Seeing psychoanalytic culture from an Asian perspective
Abstract
No modern psychoanalyst would claim that psychoanalysis is a universal theory that explains the truth of the human mind beyond cultural differences. But have our beliefs really changed? I think not. Non-Western analysts, including myself, prefer to examine their own traditions from a psychoanalytic perspective, and use psychoanalysis as the theoretical framework to explain their own cultures. This essay is a critical examination of my own perspective, as a person born and raised in Japan, trained in the United States, and practicing in Japan.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Cultural
Psychoanalytic
and Sociopolitical Reflections
Psychoanalysis and Social Critique
Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Psychoanalysis Self and Context
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 156–161
- Publication date
- 10 February 2026
- Language
- EN