Honne and tatemae

In Japan, honne refers to a person's true feelings and desires (本音, hon'ne, "true sound"), and tatemae refers contrastingly to the behavior and opinions one displays in public (建前, tatemae, "built in front", "façade"). This distinction began to be made in the post-war era.[1]: 35 

A person's honne may be contrary to what is expected by society or what is required according to one's position and circumstances, and they are often kept hidden, except with one's closest friends. Tatemae is what is expected by society and required according to one's position and circumstances, and these may or may not match one's honne. In many cases, tatemae leads to outright telling of lies in order to avoid exposing the true inward feelings.

Professor Takeo Doi considered the honne–tatemae divide to be of paramount importance in Japanese culture.[2]

Causes

In Japanese culture, public failure and the disapproval of others are seen as particular sources of shame[3]: 153  and reduced social standing,[2]: 53 [4]: 122, 127, 133 [5]: 284  so it is common to avoid direct confrontation or disagreement in most social contexts.[3]: 153, 154, 164  Traditionally, social norms dictate that one should attempt to minimize discord; failure to do so might be seen as insulting or aggressive.[3]: 218  For this reason, the Japanese tend to go to great lengths to avoid conflict, especially within the context of large groups. By upholding this social norm,[3]: 52, 86  one is socially protected from such transgressions by others.[6]: 192 

The conflict between honne and giri (social obligations) is one of the main topics of Japanese drama throughout the ages.[3]: 205–207, 315  For example, the protagonist would have to choose between carrying out his obligations to his family/feudal lord or pursuing a clandestine love affair.

The same concept in Chinese culture is called "inside face" and "outside face", and these two aspects also frequently come into conflict.

Effects

Some researchers[7] suggest that the need for explicit words for tatemae and honne in Japanese culture is evidence that the concept is relatively new to Japan, whereas the unspoken understanding in many other cultures indicates a deeper internalization of the concepts. In any case, all cultures have conventions that help to determine appropriate communication and behavior in various social contexts which are implicitly understood without an explicit name for the social mores on which the conventions are based.

A similar discord of Japanese true own feeling and the pretension before public is observed in yase-gaman,[4]: 230  a phrase whose meaning literally translates as "starving to [one's] skeleton", referring to being content or pretending to be so. Nowadays, the phrase is used for two different meanings, expressing the samurai virtue of self-discipline,[3]: 63, 218, 228  silent moral heroism,[6]: 226, 246, 250, 252  or ridiculing stubbornness, face-savingness.[5]: 284 

See also

References
  1. Takeo Doi, The Anatomy of Self, 1985
  2. Doi, Takeo (1973). The Anatomy of Dependence: Exploring an area of the Japanese psyche: feelings of indulgence. Kodansha International.
  3. Benedict, Ruth (1946). The Chrysanthemum and the Sword. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-50075-0.
  4. Dower, John W. (1986). War Without Mercy. W. W. Norton & Co. ISBN 0-394-75172-8.
  5. Dower, John W. (1999). Embracing Defeat. W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 978-0-393-32027-5.
  6. Hearn, Lafcadio (1904). Japan: An Attempt at Interpretation. Dodo Press. ISBN 978-4925080392 for 2002 reprint.
  7. Hall, Edward T. (1976). Beyond Culture. Knopf Doubleday Publishing. ISBN 978-0385124744.
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