German and Japanese Reactions to
Their Acts of Aggression During World War II

by
Joan Lachkar and Peter Berton
 

Joan Lachkar and Peter Berton, "German and Japanese Reactions to Their Acts of Aggression During World War II: Applying Psychoanalytic Theory to History and Culture."Presented at the First Psycohistorical Convention in Amsterdam, 1997.

ABSTRACT

This paper chronicles German and Japanese atrocities during World War II, and questions why reactions to the acts were so markedly different in the two countries: earnest reparative actions by Germans and a lack thereof by Japanese. It highlights the distinctions between anthropological concepts of German guilt culture and Japanese shame culture (Ruth Benedict), as well as the Japanese concept of amae[dependency needs] (Takeo Doi). The paper presents Melanie Klein's psychoanalytic developmental phases: the paranoid schizoid and depressive positions and their corresponding dynamics. Also referenced are the works of Melvin Lansky, Helen Lewis, Helen Lynd, Andrew Morrison, and others, to further our understanding of the contrasting beliefs of Germans and Japanese and the dynamics of their respective societies.

I.	TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION
II.	HISTORICAL BACKGROUND German Aggression and War Crimes Japanese Aggression and War Crimes Why Are German and Japanese Reactions Different?
	1. German Reaction 2. Japanese Reaction
III.	PSYCHODYNAMICS THAT HELP US UNDERSTAND GERMAN AND JAPANESE BEHAVIOR Guilt and Shame Cultures Amae Dependency and the Mask Behind the Self
IV.	MELANIE KLEIN, OBJECT RELATIONS, AND OTHER THEORISTS
	Biography of Melanie Klein Klein's Relationship to Freud Klein's Major Ideas and Contributions Klein's Paranoid Schizoid and Depressive Positions
	1. Paranoid Schizoid Position 2. Depressive Position 3. Shame Vs. Guilt
	E.  Shame Vs. Guilt
V.	CONCLUSIONS: APPLYING PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY TO HISTORY AND CULTURE REFERENCES AND SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

PETER BERTON AND JOAN LACHKAR, "JAPANESE ATROCITIES DURING WORLD WAR II: WHY THE COVERUP AND RELUCTANCE TO OFFER REPARATIONS - SOME ANTHROPOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS."

To be presented at the Sixth International Biennial Conference of Sino-Japanese Relations, Beijing, September 18-19, 2004

ABSTRACT

Compared to the Germans, who have been prompt to acknowledge their war crimes and to offer reparations to their victims, the Japanese have been singularly unresponsive, trying to cover up (as in the case of Korean "comfort" women), dragging their feet in acknowledging responsibility, using euphemisms like "advance" (shinshutsu) instead of aggression(shinryaku); or words like "the unfortunate past," or insisting on oral rather than written statements of minimal contrition.

Useful explanations for this Japanese behavior are available in looking at Japanese culture, national character, and socio-psychological characteristics. Foremost, is the importance of shame culture. People in shame cultures are notoriously slow to acknowledge mistakes, because admitting them would cause the loss of "face."

Japanese society is fundamentally group oriented and hierarchical. The cohesion and harmony (wa) of the group are of paramount importance and admitting failures, mistakes, or crimes would make the individual and the entire group lose face and bring shame on everyone.

An important characteristic of Japanese society is the concept of "Tatemae-Honneduality: appearance-reality, the mask behind the self. Amae dependency need is yet another important characteristic, manifesting itself in Japans relationship with the United States, the older brother.And when Japanese expectations fall short, they feel victimized, as they have considered themselves victims of racial discrimination in the past. Several events toward the end of war reinforced this sense of victimization: The fallacious belief that the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan was racially motivated because it had not been used on Germany; the Soviet declaration of war; the Soviet occupation of four small islands; and the exploitation of half a million Japanese prisoners of war in slave labor camps in Siberia. The Japanese seem justified to ignore the Nanjing massacre and the attack on Pearl Harbor and prefer to focus on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Thus, the concept of shame culture, group orientation towards harmony, amae dependency, the duality between appearance and reality, and, above all, the fear of losing face, go a long way to explain Japanese behavior.
 

Copyright 2004 by Joan Lachkar, Ph.D.

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