| Research Abstract |
Supported by this grant, in the keynote article on our authenticity in civilized society, first of all, by using the Tsurezuregusa of Kenko hoshi (Essays in Idlenee) which is surely one of the most profound and delightful works in medieval Japanese literature, one developmental process of a man blessed with affluent, delicate, and keen sensibility who independently tried to cope with several threats of life was described. Secondly, to exemplify the importance of a sensibility which hates self-deception. Ernest Becker's The Denial of Death (1973) was comprehensively interpreted, and the distillation of that work was grasped.
It is not sufficient for us to heighten our own self-esteem based on the struggle for superiority. Practically speaking, for more adaptive life in modern society, we each, being supported by sensibility, ought to cultivate a deep attachment to our own authenticity. This trait named as self-envisagement is defined as an orientation or an intension to examine one's heart and mind, grasp true self, choose internal criteria, and realize possibilities of the self. People high in both self-esteem and self-envisagement could become indifferent to and rise above self-esteem as a sense of superiority compared with others, then come to be endowed with several virtue, such as effort, courage, self-determination, and resignation, and ultimately overcome the threat of death.
Based the above underlying theme, several social psychological experiments on the adaptation of self-esteem, through cognitive dissonance, empathy, eating behavior.
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