Japanese Shame Culture and American Guilt Culture

Lu Weijie

【Abstract】Culture is an important factor contributing to the success of intercultural communication. In the east and west， there are many different cultures， among which Japanese shame culture and American guilt culture are two typical ones. Influenced by different cultures， these two countries have different characteristics， which reminds us that in intercultural communication culture should be paid much attention to.

【Key words】shame culture； guilt culture； Japan； America

1. Introduction

With the rapid development of economy， intercultural communication is becoming more and more frequent. Conflicts are inevitable， but understanding others cultures can help avoid unnecessary conflicts. The differences between Japanese shame culture and American guilt culture reflects the huge gap between eastern and western cultures. In cultural anthropology， a shame culture is a society in which the primary device for gaining control and maintaining social order is the inculcation of shame and the complementary threat of ostracism. In contrary， in a guilt culture， control is maintained by creating and continually reinforcing the feeling of guilt for certain condemned behaviors.

2. Differences between shame and guilt culture

Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck （1960） supply us with a taxonomy for analyzing cultural patterns. Human nature orientation has three divisions： evil， good and evil， and good. In America， its orientation， inherited form the Puritan ancestors， is based on the concept of original sin， and Christianity is the dominant world view. Christians believe human nature is evil， and all humans are born with original sin. Human life must continually repent， pray and forgive others and love others.

Activity orientation has three modes： being， being-in-becoming， and doing. Doing orientation， which thrives on action， most characterizes the dominant American culture. American doing orientation can be found in the life of Jesus. Jesus is an active man and the Bible is full of how he traveled from place to place healing the sick. In this guilt culture， as people think they are born with original sin， they will follow Jesus and do things actively.

While in Japan， people say shame is the root of virtue and a man who is sensitive to it will carry out all the rules of good behavior （Benedict， 2009）. True guilt cultures rely on an internalized conviction of sin， while true shame cultures rely on external sanctions for good behavior.

Individualism is one major characteristic of America， but Japan lacks individualism. Benedict （2009） mentions that under its shame culture， Japanese watches the judgment of the public upon his deeds. So unlike American who pursue individual desires freely， Japanese are more controlled， mainly by the external sanctions.

Another Japanese value is that under the shame culture， everyone has a sense of ones place in society so ingrained that all psychic life revolved around it （Hays， 1965）. For example， in Japan， despite the high level of economy， most men still play the role as provider and most women as home maker. Hofstede （1981） has identified four value dimensions that have a significant impact on behavior， and masculinity and femininity is one of them. Masculinity is the extent to which the dominant values in a society are male oriented. Japan is a country that tends toward a masculine world view， while America has no obvious masculine or feminine world view.

A specific example may give us direct feelings about Japans shame culture. In 2014， the “STAP cells scandal” attracted worldwide attention. On July 2， 2014， Nature retracted Obokatas papers. But whats more shocking is that later Obokata's mentor Yoshiki Sasai committed suicide. In this case， the shame culture is shown fully. In fact， it was quite unnecessary for Sasai to do so， for it was Obokata that should bear the chief responsibility. But overwhelmed by shame， Sasai chose this sad way.

3. Implications

Shame culture and guilt culture are very different. In intercultural communication， such difference may lead to communication failure， but as discussed above， theories of intercultural communication can help explain the difference. Such difference reminds us that it is quite necessary to understand and consider others cultures which surely influence ones way of thinking and behaving， especially in intercultural communication.

Reference：

[1]Kluckhohn，F.R.& F.L.Strodtbeck.1960.Variations in Value Orientation.New York：Row & Peterson.

[2]Benedict，R.2009.菊与刀 = The Chrysanthemum and The Sword：Patterns of Japanese Culture.北京：外语教学与研究出版社.

[3]Hays，H.R.1965.From Ape to Angel：An Information History of Social Anthropology.New York：Knopf.

[4]Hofstede，G.1991.Cultures and Organizations：Software of the Mind.London：McGraw-Hill.