The Anatomy of Dependence

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Summary: Paradigm shifting work in Japanese psychology
Review: If you've tried to understand Japanese people, read Benedict's "Chrysanthemum and the Sword" and still felt confused, try this one by Doi. While practicing counseling, he realized the importance of language in understanding the psyche. Until that point, Japanese psychologists had used German in their practice. But, Doi realized that there were some Japanese words that didn't translate well, but were very useful in expressing the experiences and feelings of his patients. He further pursued his discovery, and found a key to helping understanding what makes Japanese people tick (or not). After reading this book, I had so many better categories to understand what seemed like nonsense in Japanese people.

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Summary: A good look at the american psyche thru japanese eyes
Review: This is a great look at the Japanese mind that is actually turns out to have universal applicablility. After reading it I saw the western world in quite a different way, there are so many things that we can not see because we live in one culture. I did have a problem with the book though , which might be the author's or translator's fault, the constantly sexist language. The word man is used over and over again for both sexes which makes the book confusing at times. The author is also a died hard fruedian and so the book carries with it all the applicable baggage.