionnaire studies), most of which had been published after the former review. When combined with the formerly reviewed 15 studies, 19 studies reported no clear difference, and 11 studies reported that Japanese were more individualistic than Americans. These 30 studies are inconsistent with the common view. Only 5 studies supported the common view, even when we included 3 studies whose validity was questionable. After it was formerly found that the common view was not supported empirically, a variety of alternative accounts were presented regarding the reason for this finding. We examined three major accounts in light of the reviewed studies and found that none of them was congruent with the empirical data. Thus, it seems to be reasonable to conclude that the common view is not valid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which examines large-scale observational evidence of cross-cultural differences in facial behavior using advanced in computer science. Topics discussed include the automated facial coding used, the reliability of the facial action unit detection algorithms across different testing subsets, multilevel regression estimates predicting each facial action's base rate percentage.

Objectives: To examine the longitudinal associations between the big five personality and changes in global cognitive function among community-dwelling elderly people involved in the National Institute for Longevity Sciences - Longitudinal Study of Aging.Methods: The participants were 594 individuals (age range 60-81years) and followed for 10years and tested six times. Personality was assessed by the Japanese version of NEO five factor inventory at baseline. Cognitive function was assessed by the Japanese version of Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) at all visits. For participants with a baseline MMSE score≥28, logistic generalized estimating equation models estimated the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for MMSE score≤27 at each follow-up visit, according to a 1-SD increase of the baseline personality score. Post hoc analyses were performed for mild cognitive deficits, baseline MMSE score≥24 and ≤27, to estimate the OR and CI for MMSE score≤23.Results: The adjusted OR for MMSE score≤27 was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.69-0.88), with a 1-SD increase in Openness to Experience score. In post hoc analyses, the adjusted OR for MMSE score≤23 was 0.50 (95% CI, 0.35-0.72) with a 1-SD increase in Conscientiousness score. Relationships between other personality traits and the decline in MMSE score were not significant.Conclusions: Higher Openness to Experience was associated with a reduction in risk for cognitive decline in community-dwelling older adults. Higher Conscientiousness might also predict lower risk for severe cognitive decline, especially for individuals with mild cognitive deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to examine the ongoing discourse on children's rights and related attitudes towards individualisation and risk in contemporary Japan's education system. The paper is also interested in how this discourse is translated into concrete change. The concepts of ‘children's rights’ and ‘risk society’ both have their origins in Western conceptions of the relationship between the individual and society, and the place of children and young people in that society. This paper explores the way that these concepts have been transformed by their adoption into domestic Japanese discourse on education reform. After a discussion of how the classical liberal concepts of positive and negative human rights can be applied to the specific case of children's rights, the discussion moves on to show how this debate has developed in Japan since the 1980s. Then the paradigm of the ‘Risk Society’ is introduced and the concepts of ‘positive risks’ and ‘negative risks’ are explored, first with reference to schooling in Western countries and then in relation to Japan. Finally, the relationship between risk, rights and neoliberalism is discussed, and it is shown how Western notions of individualisation have met strong resistance from various actors on both sides of the political spectrum. In the case of the Japanese education system, the shift of responsibility from state bureaucracies to individuals and private-sector organisations that is predicted by Risk Society theory has only partially taken place. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The involuntary loss of employment has been shown to deteriorate subjective well-being. Adopting a cross-cultural perspective on Jahoda's () deprivation model this study examines several latent and manifest benefits of work that were expected to mediate the effects of employment status on well-being. It was hypothesized that in more collectivistic societies the decline in subjective well-being would be a consequence of a diminished sense of collective purpose for the non-employed, whereas in individualistic societies the crucial factors would be a loss of social status and financial benefits. The findings from two representative national surveys conducted in the United States ( N = 1,093) and Japan ( N = 647) provided partial support for these hypotheses. Cultural differences moderated the effects of employment status on the benefits of work. As a consequence, different processes mediated the decline in well-being for the non-employed in the two countries. These results are embedded within the wider discourse on culture and its effect on unemployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the general consensus that individualistic utility-optimising behaviour reduces popular support for the welfare state, we still know little about how and to what extent such negative effects of self-interested calculus are mediated by other attitudinal factors, particularly solidaristic values and principles. Using individual-level data from the Japanese General Social Survey, this study seeks not only to qualify existing findings on welfare preference formation but also to explore the hypothesis that the negative impact of economic self-interest is offset or moderated by solidarity-oriented values and beliefs. The author finds that the oft-made claim that material interest and individualistic ideologies undermine welfare support can be replicated in the context of Japan. The results also provide evidence in support of the liberal nationalist contention that popular discourse on welfare is significantly directed by a sense of national unity. Data from Japan also elucidate the fact that a strong sense of social trust significantly weakens the salience of self-oriented cost–benefit calculations. These findings suggest that solidarity-related variables such as national identity and interpersonal trustworthiness should receive more attention in future research on welfare attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Japan may be faced with a cultural shift in values as a new generation replaces the aging baby boomer generation that is now leading the society. To demonstrate a temporary shift in values on an individual level, this paper reports on a study that uses a priming technique to shift the allocentrism of Japanese (and the idiocentrism of Americans for comparison). As a test of the hypotheses that idiocentrism (allocentrism) could be primed for those with a chronic allocentric (idiocentric) tendency, undergraduate participants were randomly assigned to one of two priming conditions in an experiment: uniqueness or similarity, or to the control condition (the weather). The manipulation was confirmed with the Twenty Statements Test (TST) and the outcome measure was a scenario measure of Horizontal and Vertical Individualism and Collectivism (HVIC). Results revealed a significant Culture×Prime interaction effect for changes in vertical idiocentrism on the HVIC; implications are that younger generation Japanese will assert their individuality at appropriate times and in fact may not be more allocentric than Americans on measures that are not confounded by the so-called reference group effect. Implications for intercultural training are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a March 2010 conference of the German Research Group (DFG) "Personal Testimonials in Transcultural Perspective" that took place in Berlin, Germany. The meeting, which was headlined "Personal Testimony and Person - Transcultural Perspectives," focused primarily on personhood as revealed in historical writings across cultures from Islam to Japan to the Turkey.

The individualization of relationships refers to the situation in which a leeway is allowed for the intervention of individuals making choices on their own in developing and maintaining relationships. Two types of discourses on relationships were generated: one is the "liberation" discourse that ties the individualization of relationships to individual self-realization and the demonstration of individuality, and the other is the "deprivation" discourse that ties the individualization of relationships to the weakened state of existing relationships. In this paper, we investigate which the aspects - "liberation" or "deprivation" - appear in family, company and local communities. We found that even though the Japanese are positive about living an individual life free from family and corporate relationships in the context of "liberation", in order to deal with the risks of "deprivation", they easily resort to family members and corporate community that formerly controlled or bound them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From "Breeding' to "Death of Political Adolescent" by Kenzaburo Oe, the post-war reenlightenment consciousness becomes more and more clearly seen, and his unique enlightenment language has come into being. In the consciousness there appears democratic spirit and his deep worry about Japan' s special democratic system. By emphasizing the post-war situation and the individual existence in Japan, Kenzaburo Oe exposes the fragility of democracy and the cruelty of Japan's imperial system. He warns that the post-war distortion of values results in the nationalism thinking, and thus delivers his post-war reenlightenment consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on dress codes, this article aims at providing a better understanding of current practices of youth socialization in Japanese schools and of cultural consequences of post-scarcity on schools. Since the late 1980s. there has been a national trend among Japanese secondary schools granting students more freedom of individual expression through attire and hairstyle. Using contradiction as a sensitizing concept, the author identifies several emerging cultural themes such as individuality and human fights that became incongruent with the uniformity of student appearance prescribed by dress codes. This Japanese case study suggests that. in times of post*scarcity in which economic affluence permits wide participation in the culture of individualism and consumerism, a new educational paradigm that emphasizes individuality emerges, and schools' management of youth lifestyles may shift toward deregulation and permissiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explores the role of moral education in understanding Japan's tradition of moral instruction. Analysis of Japan's concept of individuality in relation to society; Sociohistoric influences on moral education and student development in Japan; Perspectives on religious and family influences in Japan; Role of textbooks and Japan's Ministry of Education in the promotion of changes in the Japanese society; Status of Japan's moral education.

This article investigates the phenomenon of the dark night of the soul and how it has developed into a serious spiritual emergency in Japan. Japanese society is highly interdependent, which prevents people from developing a strong sense of individuality. For Japanese people, social harmony has the highest priority, and they are pressured to sacrifice their individuality to maintain that harmony. In psychodynamic terms, they develop a strong group ego to compensate for their vulnerable individual ego structure. When a Japanese person recognizes that group ego is an unsatisfactory construct, he or she faces an existential isolation of his or her vulnerable ego. Some cannot put up with the fear of the dark night of the soul and look for an alternative group ego on which to depend. They tend to embrace this new group ego as a way to resist fear from deep unconscious realms. If this alternative group ego is not accepted by mainstream society, it may become radicalized and even hostile to society. The Aum Shinrikyo cult, which in 1994 and 1995 killed many people in poison gas attacks, provides an extreme example of an alternative group ego. In this article, the author explains the mechanism of how individuais carne to embrace a radical group ego by applying Washburn's developmental model to this particular cult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an overview of the identity of Uchinanchu in Hawaii, which is considered as quite complex issue since it is extremely personal to interpret and conveyed. It will partly present how Uchinanchu identity was formed. In relation, the early history of Okinawa, Japan, as well as Okinawa's trading with neighboring countries, specifically China was provided. The importance of the relationship between China and Rhukyu and how Japan took control of Okinawa were given emphasis. It is inferred that the problem related to Uchinanchu in Hawaii is multiplied by numerous identities from which they can choose.

According to the attention restoration theory, exposure to nature (ETN) renews one's capacity to focus attention, which decreases cognitive fatigue and therefore may increase positive emotions. Indeed, natural settings have been associated with high prevalence of happy facial expressions (HFE). However, how universal the association is, remains unclear. We explored the ETN-HFE association in Boston, US, representing a less collectivistic culture, and Yokohama, Japan, representing a more collectivistic one. Evidence from satellite images and social network data, using geoinformatics and statistical tools, revealed that individuals from both societies exhibited more happiness when they were photographed in more natural settings. These associations varied with temporal variations expressed through weekly and annual effects. In addition, we found that the presence of others was also associated with prevalence of HFE in natural settings at Yokohama and Boston but the relation was significantly stronger in Boston. Despite some relatively minor differences between the countries, these results support the universality of the association between ETN and HFE., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Japanese women were asked to rank the relative importance they place on the role of wife, mother, woman, and person as well as the relative importance they believe their husbands place on similar male roles. Also asked were questions on the qualities of a good wife, the tone of interpersonal relationships with husbands, and the division of household responsibilities. Findings support the hypothesis that social structural variables related to environmental complexity result in an emphasis on individuality. Furthermore, although the Japanese wife's uncomplaining acceptance of household chores and responsibilities appears to make her fit the stereotype of the selfless domestic desirous of filling her husband's every wish, she seems to be more a disinterested than a willing servant, her husband being nowhere as important a factor in her social and psychological existence as are her children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates what individual differences may play a role in second language (L2) learners' pronunciation, exploring whether English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' attitudes toward English is linked to their perceived accentedness. Japanese EFL secondary school students ( N = 62) carried out a 69-word read-aloud task and their speech samples were evaluated by 16 raters for accentedness. A ten-item questionnaire examined the attitudes toward L2 pronunciation of Japanese EFL learners. From the questionnaire, an exploratory factor analysis revealed three dimensions: pronunciation significance, interest in English sounds, and confidence in pronunciation. However, only confidence in pronunciation was significantly correlated with accentedness scores. Results are discussed in terms of the relationship between affective factors and L2 pronunciation attainment.

Conflict in close relationships, or "generative tension," characterizes both the United States and Japan, with differences only in the style and timing of its manifestation. The potentially fruitful strategy of Rothbaum et al.'s article is constrained by their cross-cultural comparative methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Life-space mobility is reflected in comprehensive longevity and health outcomes and is also an important indicator for preventing mortality and decline in well-being among older people. However, a comprehensive framework of life-space mobility and modifiable individual and environmental factors has not been well validated among community-dwelling independent older people, for primary prevention. We examined individual and environmental factors affecting life-space mobility among community-dwelling independent older people., Methods: This cross-sectional study included 3500 community-dwelling independent older people randomly selected using the National Basic Resident Registration System in Japan. Life-space mobility was measured using the Japanese version of the Life-Space Assessment (LSA) instrument, which is used to assess an individual's pattern of mobility. Negative multivariate binomial regression analysis was performed in a final sample of 1258 people. Individual factors (including physical, mental, and social characteristics) and environmental factors (including the social and material environment) were measured and analyzed as potential factors., Results: Negative multivariable binomial regression analysis, adjusted for demographics, showed that LSA score was associated with locomotive syndrome (β = - 0.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] = - 0.24 to - 0.73), depression (β = - 0.29, 95% CI = - 0.03 to - 0.55), health literacy (β = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.39-0.01), and participation in community activities (β = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.03-0.43) among individual factors, and receipt of social support (β = - 0.19, 95% CI = 0.00 to - 0.38) and social network (β = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.48-0.10) among environmental factors., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that modifiable individual factors and environmental factors are related to life-space mobility among community-dwelling older people.

Background: Cancer survivors and their caregivers may have various unmet needs that are medically difficult to solve. Previous studies have suggested the relations between individuals' backgrounds and their unmet needs. We conducted a large-scale analysis to clarify the influence of individuals' backgrounds, primarily cancer type, on specific types of unmet needs., Methods: Using a mixed-methods approach, we analyzed records of first-time callers to a cancer-focused telephone consultation service that was provided by the Kanagawa Cancer Clinical Research Information Organization from October 2006 to May 2014. The qualitative approach concerned extracting unmet needs mentioned in each consultation and classifying them into themes of specific needs, while the quantitative approach comprised multi-variated analysis of the relationships between the frequency by which the needs in each theme arose and the associated callers' backgrounds., Results: A total of 1938 consultation cases were analyzed. In the qualitative analysis, the needs were classified into 16 themes. The mean number of unmet needs for each caller was 1.58 (standard deviation = 0.86). In the multi-variated analysis, caregivers for colorectal cancer survivors had a lower frequency of "emotional/mental health" needs (OR: 0.31, 95%CI: 0.11-0.88, p = 0.028) than did caregivers for breast-cancer survivors. Nevertheless, this was the only significant difference in needs frequency among callers (including survivors and their caregivers) with specific cancer types. Meanwhile, there significant difference in the frequency of occurrence of each unmet need theme was found among items concerning other background elements. Among survivors, sex was related to the frequency of needs among "physical" and "resources" themes, and "emotions/mental health"; their age group with "employment"; treatment course with "physical" and "resources" themes and "cure"; residence with "physical" themes; presence of symptom with "physical," "education/information," "resources," "emotions/mental health," and "cure" themes., Conclusions: This large-scale study suggests that cancer type is not a significant factor for specific unmet needs and that individuals' backgrounds and presence of symptoms play a more important role. Through this study, it was found that instruments to predict people's needs and a system to provide individualized cancer care across cancer types should be developed in the future.

Background: The aim of the present study was to comprehensively investigate the meaning and practices of spiritual care for older people with dementia based on the perspective and experiences of nurses and care workers., Methods: The study was designed according to qualitative research strategies and used face-to-face interview data, with a focus on the experiences of nurses and care workers who care for elderly persons with dementia. Five nurses and 13 care workers from nine care facilities participated. We conducted 10 interviews, each with one to three participants, from April to August 2017. An open-ended questionnaire concerning the meaning and practices of spiritual care for older people with severe dementia was used to comprehensively capture the participants' experiences of caring for older people with dementia. Qualitative content analysis was used to systematically identify ideas and patterns emerging from the qualitative data., Results: Three main themes emerged from the qualitative analysis of what constituted spiritual care for older people with dementia: (i) self-esteem; (ii) communication; and (iii) individual difference., Conclusions: Nurses and care workers perceived self-esteem as a core domain of spiritual care for older people with severe dementia. Reminiscing about important achievements and enjoying small pleasures in daily life enhance older people's self-esteem. Communication strategies involving active listening and therapeutic lying can help maintain older people's self-esteem and cognitive abilities. Older people with dementia respond in different ways to standardized care procedures, so care providers must employ of a variety of skilful approaches., (© 2019 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.)

Little attention has been paid to middle adulthood in research on personality stability and change. In addition, previous research on individual differences in personality change has not fully explained its variability. This study focused on the differential susceptibility model, which suggests that individual susceptibility interacts with environmental factors and produces variability in outcomes, and investigated individual differences in personality change with a middle adult sample. A total of 1051 Japanese middle adults ( M  = 41.61 years; SD = 5.31; range 30-50 years; 534 females) participated in this two-wave short-term longitudinal study. Latent change score model analyses revealed substantial mean-level declines in Agreeableness and Honesty-Humility. Moreover, the results showed that the influences of some life events on personality change are moderated for better and for worse by individual susceptibility to one's environment. These findings suggest that the trends of personality development may differ between Western and non-Western countries and that differential susceptibility model may play an important role in deriving individual differences in personality stability and change.

Research on sustainability behaviors has been based on the assumption that increasing personal concerns about the environment will increase proenvironmental action. We tested whether this assumption is more applicable to individualistic cultures than to collectivistic cultures. In Study 1, we compared 47 countries ( N = 57,268) and found that they varied considerably in the degree to which environmental concern predicted support for proenvironmental action. National-level individualism explained the between-nation variability above and beyond the effects of other cultural values and independently of person-level individualism. In Study 2, we compared individualistic and collectivistic nations (United States vs. Japan; N = 251) and found culture-specific predictors of proenvironmental behavior. Environmental concern predicted environmentally friendly consumer choice among European Americans but not Japanese. For Japanese participants, perceived norms about environmental behavior predicted proenvironmental decision making. Facilitating sustainability across nations requires an understanding of how culture determines which psychological factors drive human action.

The Identity Capital Model proposes that forms of personal agency are associated with identity development as part of the transition to adulthood. This model was examined in two cultural contexts, taking into account age and gender, among college and university students aged 18 to 24 (N = 995). Confirmatory Factor Analyses verified cultural, age, and gender invariance of the two key operationalizations of the model. A Structural Equation Model path analysis confirmed that the model applies in both cultures with minor variations-types of personal agency are associated with the formation of adult- and societal-identities as part of the resolution of the identity stage. It was concluded that forms of personal agency providing the most effective ways of dealing with "individualization" (e.g., internal locus of control) are more important in the transition to adulthood among American students, whereas types of personal agency most effective in dealing with "individualistic collectivism" (e.g., ego strength) are more important among Japanese students., (Copyright © 2015 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The government has taken a variety of measures to actualize the basic philosophy of the policy for"shifting medical treatment under hospitalization to regional medical treatment". The problems associated with mental disorders requiring long-term psychiatric treatment and reducing psychiatric beds have been discussed from various viewpoints. Although the transfer of psychiatric medical treatment to regional medical treatment is taking place, it is true that some large barriers exist. According to research on the actual situation in 1954, 1,300,000 psychiatric disorders were estimated, including 350,000 disabilities requiring hospitalization, and mental beds available increased up to a maximum of 350,000 with government subsidies. In 1987, mental bed availability was controlled according to the local healthcare program. As a result, periods of psychiatric hospitalization became prolonged due to factors including social prejudice and the inadequacy of rehabilitation centers; it was called "social hospitalization". Nevertheless, it is true that private psychiatric hospitals have successfully provided various psychiatric medical services in order for people with disabilities to be able to live in the community. The Program for Dissolution of Social Hospitalization of Psychiatric Disabilities in 2000 started in Osaka. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare started the Program for Hospital Discharge Promotion of Psychiatric Disabilities as a model program in 2003. This program was included in the Regional Life Support Program in Prefectural and City Governments, and expanded throughout Japan in 2006. The Regional Shift Support Special Action Program of Psychiatric Disabilities was started in 2008. The report of the "Symposium for Ideal Future Psychiatric Medical Welfare" as compiled in September 2009, and the target value was indicated there. Various measures were implemented in order to promote the basic philosophy for "shifting medical treatment under hospitalization to living in the community". In 2012, the Japan Psychiatric Hospitals Association, joined by the private psychiatric hospitals responsible for medical treatment under hospitalization, set forth their basic polity for "shifting medical treatment under hospitalization to regional medical treatment and medical care" as part of "Future Vision of Psychiatric Medical Treatment".

We can observe the process of individualization in today's Japanese society. What kind of characteristics does it have? What kind of influences does it exert upon social policies? How should the welfare state change under such circumstances? We can distinguish the four aspects of individualization: family, work, community, and lifestyle. Under these processes people can become independent of their groups, but they may be socially excluded by losing their protections. And people have behaved individualistically in their consumption. These changes have given rise to new problems to Keynesian welfare state. Individualization of the family requires the de-gendering of social policies. That of work needs labour flexibility. That of community life results in the change of interface between local governments and local communities. Individualization of lifestyle needs the flexibility in consumption. The post-Keynesian Welfare State in the 21st century should solve these problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies using the Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS) report high levels of unmet supportive care needs (SCNs) in psychological and less-so physical & daily living domains, interpreted as reflecting disease/treatment-coping deficits. However, service and culture differences may account for unmet SCNs variability. We explored if service and culture differences better account for observed SCNs patterns., Methods: Hong Kong (n = 180), Taiwanese (n = 263) and Japanese (n = 109) CRC patients' top 10 ranked SCNS-34 items were contrasted. Mean SCNS-34 domain scores were compared by sample and treatment status, then adjusted for sample composition, disease stage and treatment status using multivariate hierarchical regression., Results: All samples were assessed at comparable time-points. SCNs were most prevalent among Japanese and least among Taiwanese patients. Japanese patients emphasized Psychological (domain mean = 40.73) and Health systems and information (HSI) (38.61) SCN domains, whereas Taiwanese and Hong Kong patients emphasized HSI (27.41; 32.92) and Patient care & support (PCS) (19.70; 18.38) SCN domains. Mean Psychological domain scores differed: Hong Kong = 9.72, Taiwan = 17.84 and Japan = 40.73 (p<0.03-0.001, Bonferroni). Other SCN domains differed only between Chinese and Japanese samples (all p<0.001). Treatment status differentiated Taiwanese more starkly than Hong Kong patients. After adjustment, sample origin accounted for most variance in SCN domain scores (p<0.001), followed by age (p = 0.01-0.001) and employment status (p = 0.01-0.001). Treatment status and Disease stage, though retained, accounted for least variance. Overall accounted variance remained low., Conclusions: Health service and/or cultural influences, age and occupation differences, and less so clinical factors, differentially account for significant variation in published studies of SCNs.

Two studies investigated the effect of shared knowledge, manipulated using associated or randomly ordered word lists, on the correlation between group remembering and group polarization. Group polarization due to accumulation of information was expected only if it was consistent with shared knowledge among group members (the knowledge shared among group members before discussion). Consistency of information with shared knowledge was manipulated by lists of words that were ordered either randomly or in a manner consistent along with four stereotype categories. In Experiment 1, 159 college students answered a questionnaire about the common stereotype that blood type determines personality; half were given lists of words that were consistent with the stereotype (consistent condition) and the other half, randomly ordered word lists (inconsistent condition). After completion of the questionnaire, they were given, a surprise free-recall test including words from the lists that had appeared in the questionnaire; the test was administered in a group (group condition) or individual (individual condition) setting. The results indicated that stereotype-consistency of the word list reduced the groups' ability to detect incorrect answers compared with the individual condition. In Experiment 2 (N = 132), the divergence of memory among group members was manipulated by altering the constitution of each group with regard to members' blood type. The results showed that the shift in the score representing belief in the blood-type stereotype correlated with the number of words recalled in the stereotype-consistent word-list condition.

Background: Information on within- and between-individual variation in energy and nutrient intake is critical for precisely estimating usual dietary intake; however, data from Japanese populations are limited., Methods: We used dietary records to examine within- and between-individual variation by age and sex in the intake of energy and 31 selected nutrients among Japanese adults. We also calculated the group size required to estimate mean intake for a group and number of days required both to rank individuals within a group and to assess an individual's usual intake, all with appropriate arbitrary precision. A group of Japanese women (younger: 30-49 years, n = 58; older: 50-69 years, n = 63) and men (younger: 30-49 years, n = 54; older: 50-76 years, n = 67) completed dietary records for 4 nonconsecutive days in each season (16 days in total)., Results: Coefficients of within-individual variation and between-individual variation were generally larger in the younger group than in the older group and in men as compared with women. The group size required to estimate a group's mean intake, and number of days required to assess an individual's usual intake, were generally larger for the younger group and for men. In general, a longer period was required to rank women and older adults., Conclusions: In a group of Japanese adults, coefficients of within-individual variation and between-individual variation, which were used to estimate the group size and number of records required for adequate dietary assessment, differed by age, sex, and nutrient.

The prevention and treatment of substance use for youth are important issues in Japan. Substance use have significant risks of adverse psychological, social and physical health consequences. Personality factors in order to understand individual differences for substance use and misuse particularly were the much promise, and several personality factors have been demonstrated to be associated with risk for substance use. Conrod and Woicik (2002) developed Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) that measures four substance use risk personalities: anxiety sensitivity, hopelessness, sensation-seeking, impulsivity being closely relevant to substance use/misuse and abuse. There are only a few studies focusing the relationship between personality factors and substance use among Japanese adolescents. Thus, this paper aimed to review the previous studies on these issues, and introduce studies regarding SURPS including our studies.

Objectives: Language development is a key issue in hearing-impaired children. However, interpersonal differences complicate our understanding of the situation. The bimodal or trimodal distribution of language scores in our other reports in this publication imply the presence of fundamental differences among these groups. The characteristic aspects of each group were profiled according to language data., Methods: We divided 268 children with prelingual severe to profound hearing impairment into 3 groups according to their trimodal distribution observed on histogram-based analysis of their responses to the Test of Question-Answer Interaction Development. Test results in several language domains, including productive and comprehensive vocabulary, productive and comprehensive syntax, and academic achievement, were profiled and compared among these 3 groups., Results: Significant differences were observed in the results of the Word Fluency Test, the Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, and the Syntax Test of Aphasia among the 3 groups. No significant difference was observed between groups who were lower-scoring and intermediate-scoring on the academic achievement tests referred to as Criterion Referenced Test-II and the Standardized Comprehension Test for Abstract Words. Only the higher-scoring group showed excellent results. The demographic factors were not significantly different among the 3 groups., Conclusions: Relatively poor academic achievement despite fair language production was the dominant feature of the intermediate-scoring group. This profile might correlate with academic failure in school.

Individualism-collectivism is one of the best researched dimensions of culture in psychology. One frequently asked but underexamined question regards its cross-temporal changes: Are cultures becoming individualistic? One influential theory of cultural change, modernization theory, predicts the rise of individualism as a consequence of economic growth. Findings from past research are generally consistent with this theory, but there is also a body of evidence suggesting its limitations. To examine these issues, cross-temporal analyses of individualism-collectivism in the United States and Japan were conducted. Diverging patterns of cultural changes were found across indices: In both countries, some of the obtained indices showed rising individualism over the past several decades, supporting the modernization theory. However, other indices showed patterns that are best understood within the frameworks of a shifting focus of social relationships and a persisting cultural heritage. A comprehensive theory of cultural change requires considerations of these factors in addition to the modernization effect.

Narratives are one of the oldest and universal forms of communication in human societies. In the present research, the authors hypothesized that narratives play an important role in the reproduction of cultural values. To test this idea, Study 1 examined the contents of stories created by American and Japanese participants for their reflection of individualistic and collectivistic values, and Study 2 examined whether information consistent with cultural values would be more likely to be retained and passed onto others. The studies found that American participants created stories that reflected individualistic values and retained more individualistic information than collectivistic information when they transmitted a story to others. In contrast, Japanese participants created stories that reflected collectivistic values and retained more collectivistic information than individualistic information when they transmitted a story to others. These findings support the idea that narrative communication is an important part of cultural reproduction mechanism.

The authors responded to criticisms raised recently by Giannini (2010) of the authors' 2009 study in which cross-age differences were examined in the sense of authenticity. Comments address three aspects of the criticism, interpretation of the results, and misunderstanding of the method used as well as the concepts. In particular, future research likely needs to focus on the subjective aspects of sense of authenticity.

Appraisal theories of emotion propose that the emotions people experience correspond to their appraisals of their situation. In other words, individual differences in emotional experiences reflect differing interpretations of the situation. We hypothesized that in similar situations, people in individualist and collectivist cultures experience different emotions because of culturally divergent causal attributions for success and failure (i.e., agency appraisals). In a test of this hypothesis, American and Japanese participants recalled a personal experience (Study 1) or imagined themselves to be in a situation (Study 2) in which they succeeded or failed, and then reported their agency appraisals and emotions. Supporting our hypothesis, cultural differences in emotions corresponded to differences in attributions. For example, in success situations, Americans reported stronger self-agency emotions (e.g., proud) than did Japanese, whereas Japanese reported a stronger situation-agency emotion (lucky). Also, cultural differences in attribution and emotion were largely explained by differences in self-enhancing motivation. When Japanese and Americans were induced to make the same attribution (Study 2), cultural differences in emotions became either nonsignificant or were markedly reduced., (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.)

Objectives: Papassotiropoulos et al. (Science 314: p 475) discovered that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the KIBRA gene (rs17070145) was associated with delayed recall performance in Caucasians. KIBRA is highly expressed in the brain and kidneys, and is reported to be involved in synaptic plasticity. Therefore, we first tried to replicate the association between the SNP and memory performance in a Japanese subjects., Methods: We examined the association between the SNP and memory performance measured by the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) in 187 healthy Japanese people., Results: The T allele carriers had significantly better verbal memory, attention/concentration and delayed recall performance than the C/C carriers (corrected P = 0.044, 0.047 and 0.0084, respectively). Furthermore, the C/T carriers and the T/T carriers had better delayed recall performance than the C/C carriers (post hoc P = 0.0017 and 0.0096)., Conclusions: This data suggest that the C/C genotype might have an impact on memory performance in Asian populations as well as in Caucasian populations. Further investigation to clarify the association of the KIBRA gene with memory in other ethnic groups is warranted.

Public risk perceptions of mass disasters carry considerable influences, both psychologically and economically, despite their oft-times imprecise nature. Prior research has identified the presence of an optimistic bias that affects risk perception, but there is a dearth of literature examining how these perceptions differ among cultures-particularly with regard to mass disasters. The present study explores differences among Japanese, Argentinean, and North American mental health workers in their rates of the optimistic bias in risk perceptions as contrasted between natural disasters and terrorist events. The results indicate a significant difference among cultures in levels of perceived risk that do not correspond to actual exposure rates. Japanese groups had the highest risk perceptions for both types of hazards and North Americans and Argentineans had the lowest risk perceptions for terrorism. Additionally, participants across all cultures rated risk to self as lower than risk to others (optimistic bias) across all disaster types. These findings suggest that cultural factors may have a greater influence on risk perception than social exposure, and that the belief that one is more immune to disasters compared to others may be a cross-cultural phenomenon., (© 2010 Society for Risk Analysis.)

The relationship between language and cognitive shifting in young children was examined. Specifically, second language experiences from infancy as well as individual differences in monolingual language experience may affect performances on the Dimensional Change Card Sort Task. 54 Japanese-French bilingual children and two groups of Japanese monolingual children participated (ns = 18). One monolingual group was matched to the bilingual group on verbal ability and chronological age (VC monolingual group) and the other group was matched by chronological age but had higher verbal ability (C monolingual group). The results showed that the groups of children who were bilingual and monolingual with higher verbal ability performed the task significantly better than matched monolingual children. Language experiences may affect cognitive set shifting in young children.

This paper develops a method to model the effect of income on self-reported health at the individual level. The model is estimated using the meta-analytic data of 68 studies from 13 countries, and is used to test two hypotheses. The first hypothesis is that income affects health at the individual level. If this is the case, the incidence of poor health will differ across people from different income groups. The second hypothesis is that income differentials are associated with differential vulnerability to poor health. If so, the influence of income on health outcomes will differ across members of different income groups in different countries. The collected data are best described by a log-linear relationship between income and self-reported health. The empirical results confirm both hypotheses. We have found that (a) income inequality affects health at the individual level; (b) the level of self-reported poor health in the bottom deciles of the income distribution increases with the level of inequality in the country's income distribution; and (c) the relative income hypothesis has a stronger explanatory power for our results than the absolute income hypothesis. These results confirm the idea that for comparisons at the individual level, relative income matters more than absolute income. These findings have important policy implications., (Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Individualism and collectivism refer to cultural values that influence how people construe themselves and their relation to the world. Individualists perceive themselves as stable entities, autonomous from other people and their environment, while collectivists view themselves as dynamic entities, continually defined by their social context and relationships. Despite rich understanding of how individualism and collectivism influence social cognition at a behavioral level, little is known about how these cultural values modulate neural representations underlying social cognition. Using cross-cultural functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we examined whether the cultural values of individualism and collectivism modulate neural activity within medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) during processing of general and contextual self judgments. Here, we show that neural activity within the anterior rostral portion of the MPFC during processing of general and contextual self judgments positively predicts how individualistic or collectivistic a person is across cultures. These results reveal two kinds of neural representations of self (eg, a general self and a contextual self) within MPFC and demonstrate how cultural values of individualism and collectivism shape these neural representations., (2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)