Schema Therapy in Collectivist Societies

Schema Therapy in Collectivist Societies: History

Please note this is an old version of this entry, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Subjects: Psychology

Contributor: Arinobu Hori

Japanese narcissism refers to a culturally embedded form of narcissistic personality that emerges within collectivist societies, particularly in Japan, where self-worth is maintained through emotional over-adaptation, perfectionism, self-sacrifice, and conformity to internalized moral obligations. Within the framework of Schema Therapy, this construct is characterized by dominant coping modes, such as Armor mode and Demanding Community mode, that suppress vulnerable emotional states and promote socially sanctioned compliance. Although narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) has been extensively studied in individualistic Western cultures, its manifestation in collectivist cultures remains underexplored. Japanese narcissism offers a culturally contextualized model that integrates psychoanalytic and Schema Therapy perspectives to explain thin-skinned narcissistic vulnerability, disguised as adaptive functioning. Clinical observations and case analyses indicate that patients often develop Armor mode (fusing Detached Protector and Perfectionistic Over-controller functions) and Demanding Community mode (internalizing collective moral expectations). These adaptive-appearing modes mask core maladaptive schemas—Emotional Deprivation, Defectiveness/Shame, Enmeshment, and Self-Sacrifice—while being mistaken for mature or healthy functioning. Historically, such patterns have been reinforced by moral-collectivist ideals, exemplified by the Imperial Rescript on Education, which valorized loyalty, endurance, and self-denial. Japanese narcissism may therefore represent a culturally specific clinical configuration, suggesting the need for contextually adapted Schema Therapy interventions that recognize both the harmony-preserving and narcissism-reinforcing functions of adaptive behavior. This framework contributes to the cross-cultural extension of Schema Therapy by theorizing how narcissistic structures manifest in collectivist societies, and highlights the need for empirical validation of culturally sensitive treatment protocols.

schema therapy
collectivist culture
narcissism
armor mode
demanding community mode
Japanese psychology
cultural adaptation
contextual schema therapy

(1): The Demanding Community mode [3], which reflects the internalized pressure to meet the implicit and unspoken expectations of one’s social group; and
(2): The Armor mode [4], which fuses characteristics of the Detached Protector and Perfectionistic Over-controller.

In such cases, the Healthy Adult mode often remains underdeveloped or merged with these coping modes, resulting in diminished functional differentiation and limited emotional flexibility. In collectivist societies, self-assertion is rarely considered a virtue; instead, behavior is evaluated according to its alignment with the collective mood or atmosphere [5]. Even outstanding individual contributions may be criticized if they appear to disturb group harmony. This creates an implicit moral code, widely internalized but seldom articulated, dictating that one should restrain personal desires and contribute quietly to the group. From a psychoanalytic perspective, the development of the ego ideal in childhood is shaped by community norms and collective values [5,6]. In capitalist societies, ego ideals may be organized around success and wealth, fostering narcissistic traits when identification with such ideals becomes excessive. Analogously, in collectivist societies like Japan, over-identification with communal norms—such as emotional suppression and avoidance of self-assertion—can result in a culturally specific form of narcissistic personality organization, here termed Japanese narcissism [5,6].

Although defined within the Japanese context, similar dynamics may also emerge in other collectivist or communitarian cultures where implicit communal expectations override explicit individual rights.

The following sections review key psychoanalytic and psychiatric concepts that anticipated or parallel the structure of Japanese narcissism.

This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/encyclopedia5040171

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