Minimalist in Style

Self, Identity, and Well-being in Japan

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15411348
AutoresChiemi Kan (Tokyo Woman's Christian University, autor de correspondencia), Mayumi Karasawa (0000-0002-6560-5436, Tokyo Woman's Christian University), Shinobu Kitayama (0000-0001-9147-7936, University of Michigan)
Año2009
Volumen8
Número2-3
Páginas300-317
Fecha de publicación2009-04-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSelf and Identity (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1529-8868 • E-ISSN: 1529-8876
EditorialTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/15298860802505244
OpenAlexW2024647836
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas18
Referencias citadas24

In the present paper we propose that Eastern conceptions of well-being are minimalist in their emphasis on the idea of “nothingness.” They place a strong emphasis on the realization that everything in the world is transient, fluid, and thus ultimately incomprehensible. This realization, in turn, may be expected to afford experiences of gratitude and peaceful disengagement. To illustrate this proposal, we used data from two studies, which suggest that the two dimensions of minimalist well-being (i.e., gratitude and peaceful disengagement) are distinct in both Japan and the USA. Moreover, unlike in many existing measures of well-being, Japanese were at least as high as Americans in their minimalist well-being scores. Implications for self, identity, and optimal functioning are discussed. Keywords: CultureExpanded positivityInterdependenceIndependenceMinimalist well-being

Aesthetics · Disengagement theory · Epistemology · Gratitude · Identity (music · Nothing · Realization (probability · Style (visual arts · Cultural Differences and Values · History · Mathematics · Philosophy · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Social and Cultural Dynamics · Social Psychology