Etsuko KATO
CGS Director, ICU Senior Associate Professor
【The article below is the same as the article that appears in the fourteenth issue of the CGS Newsletter.】
In the 2011 spring term, CGS hosted a Self-Awareness Workshop Series as part of its welcome program for new students. "Self-awareness," an unfamiliar word in Japan, refers to being aware of one's own irreplaceability.
The expression, ji-ishiki ga takai (being highly aware of oneself), still contains negative nuances in the Japanese language today. Even though such
expressions as "raise the power of selfconfidence" (jishinryoku o sodateru) have appeared in popular books on child-rearing and business in recent years, adults in Japan are rarely encouraged to value and take pride in themselves just for being themselves. This seems to come from the perception of the self in Japan and several other cultural spheres in the world.
According to a study of cultural psychology, people in Asia, Africa, Latin America and South Europe tend to identify themselves in relation to their family members, friends and other acquaintances; that is, they perceive the self in an "interdependent" model. This contrasts with the "independent" model of self that is shared by people in North America and Western Europe, who tend to perceive the self as consistent and unaffected by surrounding people or situations. The view of an interdependent self can lead to many
positive outcomes, such as consideration for others or avoidance of con icts. At the same time, however, people with this view may fail to make an e ort to get out of uncomfortable or painful situations,which can consequently invite further difficulties. They may, for example, accept their partners' invitation to have sex despite being unwilling and unprepared to do so. They may respond to a stranger who asks them for directions on a dark street, thinking that it is rude to ignore the person. Or they may unwillingly accompany their teachers or senior students when pressured to go drinking with them. All these acts can embroil such "considerate people" in various problems.
The awareness of one's own weaknesses, the awareness that the self (jibun) is more important than the gaze or evaluation of others, the awareness that one has the power and knowledge for self protection - in the belief that such awareness can help protect
us, CGS held workshops that featured a different approach each month. In April, Chizuko Ikegami from NGO PLACE Tokyo introduced information on sex that is not covered by sex education in high school; in May, Christopher Simons, a professor of English literature at ICU, taught self-defense skills for body and mind; in June, Chisato Kitanaka from Hiroshima University discussed the knowledge and skills required to avoid becoming a victim or a perpetrator of campus harassment. Each workshop was based on up-to-date information and had a practical focus. Building on our insights from this year's workshop series, CGS hopes to offer students an even more fruitful opportunity to meet their irreplaceable self next year.